Children need to engage and understand that physical activity is important for their health and well-being throughout their whole life. Here we discuss how we can get them truly engaged in physical activity, within Primary school for it to be continued throughout their adult lives.

Children are naturally active, even within their play times at school you will find most children are running around and playing games. As they get older you will notice certain children aren’t as active because –

  • They feel they aren’t good at Sports, Dance or Gymnastics
  • Increased school work
  • A lack of active role models
  • Busy working families

The benefits of physical activity on the children’s bodies is life changing –

  • Building strong bones, muscles and joints
  • Healthy weight
  • Decreased risk of diabetes
  • Better sleep
  • Better outlook on life

Active children will be more motivated, focused and successful at school. Mastering a skill will give them increased confidence.

By focusing on the below 3 points the children will be motivated to be physically active –

  • Choose the right activity for the age you are teaching: if you don’t you may find the children will get bored or frustrated
  • Give the children plenty of opportunity to be active: parents play a part in this by giving them equipment at home to play with, signing them up for clubs where they are active and taking them places like the park or adventure areas.
  • Keep them focused: children will not stay focused on something they don’t enjoy, make sure the tasks are achievable and regularly changed to keep them engaged.

When children enjoy an activity, they want to do more of it, so making sure there is always something they can improve on, will make them work hard to accomplish the skill they are asked to achieve. Make sure they are regularly praised for what they are doing, this gives them confidence and meaning to carry the activity on.

Making sure the physical activity is age appropriate is important, as stated above if it is to easy they will get bored but if it is to hard they will get frustrated. The teacher needs to constantly assess the children throughout the session, so as they can make something easier if the child is struggling and develop the skill if it is being accomplished. Primary school children will develop at different rates, so the class session needs to be changed accordingly. If the children don’t have equipment at home to be physically active, why not send some home with them as homework. This is especially good for children who struggle to master the skills set, practice makes perfect so allow them to do so at home, then come and show you once they have achieved it.

Getting the children engaged in physical activity from an early age will set a life long feeling of fitness, health and well being. The children will strengthen their bodies, keep a good weight and prevent themselves from being obese.