One of the philosophies that is used in gym classes here at Touchstone is the Movement Education Approach. With the movement education approach one works on the basic movements that the body does during play or activity (whether it is skipping, sliding, running, dribbling, etc).  Children are offered many different opportunities to move using various mediums (sports, dance or educational games). The approach is rather different than using a sports centered approach like many people grew up with. It can be compared to mathematics;  one must learn how to count first before starting to learn calculus.  In the study of traveling, our youngest students might be asked to travel any way they would like from point A to point B, or they might be asked to show as many ways as possible that they can travel.  This same exploration is used while using  a soccer ball, but they might be asked to show the different ways they can kick the ball.  A lot of importance is placed  on movement skill acquisition.  According to NASPE ( National Association of Sport and Physical Education) the greatest emphasis during preschool and early elementary grades should be upon movement skill acquisition, not on sports.