Key Stage 1 · ages 5 to 7
Key Stage 1 PE: what your child learns
In Years 1 and 2, children master running, jumping, throwing and catching while developing balance, agility and co-ordination. They play simple team games, learning basic tactics for attacking and defending, and perform dances using simple movement patterns. Lessons are about confidence and enjoyment, including competing against themselves as well as others, so playful practice in a garden or park fits well.
Guides for parents
Key Stage 1 PE
Attacking and defending tactics
How Years 1 and 2 learn simple tactics in team games: finding space, passing, staying between an opponent and the goal. What it looks like and how to practise.
Key Stage 1 PE
Balance, agility and co-ordination
What balance, agility and co-ordination mean in Year 1 and Year 2 PE, how schools teach them through games and challenges, and easy ways to practise at home.
Key Stage 1 PE
Jumping, hopping and skipping
What Years 1 and 2 learn about jumping, hopping, leaping and landing safely in PE, the common mistakes teachers see and simple games to practise at home.
Key Stage 1 PE
Dance: moving to music
How Years 1 and 2 learn to dance in PE: listening to music, moving to the beat, showing mood and character, and performing with confidence. Ideas to try at home.
Key Stage 1 PE
Team games, rules and fair play
How Years 1 and 2 learn to play team games: following rules, taking turns, working together and handling winning and losing. What to expect and how to help.
Key Stage 1 PE
Running skills
How children in Years 1 and 2 learn to run with control: speed, direction, stopping and confidence. What PE lessons cover, common problems and ideas for home.
Key Stage 1 PE
Simple dance patterns
How Years 1 and 2 build short dances from simple movement patterns: steps, turns, jumps and freezes, repeated and remembered in order. Easy ideas to try at home.
Key Stage 1 PE
Throwing and catching
How Years 1 and 2 learn to roll, throw, bounce and catch, with the cues teachers use, the usual mistakes and simple partner games to try at home.
Everything in the Key Stage 1 PE curriculum
The National Curriculum topics for Key Stage 1, in the order the National Curriculum lists them.