Astor Academy Methods - Kindergarten Physical Education and Health

Sample day 1 - September, Unit 1 (Week 3: levels)

• Warm-up (5 min). Walk in general space; freeze on the drum.
• Teach (5 min). Show high (reach up), middle (hands on knees), and low (crouch or lie down).
• Play (15 min). Statue levels: when the music stops, the teacher calls a level and children freeze there in their own bubble (NY.S2.1.K).
• Cool down (5 min). Slow stretch; 'Which level was easiest to hold?'

Sample day 2 - November, Unit 3 (Week 11: clean hands)

• Ask (3 min). 'Why do we wash our hands?'
• Show (7 min). Model CDC's five steps: wet, lather, scrub, rinse, dry. Scrub at least 20 seconds, about two times through 'Happy Birthday.'
• Practice (15 min). Small groups wash at the sink with the 20-second timer (Health Std 1).
• Sort (5 min). Picture cards: before snack? after the toilet? Wash now!

Sample day 3 - February, Unit 5 (Week 21: feel your heartbeat)

• Still (3 min). Sit and put a hand on the chest. 'What do you feel?'
• Move (10 min). Jump, jog in place, and do jumping jacks for one song.
• Check (5 min). Hand on chest again. 'Is it faster? Are you breathing harder?' NHLBI: aerobic activity makes the heart beat faster and you breathe harder (NY.S3.1.K).
• Play and rest (10 min). Run-and-rest tag; notice the heartbeat slow during rest.

1. Watch and talk

PE in kindergarten is checked by watching children move and asking short questions. Each unit lists one check.

2. End-of-year checklist (every outcome)

• Multilingual learners. Use real objects, gestures, picture word cards, and home-language words next to English; let children show what they know by pointing, sorting, drawing, or acting it out.
• Students with disabilities. Follow each child's IEP; offer larger materials, fewer choices at once, visual schedules, and extra time; give a quiet spot for children who find noise or crowds hard.
• Movement differences. Adapt equipment (bigger balls, lower targets, a chair for balance), offer seated versions of moves, and follow each child's IEP or 504 plan; adaptive PE teachers can help.
• Children ready for more. Add distance, speed, or a second skill (hop then catch); let them invent a game with fair rules.

● = in focus (taught and checked); ○ = practiced. Every kindergarten PE outcome and all three Health Education standards are in focus in at least one unit.

NYS Physical Education Learning Standards (2020), the six standards

• Standard 1. Demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.
• Standard 2. Applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics related to movement and performance.
• Standard 3. Demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.
• Standard 4. Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others.
• Standard 5. Recognizes the value of physical activity for overall wellness, enjoyment, challenge, and/or self-expression.
• Standard 6. Recognizes career opportunities and manages personal and community resources related to physical activity and fitness to achieve and maintain overall wellness.

Kindergarten outcomes

From the NYS PE Learning Standards (2020), Kindergarten pages, with codes from the At a Glance document. The topic in parentheses is the standard's category.

• NY.S1.1.K: Identifies locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills. (Sports Skills and Games)
• NY.S1.2.K: Identifies locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills in dance, movement, and rhythmic activities. (Dance, Movement, and Rhythmic Activities)
• NY.S1.3.K: Identifies locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills. (Fitness Activities)
• NY.S1.4.K: Identifies locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills. (Lifetime Activities)
• NY.S2.1.K: Identifies simple movement concepts. (Movement Concepts)
• NY.S3.1.K: Identifies how physical activity affects the heart and lungs. (Fitness Planning)
• NY.S3.2.K: Identifies health-enhancing behaviors. (Additional Health-Enhancing Behaviors)
• NY.S4.1.K: Identifies responsible personal behavior in physical activity settings. (Self-awareness and management)
• NY.S4.2.K: Follows directions in physical activity settings (e.g., taking turns, sharing). (Social awareness and relationship skills; the At-a-Glance prints 'Recognizes and follows directions...')
• NY.S4.3.K: Follows directions in physical activity settings (e.g., safe behaviors, following rules). (Responsible decision making)
• NY.S5.2.K: Identifies challenging skills in physical activities. (Challenge)
• NY.S5.3.K: Identifies physical activities that are enjoyable. (Self-Expression/Enjoyment)
• NY.S6.1.K: Identifies physical activities available outside of school. (Personal and Community Resources)

Outcomes for 2.2 (Strategies and Tactics) and 5.1 (Overall Wellness) begin in grade 3; 6.2 (Careers) begins in grade 6. There are no kindergarten outcomes for them.

