What does PE look like at this age?

Students move beyond basic skills and start playing real games and sports. They run, throw, catch, dribble, and strike with more control. They also learn how their bodies respond to exercise and why staying active matters as they get older.

How can I help my child stay active at home?

Pick something simple students enjoy and do it together a few times a week. A walk after dinner, shooting hoops in the driveway, riding bikes, or kicking a ball around the yard all count. The goal is regular movement, not a perfect workout.

How should I sequence skills across the year?

Start with fitness baselines and skill refreshers, then move into team games where students apply throwing, catching, and striking under pressure. Save individual and lifetime activities like fitness routines or net games for later in the year, once students can self-manage and work in small groups.

My child says they hate PE. What can I do?

Ask what part feels hard. Sixth graders often dislike PE because they feel behind in a sport or self-conscious in front of classmates. Practicing one skill at home, like catching or dribbling, often takes the edge off and makes class feel less exposing.

Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

Striking with control, defensive positioning, and pacing during sustained activity are common gaps. Many students can run and throw but have not learned to read a game or manage their effort. Short skill stations before game play tend to close those gaps fastest.

How much exercise should a sixth grader get?

About an hour of activity most days, mixing things that get the heart pumping with some strength work like climbing or pushups. It does not have to happen all at once. Three twenty-minute chunks across the day work just as well.

How do I handle the wide range of athletic ability in one class?

Build in choice and modify the challenge instead of the activity. Offer different distances, ball sizes, or rules so every student finds a version that pushes them. Grouping by effort and behavior, not skill, also keeps less athletic students engaged.

How do I know students are ready for seventh grade PE?

By spring, students should play modified team games with reasonable skill, work with any partner without conflict, and explain how a warmup, heart rate, and rest connect to fitness. They should also be able to set a simple personal fitness goal and track it.

Does PE really matter for my child's grades or future?

Active students tend to sleep better, focus longer in class, and handle stress more easily. Sixth grade is also when habits start to stick, so students who find an activity they like now are far more likely to stay active through high school.

What does a student learn in ?

Sixth grade is when gym class shifts from learning the basic moves to using them in real games and workouts. Students run, jump, throw, and catch with more control, and they start to see how warm-ups, heart rate, and effort change how their body feels. They practice teamwork by communicating during play and handling wins and losses with respect. By spring, students can set a simple fitness goal and stick with an activity they enjoy outside of class.

Motor skills
Fitness concepts
Teamwork
Sportsmanship
Healthy habits

Source: Illinois Illinois Learning Standards

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Moving with skill and confidence
Students start the year sharpening basic movements like running, jumping, throwing, catching, and dribbling. The goal is steady control so students can join a game without falling behind the action.
2
Smart play in games and sports
Students apply what they know about movement to real games. They learn where to stand, when to pass, and how to read what other players are doing instead of just chasing the ball.
3
Fitness and how the body works
Students learn what counts as exercise for the heart, muscles, and flexibility, and how to warm up and cool down. They start tracking effort and noticing how their body responds to activity.
4
Teamwork and fair play
Students practice working with classmates they did not choose. They learn to communicate during play, handle wins and losses, and take responsibility for safety and effort in the gym.
5
Building lifelong active habits
Students set small fitness goals and try activities they could keep doing outside of school, from biking to dance to weight-room basics. The focus shifts to what each student enjoys and will stick with.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 6.

Physical Education

Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

IL-PE.1.6

Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills they'll use in sports, games, and everyday activity.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

IL-PE.2.6

Students connect what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during activity. That might mean adjusting pace, form, or effort based on what they know works.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

IL-PE.3.6

Students practice working with others during physical activities: taking turns, solving disagreements, and following group rules. The focus is on how students treat teammates and handle challenges, not just how well they move.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

IL-PE.4.6

Students practice setting goals for staying active and start connecting regular movement to feeling better long-term. The focus is on building habits students actually choose, not just completing a unit.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills they'll use in sports, games, and everyday activity.	IL-PE.1.6
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students connect what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during activity. That might mean adjusting pace, form, or effort based on what they know works.	IL-PE.2.6
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with others during physical activities: taking turns, solving disagreements, and following group rules. The focus is on how students treat teammates and handle challenges, not just how well they move.	IL-PE.3.6
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students practice setting goals for staying active and start connecting regular movement to feeling better long-term. The focus is on building habits students actually choose, not just completing a unit.	IL-PE.4.6

Physical Education

Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

IL-PE.1.6

Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills they'll use in sports, games, and everyday activity.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

IL-PE.2.6

Students connect what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during activity. That might mean adjusting pace, form, or effort based on what they know works.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

IL-PE.3.6

Students practice working with others during physical activities: taking turns, solving disagreements, and following group rules. The focus is on how students treat teammates and handle challenges, not just how well they move.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

IL-PE.4.6

Students practice setting goals for staying active and start connecting regular movement to feeling better long-term. The focus is on building habits students actually choose, not just completing a unit.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills they'll use in sports, games, and everyday activity.	IL-PE.1.6
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students connect what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during activity. That might mean adjusting pace, form, or effort based on what they know works.	IL-PE.2.6
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with others during physical activities: taking turns, solving disagreements, and following group rules. The focus is on how students treat teammates and handle challenges, not just how well they move.	IL-PE.3.6
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students practice setting goals for staying active and start connecting regular movement to feeling better long-term. The focus is on building habits students actually choose, not just completing a unit.	IL-PE.4.6

Common Questions

What does PE look like at this age?
Students move beyond basic skills and start playing real games and sports. They run, throw, catch, dribble, and strike with more control. They also learn how their bodies respond to exercise and why staying active matters as they get older.
How can I help my child stay active at home?
Pick something simple students enjoy and do it together a few times a week. A walk after dinner, shooting hoops in the driveway, riding bikes, or kicking a ball around the yard all count. The goal is regular movement, not a perfect workout.
How should I sequence skills across the year?
Start with fitness baselines and skill refreshers, then move into team games where students apply throwing, catching, and striking under pressure. Save individual and lifetime activities like fitness routines or net games for later in the year, once students can self-manage and work in small groups.
My child says they hate PE. What can I do?
Ask what part feels hard. Sixth graders often dislike PE because they feel behind in a sport or self-conscious in front of classmates. Practicing one skill at home, like catching or dribbling, often takes the edge off and makes class feel less exposing.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Striking with control, defensive positioning, and pacing during sustained activity are common gaps. Many students can run and throw but have not learned to read a game or manage their effort. Short skill stations before game play tend to close those gaps fastest.
How much exercise should a sixth grader get?
About an hour of activity most days, mixing things that get the heart pumping with some strength work like climbing or pushups. It does not have to happen all at once. Three twenty-minute chunks across the day work just as well.
How do I handle the wide range of athletic ability in one class?
Build in choice and modify the challenge instead of the activity. Offer different distances, ball sizes, or rules so every student finds a version that pushes them. Grouping by effort and behavior, not skill, also keeps less athletic students engaged.
How do I know students are ready for seventh grade PE?
By spring, students should play modified team games with reasonable skill, work with any partner without conflict, and explain how a warmup, heart rate, and rest connect to fitness. They should also be able to set a simple personal fitness goal and track it.
Does PE really matter for my child's grades or future?
Active students tend to sleep better, focus longer in class, and handle stress more easily. Sixth grade is also when habits start to stick, so students who find an activity they like now are far more likely to stay active through high school.