Although team sports can provide fun-filled memories that can last your child a lifetime, they are also a teaching tool for the development of important social skills. Sports can teach him to be competitive, yet fair and honest.

An estimated 12.5 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although genetics and diet play pivotal roles in childhood obesity, the CDC also notes that passive media viewing can contribute to this epidemic.

The Olympics theme fits well into the physical education curriculum at any grade level. The kids participate in activities that simulate actual events in either the Summer or Winter Olympics. The theme is ideal during an actual Olympics year, but you can use it anytime to add variety to gym class.

A child’s ability to learn how to ride a bicycle depends on her physical development, coordination, and mastery of gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Most children are ready to ride a bicycle by the time they are 5 years old, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Physical education is just as important as any subject in an elementary school, according the Council on Physical Education for Children. Physical education helps to develop motor skills, body awareness, social interaction and cognitive development.

Any student who takes a psychology class is familiar with the principles of Ivan Pavlov's classical conditioning learning models. In classical conditioning, a subject learns a behavior through subconscious stimuli.

If you're the parent of a young child, you might be thinking of enrolling him in a daycare, preschool or pre-kindergarten program to prepare him for elementary school. These programs are typically run by those with early childhood education certification and often offer more than just playtime.

Bifocals are dual-vision glasses that allow the patient to see two different vision prescriptions through the same lens. Bifocals can often be identified because they look like a normal glasses lens with a portion of another lens resting on top, either in a circular or sliver shape.

Children go through an amazing transformation in the earliest years of their life, from a helpless infant to a walking, talking toddler, and on to reading, critical thinking and advanced social interactions in a school setting.

During early childhood, a parent's attitudes and values can be passed on to the child. During this time their self concept is forming, and can be heavily influenced by their parents, according to Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project.

Though occasionally troubling in appearance, most dark spots that appear on a child's skin are harmless. Birthmarks, rashes, exposure to the sun or infections of the skin can cause dark spots to appear.

When one or both parents become disabled, there is often a question about how their child's education will be paid. Luckily, there are a number of grants that are available specifically for children who have a parent, or even a grandparent, who is disabled.