Physical education is an integral part of promoting health and wellness for children. Through PE, kids exercise and develop their motor skills while having fun with their classmates. The World Health Organization has even suggested that kids and adolescents aged 5-17 should spend an average of one hour per day doing physical activities with moderate-to-vigorous intensity to improve overall health.

However, while PE offers many benefits, it can also increase the risks of injuries. Our previous article highlights some important things to remember to avoid injuries during PE classes, such as having a warm-up routine, ensuring activities are age-appropriate, and incorporating rest breaks. Apart from injuries, protecting children from the sun is also vital, especially during outdoor PE sessions. Below, we look at why sun safety is important in PE and how you can make your classes sun-safe.

Why Sun Safety Matters

Outdoor PE classes can expose children to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are harmful to the skin and eyes. Research published by the National Institutes of Health cited excessive sun exposure as the main risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Moreover, exposure to high amounts of UV rays during daytime can cause serious vision problems like cataracts and macular degeneration over time. Kids are especially at risk because according to the NIH, children’s natural defense mechanisms are not yet fully developed, making them more susceptible to sun damage like sunburn and photokeratitis which can affect school performance and compromise long-term health. Here’s what you can do to protect children from these risks:

Avoid Activities During the Hottest Hours

Doing outdoor PE activities when the sun is at its strongest can be too uncomfortable for kids, increasing their chances of sun damage. A study published in Springer Link mentioned how prolonged sun exposure at peak hours can lead to sunburn and increase the risks of skin cancer, which is why it’s important to schedule outdoor PE sessions at appropriate times. The US Environmental Protection Agency says that the sun is at its strongest between 10 am and 4 pm, so try to avoid these hours when possible. If scheduling PE classes at other times is difficult, then educators need to ensure that proper sun safety measures are taken. 

Encourage Wearing Sunglasses

Quality sunglasses are important for eye protection, and recommending a good pair to your students’ parents can help lower the risks of vision damage for kids. Sunglasses are a viable option, especially since frames like the BiSphaera and Flak 2.0 offer 100% UV protection and are equipped with the Prizm lens technology that helps reduce glare to improve contrast and overall visibility for kids outdoors. These frames are also often used by professional athletes, so they’re guaranteed to be good for sports and children who want to become athletes in the future. Remind your students and their parents what to look for in sunglasses, like UV protection and glare reduction, so that they can find the best pair for outdoor activities like running and cycling.

Teach Them about the Importance of Sunscreen 

Aside from sunglasses, it’s also important to highlight to kids the importance of sunscreen to provide better protection during outdoor PE sessions. Sunscreens are a great choice that you can recommend to students and parents, as they come in various forms and sun protection factor (SPF) levels, like the Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion and the Original SPF 70 Sunscreen Spray. The texture of these sunscreens is also smooth and not sticky, making them comfortable to apply and wear during the school day. Plus, these sunscreens exceed the American Academy of Dermatology’s recommended SPF level of 30, ensuring maximum protection. Remind your kids to bring sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and teach them to apply it to their exposed skin regularly before heading outside.

PE is a great way for kids to learn and develop healthy bodies, but make sure they’re completely protected from injuries and sun damage. Follow these tips to ensure sun protection during outdoor physical activities.

The post Tips for Keeping Outdoor PE Classes Sun-Safe appeared first on SPARK PE.

The Benefits of Creating Videos

There are a few reasons why it’s worth creating PE videos for students to use at home during breaks. First, it can help your students stay active and healthy during times where they may be moving less. Second, it can help prevent them from gaining weight or becoming sedentary during the break, which is easy to do if they have less structure than a school day. And third, it can help maintain their fitness and physical activity levels as they prepare for sports and other after school activities. While not all of your students will buy into using these videos, it’s still a great way to offer them opportunities to stay active.

Choose Exercises They Can Do at Home

Physical education activities don’t have to be restricted to the gym; there are plenty of exercises you can share with students that they can do at home. Whether you’re looking for drills for dribbling a basketball or passing a soccer ball, tips for stretching safely, or exercises that use household items as props, there are loads of options available.

