Education Physical

Education, Physical, instruction in various kinds of physical activity to promote the physical development and well-being of the individual. Physical education is generally taught in schools from nursery to secondary level, and in some countries, including Britain, is a compulsory part of the curriculum. It involves organized sports, gymnastics, dance, athletic activities, swimming, and outdoor and adventurous activities. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) considers physical education programmes an important part of its mission.

The nature of physical education and sport today has been influenced by many cultures. For example, in ancient times, physical education consisted of gymnastics to improve strength, agility, flexibility, and endurance. The Greeks considered the human body to be a temple that housed the mind and the soul, and gymnastics kept that temple healthy and functional. Eventually, structured gymnastic and callisthenic exercise was abandoned in favour of sports.

Traditionally, the objectives of physical education have been categorized as either promoting “education of the physical” or “education through the physical”. Education of the physical focuses on the actual development of the body and physical skills rather than any results that can be achieved through physical activities, while education through the physical emphasizes the acquisition of physical skills and bodily development, as well as nurturing emotional, intellectual, and social skills in the process. The latter approach utilizes carefully selected physical activity as a medium through which desirable objectives can be met.