February 2022 - School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy in BC

We know movement is essential at a young age, but why? Lots of reasons!

Various types of physical activity help develop fundamental movement skills. And, students who are developing confidence, competence and motivation around fundamental movement skills are more likely to stay active and engage in other physical activities.

Bonus? Physical activity offers various benefits for the bones, heart, muscles and mind, making incorporating different physical games and activities into the school day important!

Types of Physical Activity & Their Benefits

Running, jumping or hanging from parts of the playground strengthen students bones, heart and muscles.
Running, jumping rope or other heart-pumping activities build stamina and can improve students’ sleep!
Squatting, spinning around and other stationary movements strengthen the brain-body link.
Playing with small toys, crayons or other small items help develop fine motor skills.
Any type of moderate or vigorous physical activity improves learning, memory and focus!

Ways to Support Development During the School Day

Physical activity isn’t just something for gym time—lots of the above activities can be incorporated throughout your school day! Intertwining physical activity and other subjects helps build brain and body development.

Looking for more opportunities to incorporate physical activity in your class? PLAYBuilder, an online platform, has many cross-curricular games and activities to implement into your school schedule!

Students can get restless inside all day.

What are some ways to release your students’ energy indoors, while also developing physical literacy?

PLAYBuilder, a digital lesson planning platform, offers access to 700+ games and 100+ lesson plans for K-7 educators— including those that are adaptable or made to take place in a gymnasium or classroom!

Here are some great examples of indoor games found on PLAYBuilder:

Follow the Lines (Grade K-7)

What You’ll Need

No equipment necessary!

Setup

As students enter the gym ask them to find a spot somewhere on a line and stand still.

Activity

Upon your signal, students can try to move only on the lines. Students can change lines anywhere two lines intersect, but cannot jump between lines.
Any time two students meet each other when traveling, they must do a dance move, then turn around and change directions without passing each other.
Emphasize the importance of being able to balance on the lines as they move around the gym.

Beanbag Balance (Grades K-4)

What You’ll Need

Beanbags

Setup

Have participants spread out.
Give each student a beanbag.

Activity

Call out different body parts (e.g., shoulder, back, knee, foot, stomach, thumb, etc.) and have participants balance their beanbag on said body part for five seconds.
Try to pick funny/challenging body parts to keep it fun.
You may add a rule that if the beanbag falls off (i.e., they must do five jumping jacks or another appropriate exercise).
You may also increase the time they have to balance the beanbag.
For an extra challenge, have them try to move while balancing the beanbag.

Locomotor Relay Race (Grades 1-7)

What You’ll Need

Cones or poly spots

Setup

Places participants in groups of three to ensure maximum participation.

Activity

Tell them which locomotor skill they will be performing each race.
On your signal, the first student goes to the end line and tags the next student in line, until all three have finished.
Start off easy and move to more challenging skills each race(e.g., walking, running, hopping, skipping, galloping, sliding, etc.).
Stress the importance of technique over winning. If they perform skills wrong, teach them and have them do it over again.
Encourage good sportsmanship.

Looking for more activities and games like these? Sign up for PLAYBuilder today!

Archive for month: February, 2022

Follow the Lines (Grade K-7)

Beanbag Balance (Grades K-4)

Locomotor Relay Race (Grades 1-7)