Use Sport to Help Your Students

It’s often said that kids aren’t as active as they used to be. Indeed, research suggests that most children are not meeting their recommended levels of physical activity. This worsened as many children and adolescents around Australia experienced a significant decrease in physical activity and social sports during coronavirus restrictions. Thus, it has become even more important to reinvigorate healthy habits and active teamwork in students.

According to the World Health Organisation, physical activity ensures healthy growth and development; helps to prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes; reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety; improves overall well-being; and enhances thinking, learning and judgment skills. Physical activity also encourages better sleep, which improves brain function, memory consolidation, and academic performance.

Regular physical activity improves physical and mental health in both the short and long term, and organised school sport is effective in improving student physical activity. Therefore, school sport plays an important role in the active development of kids and teens.

How can teachers encourage students to get involved in school sport? 

It can start with planning engaging activities, using variety to encourage kids to find something they enjoy. Focus on games instead of drills to get students involved and encourage healthy competition. This will also help their teamwork and social skills.

Encourage students to understand the mental and physical benefits of being active. Highlight positive aspects such as spending time with friends and having fun while exercising.

Create a fun environment for physical activity. This can include playing music during physical activity (or letting students play music!).

Use novelty to spark interest and engagement, such as changing the environment or holding dedicated sports days. Many schools already run sports carnivals, which are great for encouraging wide scale teamwork and competition. Boosting the energy at these events can help kids feel supported by their school and make it more fun for both participants and spectators. This can be done by creating a colourful, high-energy environment, such as with setting up brightly coloured team spaces and decorating the location to represent your school.

Last month we talked about the importance of students feeling like they belong at school. Getting kids involved in sporting activities can contribute to school belonging and help them enjoy their time at school. All of these benefits will help your students thrive, both in and out of the classroom.

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