Try recording short demonstrations of yoga poses and simple Pilates moves or post tutorials on creative dance steps and other formative activities. You may want to consider more energetic exercises, too, such as arm circles and jumping jacks. If you have balls or weights available at school, ask a student to demonstrate how to use them correctly in each video. Finally, remember to end each video by encouraging students to drink plenty of water and stretch.

Stock Footage Can Make This Task Easier

Working with royalty-free stock footage is an easy way to create PE videos for students. With stock footage, PE teachers can find video content that is instructional, energizing, and safe for all ages. Additionally, these royalty-free videos allow instructors to select content that aligns perfectly with their educational objectives. Best of all, these gems of multimedia knowledge can be easily accessed online, making them not only visually impressive but highly convenient as well.

Easy Ways to Share Your Videos

To get started, create a shared space where your students can access the videos. If you’re using Google Classroom as your platform of choice, you can simply paste relevant links into assignments, or you could use YouTube or Vimeo and then share channels or playlists directly via the platform.

It’s also worth considering pre-made lesson plans or sport-focused websites that offer copyright-free instructional documents along with short video clips embedded in the content. Whichever way you choose to share the videos, make sure that all resources are organized in one central location to maximize access and ensure that everyone is able to join in on the learning. As the holiday break approaches, many students will be looking for ways to stay active. Creating PE videos is a great way to provide students with guidance and motivation while they are away from school. When planning your videos, be sure to include a variety of exercises that can be performed without equipment. Students of all ages and abilities can follow along, and the videos can be easily shared with friends and family. With a little creativity, you can create PE videos that will help students stay fit and healthy until it’s time to return to school.

The post Keep ‘Em Moving: Create PE Videos to Keep Students Moving appeared first on SPARK PE.

Be the leader they need.

If you’ve never particularly considered yourself a leader before, it’s time that you started. By refining your leadership skills, you can showcase many ideals, such as integrity, motivation, and respect. Remember, being a great leader means doing the things you want your students to do. Kids will follow your lead, and then they themselves will become leaders for their younger siblings and underclassmen.

Let them see you achieve your goals.

Little minds often have big aspirations. But, if they don’t see the adults in their lives pursue their own dreams, they may abandon their hopes by the time they reach high school. Let your students know about your own personal goals and what you are doing to achieve them. For example, if you have always wanted to go back to school for a degree in IT, psychology, sociology, or even liberal arts, let your students know that you’re doing so, and then show off your shiny new diploma once you’ve earned it.

Take them outside.

There are so many benefits of going outside, including better vitamin D levels, lower blood sugar, and boosting your overall happiness. Time spent outdoors can relieve stress and anxiety and bolster social interactions. Talk to your school about whether it would be feasible or not to implement an outdoor adventure curriculum that includes non-gym-related activities, like fishing and archery.

Change your vocabulary.

How we say something affects the response from students. You can change your vocabulary when it comes to your activities. Try to use the word “challenge” instead of “competition” to motivate students to improve. Sometimes we focus on winning and losing, an alternative can be to use ahead and behind. Instead of telling them what they did wrong, share with them what you want to see. It will make a big difference in their mindset.

Talk about how food is grown.

Here’s the sad reality: many of your students probably don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. They may have busy parents or live in a food desert and have to rely on fast food and frozen meals to fill their bellies. Though you may not be able to change their home environment now, consider talking to administrators about starting a school garden. Earth Easy explains that, like being outside, gardening can help moderate mood. It’s also a great way to show children where food actually comes from. Plus, you can send veggies home with those who need them most.

Show the effects of bad habits.

We always tell students you should exercise, eat right, get enough sleep, stay away from drugs and alcohol. We show the benefits of a healthy lifestyle but we should also share the consequences when we don’t. Students should be aware of and see examples of what happens when we don’t take care of our bodies so they can make an informed decision as to living a healthy life.

Discuss the importance of sleep.

You already know that sleep is important for the physical body, but it’s also crucial to kids’ mental health. The brain needs sleep just as much as the body. If you are dealing with school-age kids, they need between nine and 12 hours each day, while middle school and older kids need between eight and 10 hours. Talk to your students about how they can get better sleep, and make sure to include the advice of leaving their phones and devices out of the bedroom.

