What Ontario grade 8 students learn in health and physical education

Your child will learn how to recognize and handle their own feelings while doing activities in health and physical education. This will help them share what they are feeling and understand how others feel, so they can react appropriately. For example, they might learn how to stay calm and speak clearly if there's an emergency, or understand how feeling nervous can affect their performance in a sport like curling. They will also learn how social media can cause stress and how to deal with those feelings.

Your child will learn to recognize what causes them stress and how to deal with those challenges, including knowing when and how to ask for help. This will help them build resilience, which is their ability to bounce back from difficulties.

Your child will learn to develop positive attitudes and stay motivated in physical education by understanding how effort leads to improvement and success. This will help them feel hopeful and optimistic about making healthy choices and trying new things.

Your child will learn how to build healthy relationships, understand how others feel, and communicate well with different people. This will help them feel like they belong and respect everyone's differences, whether they are playing sports, exercising, or learning about healthy living.

Your child will learn to understand themselves better, including their likes, dislikes, strengths, and areas for improvement, which helps them feel more confident and like they belong. This includes understanding their gender identity and sexual orientation, and how knowing these things can help them make good choices about their health and physical activities.

Your child will be able to use critical and creative thinking skills to understand how to make healthy choices and solve problems in physical activity and health. For example, they will learn to track their fitness progress and adjust their exercise plans, and think of ways to make school activities healthier and more inclusive for everyone.

Your child will be able to take part in many different physical activities, such as individual sports, group games, dancing, and outdoor activities, to the best of their ability.

Your child will understand what makes physical activities fun for them, like being able to choose activities they like, feeling comfortable, and being able to participate in different settings. This will help them enjoy being active in various indoor and outdoor places.

Your child will understand what makes people want to be physically active, such as feeling good or having fun, and learn how to encourage others to be active too.

Your child will participate in at least 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, including warm-up and cool-down exercises, trying their best in activities like capture the flag or soccer.

Your child will learn the difference between fitness for health (like heart strength and flexibility) and fitness for skills (like balance and speed). They will also understand how to use training principles, which are guidelines for exercise, to improve both types of fitness.

Your child will learn to check their own fitness levels in activities like running or lifting weights, and understand how their body changes over time with exercise. This includes noticing things like how quickly their heart rate returns to normal after activity.

Your child will learn to create, follow, and adjust a personal plan to reach their fitness and physical activity goals, both for the near future and over a longer period of time.

Your child will learn how to stay safe and prevent injuries, including concussions, during physical activities, and will encourage others to do the same. This includes understanding rules, being responsible, and protecting themselves from the sun.

Your child will learn how to handle emergencies during physical activity, like knowing when to call for help, understanding what to do if someone might have a concussion, or recognizing signs of asthma or a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). They will also learn about AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators), which are devices that can help someone whose heart has stopped.

Your child will be able to move smoothly, shifting their weight and turning their body, both alone and with others or equipment. This includes maintaining balance while still (static balance) and while moving (dynamic balance), in activities like aerobics or Pilates.

Your child will be able to perform many different ways of moving their body from one place to another, like running or jumping, with or without equipment. They will also learn to adjust their movements based on what's happening around them, such as changing their dance moves to match music or altering their skiing style for different snow conditions.

Your child will be able to combine different movement skills like sending (throwing or hitting), receiving (catching), and retaining (keeping control of an object) in various activities. They will also understand how to use basic movement principles, such as shifting their weight or using all their joints, to perform these skills effectively in different situations.

Your child will understand that movements have different stages: getting ready, doing the action, and finishing up. They will use this knowledge to improve their skills in various physical activities, like getting into position, swinging, and following through in badminton.

Your child will understand the different parts of various physical activities, like the movements involved, how the games are set up, the basic rules, and how to play fairly and respectfully. They will use this understanding when they participate in different activities both inside and outside.

Your child will understand how skills learned in one sport, like throwing or running, can be used in other sports too. They will also be able to explain which strategies worked best for them in different kinds of physical activities.

Your child will be able to use different strategies and plans to improve their chances of success in various physical activities, like knowing when to use certain shots in a game or how to position themselves to score. They will learn to think about the best way to play to gain an advantage.

Your child will learn to recognize the signs of a concussion (a type of brain injury) and understand how to recover safely from one.

Your child will learn to recognize situations that could cause injury or harm, like concussions from sports or injuries from falls, and understand how to reduce these risks by making safe choices, such as wearing helmets or avoiding dangerous situations.

Your child will learn to recognize the signs that someone might be struggling with substance use, like changes in their behavior or school performance, and understand the serious problems that can result from it, such as legal trouble or health issues.

Your child will learn about the many things that can influence someone's decisions about sexual activity, including personal feelings, peer pressure, and cultural beliefs. They will also learn where to find reliable support and information about sexual health.

Your child will learn about gender identity (how someone feels about their own gender, like male, female, Two-Spirit, or transgender), gender expression (how someone shows their gender), and sexual orientation (who someone is attracted to, like heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual). They will also learn what helps people of all identities and orientations feel good about themselves.

Your child will look at their own eating habits and food choices, comparing them to Canada's Food Guide to see how they can eat healthier, like by drinking more water or understanding food labels.

Your child will learn to recognize risky situations, like getting into a car with someone who shouldn't be driving or going to a party where there are drugs, and understand how to avoid them. They will also learn to think about the health risks of things like crash diets or body piercings before trying them.

Your child will learn about different ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including choosing not to have sex (abstinence) or using birth control (contraception). They will also understand the importance of consent and develop skills like communication and self-awareness to make safe and healthy choices about sexual activity.

Your child will understand how building healthy habits into their daily life, like exercising in the morning or using breathing exercises, can help them stay mentally strong and bounce back from tough times.

Your child will learn different ways to encourage healthy eating habits and make good food choices at school, at home, and in their community. This includes things like helping with school food policies, planning family meals, or encouraging local restaurants to offer healthier options.

Your child will understand how different types of violence, like bullying or violence in relationships, affect everyone involved—the person targeted, the person doing the harm, and those who witness it. They will also learn about support services available to help prevent violence.

Your child will learn about the good things that come from healthy relationships, like support and understanding. They will also learn about the possible risks and benefits of relationships that involve different levels of physical intimacy, including sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, and emotional hurt.

Your child will learn how the words we use and common beliefs about mental health can lead to stigma, which is when people are unfairly judged or discriminated against. They will also learn ways to challenge and reduce this stigma.