/By IHT Spirit/ Shared Content/ • • /0 Comments

‘Kids Need To Move Everyday’

Originally published July 13, 2019 in the Grand Rapids Herald-Review.

By Britta Arendt

Community members voice concerns about school district’s proposal to reduce elementary physical education time

The Grand Rapids community believes elementary students need daily physical education – that’s the message parents, teachers and other professionals stressed to the Independent School District (ISD) 318 School Board during a special workshop meeting on Monday, July 8.

The workshop was held to allow the public to relay thoughts on a proposed revised schedule for elementary students regarding special programming in preparation for the two new schools to be ready for the 2020-2021 school year. Read More

/By IHT Spirit/ Shared Content/ • • /0 Comments

Getting physical discussed in Elmwood Park

Originally published June 24, 2019 in the Chicago Tribune.

By Rachel K. Hindery

Providing students with varying kinds of physical activity is important for their academic achievement and adjustment to school and life, Elmwood Park District 401 school board members were told June 19.

Elm Middle School Assistant Principal Ashley Groeneveld said with kinetic wellness — an integration of physical, emotional and social learning — growth happens inside and outside the classroom. Read More

/By IHT Spirit/ Shared Content/ • • /0 Comments

New Survey Says Parents, School Principals Think Physical Activity Promotes Better Learning but Fail to Prioritize

Originally published June 13, 2019 by ActiveSchoolsUS on prweb.com.

By Claire Orphan Jensen

In two nationally representative surveys of parents and principals on physical education and physical activity in schools across the United States, the collective impact movement Active Schools aimed to gain a better understanding of the ways in which schools are, or are not, promoting childhood health and well-being.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and adolescents age 6 to 17 participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day, yet national data shows that many fall short of that. Read More

/By IHT Spirit/ Shared Content/ • • /0 Comments

Physical inactivity proved risky for children and pre-teens

Originally published June 4, 2019 in Science Daily.

Cardio-respiratory capacity in children has dropped by 25% in 20 years, according to a study by the University of Adelaide in Australia.

There are multiple reasons for this, from the social environment and the decreasing number of play areas to a more academic approach towards teaching physical education and the spread of new technologies. But at what age do children lose the desire to exercise?

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, followed 1,200 Geneva pupils, aged 8 to 12, for two years. The team found out that from the age of 9, the positive reasons for exercising — it’s fun and good for your health — begin to be replaced by more displaced incentives: to get a good mark or improve your image with others. These results, which are published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, call for a more detailed analysis of how PE is taught in schools to counter physical inactivity leading to a sedentary lifestyle from an early age. Read More

/By IHT Spirit/ Shared Content/ • • • /0 Comments

The key to good mental health? Physical activity

Originally published June 6, 2019 by TES.com.

By Tara Porter

When talking about the importance of ensuring mental health provision in schools, how often do we look to the PE department for answers? It may come as a surprise, but I believe that PE teachers can hold responsibility not just for physical health, but for mental health too.

There is a growing body of research emerging about the positive impact physical activity has on mental wellbeing. Indeed, we might surmise that finding a sport, exercise or some physical activity that young people will love and take part in for life, might be the singular most important thing a school can do to ensure a young person leads a mentally-well life. Read More