Every day, the students under your care will always remember the lessons you’ve taught. By being a leader, you can demonstrate that you practice what you preach. Whether that’s being open about your personal goals and aspirations, discussing the consequences of actions, or simply changing the way you talk about your lessons and activities, everything you do now will help them build a solid foundation for their healthy future.

The post Being a Role Model and Helping Instill Healthy Habits in Students appeared first on SPARK PE.

This is where teachers have an opportunity to step in. Teachers are in a unique position to support the mental health of their students. They see their students every day, so they get to know them very well. This means they can pick up on early signs that something might be wrong. They can also build positive relationships with their students, which can help to notice when things are wrong or prevent problems from developing in the first place.

Of course, teachers can’t do everything on their own and it can feel like a lot of pressure. They need help from school staff, parents, caregivers, and external agencies. But they play a vital role in championing the mental health of young people in schools. So how can teachers promote mental health care within a school?

1. Start the conversation around mental health

First things first, it’s important to spread awareness about mental health in your school community. This can be done through presentations, bulletin boards, or even just casual conversations with students and other teachers. By starting the conversation, you can help create a more supportive and inclusive environment for all students.

You could also hold events or campaigns to raise awareness about mental health and how to get help. Or try to connect students with local mental health professionals or support groups.

As an additional step, talk to your school administration about the importance of mental health care and be an advocate for more funding and resources for mental health services.

2. Promote positive mental health habits, such as self-care, mindfulness and exercise

As a teacher, you have the opportunity to promote positive mental health habits in your students. By modelling self-care, mindfulness and exercise, you can help your students develop healthy coping mechanisms that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Self-care is all about taking the time to nurture yourself, both physically and emotionally. Taking a break when you feel overwhelmed, even for just a few minutes, can make a world of difference. When you model self-care for your students, you show them that it’s okay to put their own needs first sometimes.

Mindfulness is another important mental health habit. It involves paying attention to the present moment, without judgement. This can be tricky for kids (and adults) who are used to living in their heads. But with practice, mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety. It’s also been shown to improve focus and concentration.

Exercise is another great way to promote positive mental health. It releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. And it gives us a chance to get out of our heads and into our bodies. Even just a few minutes of movement can make a big difference in how we feel.

3. Don’t forget about yourself

Teachers have one of the most important jobs in society. They help to shape the minds of young people and prepare them for the future. However, teaching can be a very stressful profession. Working long hours, dealing with challenging behavior and working away at a screen into the evenings – it can take its toll on even the most resilient individual.

That’s why it’s so important for teachers to prioritize their own mental health at work. By taking breaks when they need to, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and seeking help if they’re struggling, teachers can help to ensure that they’re happy and healthy in their jobs. In turn, this will enable them to provide the best possible education for their students.

The post Being a Mental Health Advocate in Your School appeared first on SPARK PE.

Making the Switch: Gym Class to Wellness Class

One of the key differences in my wellness curriculum is the focus on all sides of the health triangle. In each lesson, I incorporate a health concept that focuses on physical health, mental health, or social health. I communicate the importance of ALL sides of the health triangle and emphasize that mental health and social health are just as important as physical health.  My hope is for students to be inspired to learn about their health and recognize their personal responsibility for keeping their health triangle balanced.

To end my class, I ask students two questions: What did you learn? Why did you learn it?

Asking “WHY” is often more important than asking “what”. If students can identify why they learned this and how it is valuable to their life, they are more likely to retain the information and more importantly, apply it!

In my elementary curriculum, I focus on skills, instead of sports. I want to give my students the maximum amount of practice time, in order to build their confidence in moving their bodies and learning new skills. To do this all my activities are individual or small group-based, instead of team sport focused.  This allows me to easily implement modifications to meet students where they are, so ALL students experience success.  It also allows students to get adequate practice with the skill and recognize their own improvements. In traditional P.E programs, the athletes and higher-skilled students shine and build confidence, while lower-skilled students fall through the cracks and might lose confidence in their abilities. A combined focus on health concepts and skills allows all students to grow and learn!