NYS Health Education Standards (elementary level)

• Health Std 1: Personal Health and Fitness. Elementary performance indicators: know how basic body systems work and interrelate in normal patterns of growth and development; possess basic knowledge and skills which support positive health choices and behaviors; understand how behaviors such as food selection, exercise, and rest affect growth and development; recognize influences which affect health choices and behaviors; know about some diseases and disorders and how they are prevented and treated; practice and support others in making healthy choices. Sample task: demonstrate health practices such as washing hands, covering one's mouth when coughing or sneezing, and brushing and flossing teeth.
• Health Std 2: A Safe and Healthy Environment. Elementary performance indicators: understand basic safety rules; recognize potentially dangerous situations and know how to avoid or reduce their risk; know some personal and social skills which contribute to individual safety; recognize characteristics of the environment that contribute to health.
• Health Std 3: Resource Management. Elementary performance indicators: identify characteristics of valid health information and health-promoting products and services and know where to locate them; understand how culture contributes to individual family and community beliefs and practices affecting health; know how to access help when illness, injury, or emergency situations occur; recognize how the media influences health choices. Sample task: demonstrate how to use "911" or similar emergency services.

Kindergarten Early Learning Standards, Domain 2: Physical Development and Health

• K.PDH.1: Uses senses to assist and guide learning
• K.PDH.2: Uses sensory information to plan and carry out movements
• K.PDH.3: Demonstrates coordination and control of large muscles
• K.PDH.4: Combines a sequence of large motor skills with and without the use of equipment
• K.PDH.5: Demonstrates eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills
• K.PDH.6: Engages in a variety of physical fitness activities
• K.PDH.7: Demonstrates personal care and hygiene skills (its one printed indicator: a. Sets a personal physical activity goal and tracks progress toward its achievement)
• K.PDH.8: Demonstrates awareness and understanding of healthy habits (a. Recognizes the importance of good nutrition, water, rest, and sleep to be healthy; b. Demonstrates ways to self-soothe during times of stress; c. Talks about food choices in relationship to personal allergies and overall health; d. Relates healthy behaviors to good personal health (e.g., eating a balanced diet, exercising))
• K.PDH.9: Demonstrates awareness and understanding of safety rules (a. Verbalizes and demonstrates safety rules (e.g., bus safety, holding an adult's hand when walking on sidewalks or near a street); b. Understands and communicates that some practices could be unsafe (e.g., playing with matches, playing near a busy street, not wearing a bike helmet); c. Participates in fire evacuation drills, understands what the alarm bell is and the need to go to a safe location, etc.)
• K.PDH.10: Demonstrates awareness and understanding of community resources (a. Explains how to get help in emergency situations (e.g., communicates their guardian's name and phone number); b. Identifies resources available at home and in the community to promote physical fitness and health; c. Describes how one's family influences one's physical activity)

• NY.S4.2.K wording. The full 2020 standards say 'Follows directions in physical activity settings (e.g., taking turns, sharing)'; the At a Glance prints 'Recognizes and follows directions...'. This plan uses the full document's wording.
• Health indicators are not numbered by NYSED. They are cited by standard (Health Std 1, 2, 3) with the indicator text.
• K.PDH.7 is titled 'Demonstrates personal care and hygiene skills', but the indicator printed under it in NYSED's guide is about setting a physical activity goal. The plan uses the title only as practice and does not rely on the printed indicator.
• Food. MyPlate's own website did not load during checking, so food-group facts come from USDA Food and Nutrition Service's Meet MyPlate parent handout. Food tastings need allergy checks and family permission.
• Not given to children: any health claim without a CDC, NIH, USDA, NYC, or NYSED source.
• Astor's own choices: unit order, timing, daily minutes, activities, sample days, and checklist tasks.

