How to Earn PE Credits During the Summer

There are times during the year when our family is super-active. We hike, we bike, we swim, etc. But, there are other times when, while we aren’t couch potatoes, we don’t do as much as we should. During winter, we are busy with the holidays, and then the season of “catch up and push through until the end of the year,” when academics and extra-curricular activities take center stage. As a young homeschooling mom, I often forgot about the required physical education, or PE credits, that I needed to log each year. That’s why I have found the summer months to be a great time to kill two birds with one stone, get out and get active, enjoying the warmth and creation and obtaining our required PE hours. Here are a few no-fuss, total-fun ideas on how to earn PE credits during the summer.

Summer PE Ideas for Homeschoolers

If you’re planning to be active this summer like our family is, don’t waste the time; use it to your advantage. Below are a few of our best ideas for how to earn PE credits during the summer. Regardless of what you choose to do, be sure to use a log sheet like this one to log your hours!

• Go hiking, rafting, or canoeing! Your local state park or nature area will have tons of hiking trails and canals or lakes for you to enjoy. Be sure to grab a map from each location and mark the trails you traverse as a family. Don’t worry; most places have canoes or kayaks to rent as well. Even more fun, book a rafting trip while you’re on vacation.
• Join the YMCA or a swim club. Kids need to learn water safety as early as possible. Even if your kiddos can swim already, put them on the swim team or simply visit the pool and lap-swim weekly.
• Join another physical club. So your kids hate to swim (still teach them, please); no biggie. Join a different sports club. Try horseback riding, soccer, golf, gymnastics, etc. Make it about their interests and log the hours they spend in class learning and trying something new!
• Bike as a family. We love biking and have taken entire trips as a family devoted to miles and miles of biking and sightseeing each day. From a local trail to a full family tour, biking is a great way to earn PE credits during the summer while enjoying yourselves and having a blast as a family. Not ready to create your own itinerary? Use a service like https://www.biketours.com.
• Take the Presidential Fitness Challenge. From sit-ups to running to squats, this challenge is no joke and is FREE. Register and get all you need to challenge your homeschoolers this summer.
• Create a summer family workout plan, then get it on video! What’s more fun than creating videos as a family? Nothing! Why not combine this with fitness and get your PE credits while working out together. You can even upload your demonstrations and workouts to YouTube to enjoy and inspire others.
• Wake up and cool down your days with yoga. One of our family goals is to become more flexible, and yoga is perfect to accomplish this! We started with these 12 poses to help our children sleep better and moved on to these fun, kid friendly routines from Cosmic Kids Yoga.

It’s not hard to earn PE credits during the summer; you just have to be a little creative. Doing what all kids love to do, playing outside, can be turned into time spent earning and logging PE credits that start you off in the black for the school year. Get out, get moving, and enjoy your summer!