How I Incorporate Health Concepts into Activities

Ideally, students are active while learning the health concepts I am teaching. This means that I need to be creative with the activities that I choose.  Some simple universal activities that can be modified to teach multiple concepts are relay races, tag activities, this or that slides, and obstacle courses. After looking at standards and creating my outcomes, I look at my equipment and think of something that gets students moving and reinforces the health concepts. Typically, I use these activities as a warmup and introduction to the class. Throughout the class, I will revisit the concept and ask questions to check for understanding.

Simple Health Activity Examples

Here are a few examples of some simple activities that I have used to teach health concepts:

Mental Health: Hurt or Help Your Brain

Instructions:

Designate one corner or side of the gymnasium as “hurts my brain” and one as “helps my brain”

Show students a statement (ex: Playing video games or watching tv for LONG periods of time Playing outside with friends), they decide if it hurts or helps their brain. When the music starts, students travel around the activity space using a designated locomotor skill. When the music stops, student run to either “hurts my brain” or “helps my brain” sign. Discuss the activity the effect it has on your mental health.

Physical Health: Cardiovascular Health

Instructions:

Students walk 2 laps around the gym. Student reflect on how their body feels, you can ask questions to prompt students. Example: Is your breathing slow or fast? Are you sweating? Is your heart beating fast or slow? Then, students run 2 laps. Have students reflect on the same questions.  Discuss the benefits of cardiovascular health, and how exercise impacts the heart.

Social Health: Kindness

Instructions:

Students are traveling around the general activity space using a designated locomotor skill. When the music stops the students freeze. Choose one student to roll a dice. The students form a group with the number that was rolled. In this group each person shares a compliment to another person in the group (making sure each person gets a compliment!). Repeat with new locomotor skills and new dice roller.

Watching Wellness Work

I teach in a kindergarten through 4^th grade urban school, where many of my students live in poverty, experience trauma, and are exposed to community violence. With the experiences of my students, the mental and social components of my class are crucial. Students of any age, in any school can positively benefit from a wellness curriculum in elementary school.

By eliminating large team activities and focusing on individual success I have seen participation increase, and class culture improve.  Instead of competing against each other, students are competing with themselves and encouraging others to improve alongside them.

As an elementary educator, I have the unique opportunity to be the first experience a child has with physical education/wellness class. It is my responsibility to ensure that this experience is valuable and gives them a solid foundation to live a healthful life.  After all, you have ONE body, if you don’t take care of it, then where will you live?  Its our job to teach students how and why they need to care for their health!

The post Why Wellness? The Present and Future of Elementary Physical Education appeared first on SPARK PE.

Focusing on wellness in the workplace can:

• Increase productivity
• Reduce burnout 
• Reduce staff turnover
• Improve morale
• Decrease the stress of staff
• Create a positive environment

Neglecting the mental and physical health of your staff can lead to burning out, which can have serious implications. For teachers especially, burnout can result in becoming detached from their roles, which will not only affect them personally but also their colleagues and their students. In fact, 60% of employees say they’d feel more motivated at work if their employer actively supported mental well-being. 

We’ll highlight a few ways schools can better support their staff when it comes to their personal wellness. 

Start with School Culture 

Your school’s culture will have a huge bearing on the well-being of your staff members. For instance, are you actively promoting open communication around topics like mental health and burnout, or are they being suppressed and avoided? Ensuring your staff feels comfortable to freely talk about their stresses in or out of the workplace is a crucial step in encouraging wellness, as they’ll feel more supported. Their experiences could even help fellow employees. 

Another way of improving culture to better promote wellness in the workplace is to set and stick to clear and attainable goals that can help give staff clarity over their job roles. Ensuring that staff has a clear understanding of your expectations can help to stave off workplace burnout, which can ultimately improve both worker wellbeing and performance. 

Provide Relevant resources 

There are so many resources available to help individuals to look after their personal wellbeing. As well as pointing your staff in the right direction when it comes to looking for appropriate resources, you should also make these available within the workplace. 