All links were opened or downloaded on October 20, 2026 (America/New_York). Standard codes and wording were copied from the NYSED documents (local copies in src-cache/). Numbers continue the English and Math source list (1-23).

29. NYSED. New York State Physical Education Learning Standards (2020; PDF dated Apr 2023). Introduction to Kindergarten and Kindergarten outcomes, pp. 16-18. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/new-york-physical-education-learning-standards-2020.pdf
30. NYSED. The New York State Physical Education Learning Standards at a Glance (2020) (codes NY.S1.1.K through NY.S6.1.K). https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/new-york-state-physical-education-learning-standards-at-a-glance-2020.pdf
31. NYSED. Physical Education FAQ (item E1: grades K-3 daily physical education, minimum 120 minutes per week; E2: recess does not count). https://www.nysed.gov/standards-instruction/physical-education-faq
32. NYSED. Learning Standards for Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences at Three Levels. Elementary level, Health Education: Standard 1 p. 2, Standard 2 p. 8, Standard 3 p. 14. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/standards-instruction/healthpefacslearningstandards.pdf
33. NYSED Office of Early Learning. Resource Guides for School Success: The Kindergarten Early Learning Standards (2019, revised 2021). Domain 2, Physical Development and Health (K.PDH.1-K.PDH.10), pp. 11-12; Domain 5d, The Arts, pp. 30-32. https://www.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/programs/early-learning/k-standards-resource-web-revised-2021.pdf
34. CDC. About Handwashing (Feb 16, 2024): five steps; scrub at least 20 seconds, hum 'Happy Birthday' twice; key times to wash. https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html
35. CDC. Healthy Habits: Coughing and Sneezing: cover with a tissue or your elbow, not your hands; wash hands right after. https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/about/coughing-and-sneezing.html
36. CDC. About Fluoride and Oral Health Tips for Children: brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste; ages 3-6 use a pea-sized amount; spit, do not swallow; adults watch children under 6 brush. https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/prevention/about-fluoride.html (also https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/prevention/oral-health-tips-for-children.html)
37. CDC. About Sleep (May 15, 2024): recommended daily sleep, 3-5 years 10-13 hours including naps; 6-12 years 9-12 hours; adults 18-60 years 7 or more hours (citing the American Academy of Sleep Medicine). https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html
38. CDC. Child Activity: An Overview (Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd ed.): children 3-5 active throughout the day; 6-17 at least 60 minutes every day. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/children.html
39. NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Physical Activity and Your Heart: Types: aerobic activity makes your heart beat faster and you breathe harder; over time it makes your heart and lungs stronger. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/types
40. USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Team Nutrition. Discover MyPlate: Meet MyPlate parent handout (Jan 2023, FNS-471B): five food groups (Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, Grains, Protein Foods); 'Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.' https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/dmp-ph-meetmyplate.pdf
41. NYC Emergency Management. Plan for Hazards: Thunderstorms and Lightning: every thunderstorm produces lightning; take shelter, 'indoors means indoors.' https://www.nyc.gov/site/em/ready/thunderstorms.page
42. NYC Public Schools. 2026-2027 School Year Calendar (holiday names and dates used in the Social Studies plan: Yom Kippur Sept 21; Italian Heritage/Indigenous Peoples' Day Oct 12; Election Day Nov 3, remote; Veterans Day Nov 11; Thanksgiving Recess Nov 26-27; Winter Recess Dec 24-Jan 1; Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan 18; Midwinter Recess Feb 15-19; Eid al-Fitr Mar 9; Good Friday Mar 26; Spring Recess Apr 22-30; Eid al-Adha May 17; Memorial Day May 31). Same document as source 13. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/calendar/2026-2027-school-year-calendar
43. Open Library search API, checked October 20, 2026, for every new read-aloud title and author pair (titles not found there were dropped). https://openlibrary.org/search.json