Incorporating physical activity into schools - Research Updates

Melpomene Journal, Fall-Winter, 2002

In a piece on promoting physical activity and exercise among children, Liane Summerfield writes, "In addition to physical education, schools can promote physical activity in a variety of other ways." Among them are:

* promote collaboration between physical education and classroom teachers. For example, physical education teachers might provide ideas for "fitness breaks" to classroom teachers, where 5-minute aerobic activities could be used to break up the school day;

* provide extracurricular physical activity programs. Interested teachers and parents might be encouraged to establish developmentally appropriate clubs and/or intramural activities of a competitive and noncompetitive nature. Walking clubs, inline skating, jumping rope, water aerobics and intramural swim teams are a few examples;

* coordinate physical activities with community agencies. Schools might allow use of school facilities by community agencies that sponsor physical activity programs or invite community groups to an "activity fair" for students in the school gymnasium;

* encourage and enable parental involvement in physical activity. Parental activity level is very important in promoting activity among children. Schools can help encourage activity in patents by sending home activity homework that parents and children do together, recruiting parent volunteers for physical education classes and sponsoring parent-child activity programs at school; and

* provide physical and social environments that encourage and enable physical activity. For example, schools might allow access to facilities before and after school hours and during vacation periods or encourage teachers to provide time for unstructured physical activity during recess and during physical education class.

Liane Summerfield.

"Promoting Physical Activity and Exercise Among Children," ERIC Digest.

(www.kidsource.com)