For example, Wellness Action Plans (WAPs) are designed to support individuals’ mental well-being, regardless of whether or not they’re struggling with a mental health condition. Employers can use WAPs to support their staff members, and they can be worked through either collaboratively or individually by employees. The CDC has strategies schools can use to create an employee wellness program.

Encourage Team Morale 

Happy employees are more likely to be productive employees, so focusing on boosting morale should be high on your list of priorities. In the classroom and in your schools, it’s crucial to celebrate any team wins, and take a moment to acknowledge the work that’s been done to reach these successes. Staff recognition is crucial in building a more positive work environment, which can ultimately help to improve loyalty and engagement. 

It’s also incumbent upon administration to help their staff to strike a healthy work-life balance. Within the school setting, teachers’ schedules are largely governed by lesson timetables, and lots of their work will often be taken home. But beyond this, you can offer more support by encouraging exercise, and hobbies as well as creating life balance by regularly reviewing workloads. Being able to share workloads and delegate responsibilities between team members can go a long way to helping staff to find a better balance between work and home life.

The more you take of your staff, the more they will engage in their jobs which can only help the children they teach and inspire every day. We all do our jobs better when we are happy, healthy, and feel appreciated.

The post How Can Schools Encourage Wellness in the Workplace? appeared first on SPARK PE.

Some PE teachers have the opportunity to teach health classes along with their PE classes, others try to integrate nutrition concepts into their PE lessons as they do not have dedicated time to teach health. So, what can you do during National Nutrition Month to integrate nutrition into your classes? Below are 3 ideas to help you get started.

1. Change the Vocabulary of Your Own Activities

You can adapt your own lessons just by changing the terminology you use for the activity. For example, in the game Clean Your Backyard, the activity area is divided into 2 halves with a line down the middle. Half the class is on each side and teams try to throw fluffballs to the other side to “clean their backyard”. Instead of the backyard theme, you can change it to “clean your refrigerator” and tell them that all of the fluffballs are junk food and they want to get rid of all of the unhealthy food out of their fridge. You can also use the colors of beanbags, etc. to talk about the colors of certain fruits and vegetables. These activities allow you to reinforce nutrition terms with students, so they hear them in multiple places like from their classroom teachers, in PE class, the cafeteria, and at home.

2. Teach About Energy Balance

Physical education is the perfect place to teach students about energy balance. It is important for them to understand the energy in and energy out concept. Using a game called Calories Count we can teach students how to balance exercise with the food we put in our bodies. To set this up you put 4 hoops in the center of the activity area and scatter 1 cone per student around the activity area. Create calorie cards- cards with a food or drink and the number of calories they represent as well as how many cones need to be touched to “burn off” the calories. Place these cards face down in the 4 hoops. To play, groups are located around the perimeter and they send 1 group member to the center to collect 1 playing card, then return to their group. All group members read the card, then individually move to touch the number of cones listed on the card. Everyone moves at the same time, each touching the number of cones on the card. When finished, they return to their group spot and send someone new to collect another card from the center hoops. This game reinforces the concept of balancing energy and highlighting the need to exercise to use up the energy we put in our bodies through food and drink.

3. Teach a New Nutrition Concept or Behavior Modifications Strategy

In an activity called Fat Transfer, students will learn about cholesterol. Create a large, square activity area with a hula hoop in each corner (the hoops represent the blood vessels). Then divide the class into 4 even teams, one at each hoop, with 1 beanbag per student (represents HDL- high-density lipoprotein) and 1 foam ball per student (represents LDL- low-density lipoprotein) in their hoop. The object of the game is to remove all the LDLs (large balls) from your blood vessel (hoop) and fill it with HDLs (beanbags). Students do that by taking one of their LDLs and jogging to another hoop and leaving it there then picking up an HDL and taking it back to their blood vessel (hoop). This can help teach students about how cholesterol affects their body and the types of foods that raise and lower your cholesterol.

It’s important for youth to understand nutrition so they can become aware of their health and be motivated to incorporate healthy habits into their own daily lives. Physical education is the ideal opportunity for teaching students about nutrition and these 3 strategies can help you plan lessons to support nutrition education in your classes.

The post PE Activities to Support National Nutrition Month appeared first on SPARK PE.

“Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19” (CDC).

As the topic of social justice permeates sports media, a very obvious link to fostering this virtue seems to be going underrecognized: access to physical activity opportunities and quality physical education (QPE) that is standards and research-based, for all students. When a pandemic hits and disproportionately kills poor and minority citizens, we need to do better at advocating for long-term solutions that will work to change the status quo. Many of the pre-existing conditions and risk factors for COVID, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes are preventable through active and healthy lifestyles. QPE can help social justice causes by teaching students the skills, tools, and concepts needed to prevent and manage these and other lifestyle diseases, as well as the stress, anxiety, and depression that can be the result of dealing in and with a world that is in need of vast improvements.

Although programs are routinely identified as shining examples of QPE, the funding and support across the country vary vastly and directly coincide with the socio-economic standings of the communities represented. Far too often communities with less support reflect an overwhelming sense of negative synergistic impacts: less access to (affordable) health care; less access to healthy food options; higher incidence of crime and danger interaction; and fewer safe places to be physically active. It’s hard enough dealing with one of these issues on their own let alone the various combinations. And these are just a few factors showing a lack of investment, unequal and untimely distribution of help, and a general nonchalant attitude toward seriously addressing the needs of the people and the communities they live in.

The holistic benefits of QPE ought to be fully understood by our closest allies in the world of sports and athletics, who should be and often are, natural advocates for QPE. And while they are currently involved in promoting physical activity, many don’t seem to fully understand or communicate its complexity. The message should be made clear to them: it’s in QPE where students learn the skills, tools, and concepts that help them take charge of their own physical and mental health for life. School visits and motivational speeches are appreciated but could be more effective in promoting the benefits and characteristics of QPE.

“Just shut up and dribble.”

The rise of the celebrity athletic “influencer” has been well chronicled. The influencing opportunities using social media are now becoming more apparent beyond just the marketing and financial rewards. New approaches in celebrity influence marketing, coupled with continued social media dominance, have led to a rise in athletes using their credibility to bring awareness to social justice issues. Society’s issues, ills, and injustices are endlessly pondered and contested through social media vehicles and lenses. An influencer has the “power” to cut through the social branding and messaging clutter with well-conceived and well-placed resolute calls for change. Their storytelling is steeped in authenticity and messages sent to others in similar situations have better chances of being perceived as “real” and taken to heart. A recent example was when NBA star LeBron James announced a collaboration in social justice change movements with other celebrity athletes and entertainers aimed at spotlighting injustices through peaceful gatherings and efforts.

Athletic “influencers” are uniquely qualified to demonstrate the importance of taking care of their bodies. They are seen as credible examples of routinely working the body out and can be believed when they evangelize the importance of achieving health and wellness benefits from physical activity. But do they understand what QPE can do? Do they get why standards-based QPE is a necessity, -a child’s right? And do they see how QPE can be an effective tool in helping to remedy major social justice issues? If celebrity athletes are made aware of the power of QPE to fight social justice in the long term, more of them may choose to join the call for QPE. When genuine partnerships are made great change can happen.

The physical education industry should double down on the need for continued public support for QPE that directly relates to health and psychological benefits needed during the pandemic, as well as the continued struggles inherent in the unequal distribution of education, opportunity, and resources. And if we want more athlete influencers to advocate for QPE, we have to help them understand why QPE advocacy is one effective way to fight for social justice. They need to at least know that:

• A major barrier to physical activity is perceived competence and confidence in the activity. Research tells us we tend to participate in the things we enjoy and where we have a sense of competence and confidence. Only K-12 physical education can provide all students with sufficient skills and knowledge to be competent and confident so they can enjoy being active for life, and reap the benefits.
• Getting students moving throughout the school day improves academic performance and student behavior outcomes. They learn and use complex skills that impact their ability to learn, focus, and pay attention. They also learn how to use physical activity to help reduce the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression.
• Self-management skills such as self-assessment, time management, and goal setting, are as important as physical skills and lead to increased participation in physical activity. When you learn how to overcome barriers as part of a QPE curriculum, you are prepared, even as life’s internal and external issues and hurdles surely appear.
• Students in QPE programs are given opportunities to demonstrate and reflect on virtues like determination, perseverance, cooperation, respect, integrity, acceptance, justice, and resilience. The continued fight for social justice requires these and other virtues in developing and demonstrating a strong character that has energy for the follow-through.
• SHAPE America’s National Standards and Grade level outcomes show the way. The fact that these standards are research-based and include meaningful outcomes for every grade level K-12 should not be a secret.

