Exercise is an essential aspect of health among children. Unfortunately, schools today have a hard time teaching physical education to children due to the prevalence of mobile phones and computers that encourage activities while sitting down. Here are some ways that schools can creatively make physical activity a fun past time for children.
Build School Canopies
In the UK, many schools have canopies can attract a lot of children during the school break. These canopies provide an excellent shade against the sun, the rain, and the snow where children can choose to play all kinds of games. In many cases, the lack of physical activity stems from the fact that there’s no viable place for it. Once the school has started to provide an excellent spot, children’s creativity will take over.
Embrace the New
Steer clear of the traditional competitive sports and try introducing new activities that also encourage physical exertion. Hula hoops, jump ropes, dodge ball, and hacky sacks are all excellent outlets for energy that are typically not seen as some form of sport. Keep the focus in ‘fun’ rather than in competition, and more students should be eager to participate in these events. Add new playground items in your school or perhaps be aware of any new dance and song trends that the children will happily participate.
Make it Part of the Curriculum
Who says that physical activities should be limited to physical education classes? With a bit of creativity, teachers can include a little bit of exercise into their classes. Science classes can encourage gardening as a part of biology projects. Mathematics teachers can introduce Ping-Pong games as a way to study angles. The curricula can be flexible, especially if teachers take the time to bring their heads together to achieve a common goal.
Give Children Some Control
There’s nothing like participation in the decision-making process to make kids more eager to be part of the activities. For example, if the school is hosting a Sports Festival, the children can be given leeway on the colour of the uniforms, the designs on the team shirts, and so on. With a little bit of control handed over to them, children can be more enthusiastic when taking part in school activities.
Have Outside Classes
It can be through a field trip, a trek in the local park, or even just a day of having your classes outdoors. You’ll find that simply allowing kids to wallow in nature can go a long way in promoting appreciation and physical exertion. Depending on the age of the children, wood treks, trips to the zoo, or a walk along educational parts of the city can be a source of education combined with healthy energy exertion.
Of course, those are just some of the things schools can do to encourage physical activity among children.
Have a regular meeting with other teachers to brainstorm some new ideas.
Keep in mind that children are highly receptive. Teaching good habits early on will increase the chances of these habits being carried into adulthood.
