Active Living
Walking or cycling to school can be a great way to role model active living.
If you are interested in promoting walking or cycling to school for your students, visit the Green Communities Active and Safe Routes to School website.
Teaching students physical literacy skills will help them to move with confidence in a wide variety of activities. The most important step toward developing physical literacy is mastering fundamental movement skills such as running, hopping, throwing, and catching. Giving students opportunities to gain these skills and knowledge works towards improving their physical fitness and to enjoy being active throughout their lives.
Ways to model active living
Focus on:
- letting students see you being active at school (e.g., walking, running, biking) and enjoying it,
- joining students in physical education class and Daily Physical Activity (DPA), and having fun, and
- encouraging all students to try activities, move to their ability, play, and have fun. This is more likely to help increase their self-esteem and physical activity level.
Try to avoid:
- talking negatively about physical activity or making it sound like a chore or unpleasant,
- refusing to participate in games and activities. Giving the impression that it is not important or normal for adults to be active, and
- encouraging students to be active to lose weight. This can have unintended negative consequences such as making them more self-conscious about their body or weight.
How can I use physical activity to promote a healthy body image?
By engaging students in physical activity, you can put the focus on what their bodies can do, rather than how their bodies look. Teaching students the joy of being active and to notice how their bodies feel and perform will help to promote a positive body image. Educators can emphasize to students that physical activity helps them to be healthy and strong.
Tips for teaching active living:
- As with other health topics, it is important to assess your own attitudes towards physical activity, as educators are role models for their students.
- The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for children and youth outlines the importance of physical activity and the intensity and time needed to benefit health.
- Educators should not promote physical activity as a way to lose weight. In fact, weight loss should not be discussed with students.
- Take your students outside to learn and play actively. Just the act of being outdoors can increase physical activity levels and is an opportunity to learn about science and nature.
Problem solving
What should I do if a student is having difficulty doing an activity?
Students may have difficulty doing an activity for a variety of reasons. Opportunities for differentiation should be provided for all students. In many cases, what is necessary for some is good for all students. Have students set personal goals that are attainable, and make physical activity inclusive enough for all students. Modify the activities to work for your students.
Focus on:
- incorporating physical activity into the classroom whenever possible.
- providing students with meaningful feedback regarding their skills and effort.
- modifying games for the group and consider providing a variety of kinds of equipment. Providing students with choices will lead to increased student engagement.
- changing up the participants regularly, keeping it moving, and mixing it up. This provides greater opportunity for a wide variety of student participation, regardless of skill level.
- introducing variety, choice and non-traditional activities to suit different interests and skills. Ask students what they like to do, incorporate these ideas, or let students create the games.
- offering opportunities for students to participate in different activities separately, accommodating potential differences in interest and providing a non-intimidating environment.
- introducing individual and recreational activities such as walking, running, dance, yoga, hiking, weight lifting, and gymnastics.
Try to avoid:
- taking away physical activity as punishment or giving it as punishment (i.e., do not take away recess or physical education).
- having winners and losers and games where kids are eliminated.
- being rigid about rules and how games need to be played.
- playing really long games where participants stay the same.
- sticking to competitive, traditional team sports that only suit certain students.
- expecting all students to enjoy participating in the same activities.
- restricting students to activities that involve team play.
| Curriculum supports and resources |
|