Overview

The Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum for Grades 1-8 is informed by the results of the consultation, as well as research and learnings from other jurisdictions.

Our modernized and inclusive curriculum relates to students’ everyday experiences — at home, at school and in the community. It helps them learn the life-long skills, habits and knowledge they need to:

  • lead healthy, active lives
  • make healthy and safe choices
  • enhance their physical, social-emotional and mental well-being

For Grades 1-8, our 2019 HPE curriculum includes:

To support our youngest students, we also issued The 2019 Addendum to The Kindergarten Program.

This guide provides an overview of what your child will learn in each grade of the elementary 2019 HPE curriculum. You can also read our overview of the secondary 2015 HPE curriculum.

About the curriculum

The curriculum identifies and describes the knowledge and skills that we expect students to learn in each grade. Educators assess and evaluate students’ achievements based on these expectations.

The elementary HPE curriculum focuses on physical activity, skill development and movement that builds students’ abilities, confidence and commitment to life-long healthy, active living.

The curriculum includes updated expectations in several areas, including mental health, and new expectations on social-emotional learning skills, to be taught in connection with all parts of the curriculum.

The curriculum has been updated to respond to the realities of students’ lives today. Mandatory learning topics include:

  • Bullying: Grades 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8
  • Concussions: Grades 1 to 8
  • Consent: Grades 1 to 8
  • Healthy body image: Grades 1 to 4 and 7
  • Mental health: Grades 1 to 8
  • Online safety: Grades 1 to 8
  • Substance use and addictions (including e-cigarettes (vaping), cannabis, tobacco, alcohol and other drugs): Grades 4 to 8

Mental health

Our HPE curriculum takes a comprehensive approach to learning about mental health including:

  • developing social-emotional learning skills
  • building mental health literacy, knowledge and skills
  • understanding connections between physical and mental health

This supports students’ overall health and well-being, positive mental health and their ability to learn, build resilience and thrive.

Sexual health

The Human Development and Sexual Health component of the HPE curriculum helps students learn about healthy human physical development as they develop skills for healthy, respectful relationships.

This involves more than anatomy and reproduction. It can include a wide range of topics and concepts, including consent.

Sexual development is one component of overall human development. Students will learn about healthy human development in ways that are geared to their age and stage of development.

Parents are the primary educators of their children and are their children’s first role models. It is important that schools and parents work together so that both home and school provide a supportive framework for young people’s education. The curriculum does not replace the role of parents in educating their children about sexual health.

Curriculum documents

Opting out of Human Development and Sexual Health learning

As a parent, you can opt out or ask to exempt your child from Human Development and Sexual Health learning in the Grades 1-8 Health and Physical Education curriculum.

Your school board must have a policy or procedure that lets students be exempted.

Schools must:

  • post the exemption policy/procedure on their public website
  • notify all parents at least 20 school days before the Human Development and Sexual Health expectations are taught

For more information, please speak with your child’s teacher or principal, or contact your child’s school board.