Schools Can Help Kids Be Active

Posted by Jaime L. Hebert Sep 10, 2006

Schools, teachers, and parents have many different ideas when they hear about students needing to be more active or that kids need to exercise more. These ideas include:

• There's no time
• My children/students don't like to exercise
• We need to focus on academics
• Kids get enough activity at recess/PE class/after school

Many of these statements have a basis of truth. However, physical activity for children is far more important than many people realize. And children are getting far less physical activity than is recommended or necessary. Children do not get enough time to be active during PE class (once a week?) or during recess.

And the vision we have of children playing outside, riding bikes, or playing physical games after school often doesn't apply anymore. For one thing, parents in many areas don't want their children playing outside without close supervision. Since the parents are often working, that supervision can be hard to come by.

The more likely scenario today is for kids to be inside, watching television, playing video games, working on the computer, etc. Yes, they are safe...but they are also sedentary. The sad truth is that we are setting them up for a lifetime of health issues if we take away all of their physical activity opportunities.

So what role do schools and teachers play? A big one! Children spend most of their day at school. Plus, there are a number of studies that show combining learning and activity benefits children. Yes, it does take some extra effort to plan lessons that integrate physical activity. It also takes a more concerted effort to make physcial activity a priority for the whole school. Thousands of schools are now doing just that, and the benefits for everyone involved are enormous.

The biggest obstacle, unfortunately, is often not the kids. It is us, the adults. We think children won't exercise, we think it will be too hard, we think other things should take priority, or we think trying to manage a classroom full of active kids will just be a giant headache. However, our students often welcome the chance to do things differently, and will also thank us for allowing them to release their energy in a safe, fun way.

Let's set aside our own notions and instead see physical activity in a new light. What else can bring families and children together, give an entire school a common goal, improve health, improve learning retention and mood, and be just plain fun? The benefits you'll see in your students will be proof enough that physical activity is as important as academics.