In the latest edition of his book Fitness Education for Children: A Team Approach, Stephen Virgilio emphasizes the importance of collaboration to combat obesity and promote active lifestyles. Virgilio shows how you can combine the efforts of physical educators, administrators, classroom teachers, school volunteers, parents, school lunch personnel, health service professionals, and others in the community.
Virgilio provides new suggestions and information on incorporating the team approach to help schools meet wellness policy objectives. He spells out a school wellness approach with the physical educator as physical activity director and guides you in integrating school fitness breaks and activities in the classroom curriculum. He also
offers new exercise, rhythmic, and pedometer activities as well as new fitness games;
provides current research and statistics on childhood obesity and approaches to intervention;
includes a completely new chapter on yoga (including activities) for school-aged children; and
presents information on the stages of behavioral change, helping teachers modify long-term health behaviors in children.
This new edition also includes updated Activitygram/Fitnessgram procedures and a discussion of SMART goals. You’ll find a new section on teaching children with autism spectrum disorder and the current USDA’s MyPlate. You’ll also receive the most recent physical activity guidelines for children from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and help in developing programs that support those guidelines. And you’ll find updated references throughout the book as well as new websites for further information.
Fitness Education for Children also offers strategies for cross-curricular activities and classroom collaborations as well as suggestions for using technology to enhance your communication with students and parents.
Written for veteran and new physical educators as well as students preparing to enter the profession, this text covers the gamut of issues that educators need to know to provide effective fitness education. Those issues include the principles of fitness, teaching children with disabilities, planning lessons, teaching fitness concepts, collaborating with other teachers, and getting parents and your community involved. You also receive updated developmental exercises and active games and activities, and you’ll learn how to hold exciting schoolwide events.
Fitness Education for Children offers a blueprint for battling obesity in school-aged children by promoting healthy lifestyles. This book will help you understand the educational philosophy, instructional strategies, assessments, and pedagogical models that will transform your curriculum into a springboard to a lifetime of healthy activity for the children you teach.
Part I: Developing a Foundation
Chapter 1: A New Perspective in Elementary Physical Education
Heart Disease Begins in Childhood
Physical Activity as a Key Factor
National Physical Activity Plan
NASPE Physical Activity Guidelines for Children
Physical Activity Philosophy
Components of Health-Related Physical Fitness
Sport-Related Physical Fitness
Fitness Education
Summary
Chapter 2: A Team Approach to Fitness Education
Mixed Messages
Multidisciplinary Team Approach
Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs
Let’s Move and Let’s Move in School
School Wellness Plan
Health-Related Physical Fitness Testing
Youth Fitness Tests
Authentic Assessment
Summary
Chapter 3: Behavioral Change and Motivational Strategies
Rainbow to Youth Fitness and Active Lifestyles
What Motivates Children to Move?
Types of Motivation
Motivational Strategies
Summary
Chapter 4: Principles of Health-Related Physical Fitness
Core Principles of Health-Related Physical Fitness
Stages of a Physical Activity Session
Components of Health-Related Physical Fitness
Summary
Chapter 5: Fitness Education for Children With Disabilities
Individualized Education Plan
Guidelines for Inclusion
Obesity
Asthma
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Spinal Cord Impairments
Intellectual Disability
Summary
Part II: Planning and Teaching Fitness Education
Chapter 6: Teaching Strategies
Traditional Teaching Models
Humanistic Approach to Teaching Fitness
Spectrum of Teaching Styles
Instructional Technology
Class Structure
Summary
Chapter 7: Planning for Fitness
Sample Yearly Plan for Developmental Level III
Sample Lesson Plans
Fitness Education Lessons
Fitness Integration Lessons
Summary
Chapter 8: Teaching Health-Related Physical Fitness Concepts
Strategies for Teaching Fitness Concepts and Active Lifestyles
Scope and Sequence
Developmental Level I Fitness Concepts: Physical Activity Is Fun
Developmental Level II Fitness Concepts: The Best I Can Be
Developmental Level III Fitness Concepts: Let’s Get Heart Smart
Summary
Chapter 9: Collaborating With the Classroom Teacher
Interacting With the Classroom Teacher
Communication Strategies
Thematic Units: An Approach to Integrated Learning
Cardiovascular Health: A Thematic Unit
Health-Related Physical Fitness Classroom Activities
Developmental Level I Classroom Activities
Developmental Level II Classroom Activities
Developmental Level III Classroom Activities
Summary
Chapter 10: Getting Parents and Your Community Involved
Establishing a Plan of Action
Communication
Parent Education
Parent Participation During School Hours
Home-Based Activities
Community Involvement
SummaryPart III: Fitness Activities
Chapter 11: Developmental Exercises
Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Muscle Fitness
Flexibility
Exercises to Avoid
Summary
Chapter 12: Active Games
Characteristics of Developmental Games
Promoting Physical Activity Through Active Games
Developmental Level I Games
Developmental Level II Games
Developmental Level III Games
Summary
Chapter 13: Dance and Rhythmic Activities
Safety Precautions
Planning Developmentally Appropriate Activities
Developmental Level I Dance and Rhythmic Activities
Developmental Level II Dance and Rhythmic Activities
Developmental Level III Dance and Rhythmic Activities
Summary
Chapter 14: Yoga for Children
Helpful Hints
Breathing Poses
Standing Poses
Kneeling Poses
Sitting Poses
Lying Poses
Support Poses
Games
Summary
Chapter 15: Schoolwide Events
Fitness Field Day
Fit for Life Family Night
Geography Run
School Health Fair
Early Bird Wake-Up and Afternoon Perk-Up
Jump Rope for Heart, Hoops for Heart, and Step for Heart
ACES: All Children Exercising Simultaneously
Recess Workouts
Fitness Clubs
Principal Walks
Holiday Classics
Summary
Stephen J. Virgilio, PhD, is a professor of physical education at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. He has researched and studied childhood obesity and fitness education for over 30 years. He taught elementary physical education for six years before earning his doctorate from Florida State University.
Dr. Virgilio has authored four other books, including Active Start for Healthy Kids (Human Kinetics, 2006), which focuses on children ages 2 to 6. He has published over 75 manuscripts and conducted more than 150 presentations and workshops, including several keynote addresses. He is the coauthor of the nationally known Heart Smart Program, a school-based cardiovascular health intervention program.
Dr.Virgilio has been quoted in over 100 major newspapers, magazines, and websites. He has served on the editorial board of Teaching Elementary Physical Education; Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance; and Strategies. He has also served on several national committees and projects with the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). In 2006, he was elected to the NASPE board of directors. He has been a consultant to school districts throughout the United States as well as Dannon, Fisher-Price, Sport-Fun, and Skillastics. He has also served as senior writer to the PBS children's TV show Kid-Fitness.
Since 1977 he has been a member of NASPE and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Dr. Virgilio resides in East Williston and Seneca Falls, New York. In his spare time he enjoys bass fishing, kayaking, boating, traveling, and studying world economics.