Our film “No Excuses!”, as relevant today as when the film was made 7 years ago, showed that QPE can happen anywhere when teachers are informed and supported. Filmed in Harlem, NY, the documentary featured celebrity athletes and companies related to physical activity. When the project started there was mostly just good-will, but soon sponsors came on board that helped make a much better outcome. SPARK generously supported the project and facilitated several connections with athlete-advocates, including most significantly Annika Sorenstam and her foundation. The idea was to make the best use of our allies in advocating for QPE. More recently, supportREALteachers and SPARK partnered with SPARTAN Races to help advocate for QPE through SPARTAN-focused online physical education lessons. That program demonstrated QPE to many parents who already understand and value the need to lead healthy lives, but may not yet see the important role QPE plays.

For those looking at how they can help society right now, advocating for QPE is an important area that you are unequally qualified for. Let’s be smart about how we use our allies in the sporting world to help advocate for QPE. As you go about your daily efforts of providing standards-based QPE, be clear about the importance of your work and teach your ally advocates what they need to know to help you and your students’ cause. All people, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status have the right to learn how to lead healthy lives. Thus, it makes sense to promote QPE as an essential part of social justice.

Appendix 1: Link to SPARK and SRT advocacy resources

• SPARK – Advocacy for Physical Education and Physical Activity
• supportREALteachers – The Importance of Quality Physical Education
• supportREALteachers – No Excuses! (now with captions)

Appendix 2: Research Studies on health disparities within minority communities

• Associations Between Neighborhood Resources and Physical Activity in Inner-City Minority Children
• Barriers to and Facilitators of Healthful Eating and Physical Activity in Low-Income Schools
• Physical Activity and the Achievement Gap Among Urban Minority Youth
• Physical Activity Opportunities Associated with Fitness and Weight Status Among Adolescents in Low-Income Communities
• Physical Education Policy Compliance and Latino Children’s Fitness: Does the Association Vary by School Neighborhood Socioeconomic Advantage?
• Socioeconomic Disparities in Elementary School Practices and Children’s Physical Activity During School
• The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bond: Focus on Children in Poverty

This blog was written with Cathrine Himberg and Kevin Shephard

The post FIT FOR THE FOLLOW-THROUGH appeared first on SPARK PE.

Self-assessment is a powerful tool in sports, play, and active recreation.

Again, only the person performing knows their true capabilities and the actual amount of effort they exerted while participating in an activity. When your students self-assess, they are forced to look within and ask themselves, “Did I perform at my highest level and did I give as much effort as I could have?”  

Self-Assessment forces students to take ownership over their performance.

Being able to look at yourself in the mirror and hold you accountable is a priceless life skill we must teach our students. If they performed at their highest level and gave their best effort, they should be proud and own it. If they didn’t, admitting it is the first step.

Self-Assessment enhances honesty.

Honesty starts within and every time you self-assess your students, you’re teaching them to practice being honest with themselves. “To thine own self be true” –Shakespeare

Self-Assessment is a great strategy for monitoring student progress.

If you’re trying to monitor students’ progress, I recommend getting into the habit of documenting their self-assessments. You can have students record their performance and effort results in a journal or on a chart – just find something that is age-appropriate and works for you and your students.   

Self-Assessment increases students’ self-awareness.

It’s easy to just go through the motions; however, it takes a concerted level of self-awareness in order to be able to self-assess. As your students continue to consistently self-assess, their self-awareness will increase.

Self-Assessment encourages self-improvement.

Sometimes self-assessing reveals a gap between what your students know and think they’re capable of, and the actual effort and performance they gave. When there is a discrepancy between the two, this encourages self-improvement. 

Self-Assessment allows students to embrace humility and foster humbleness.

1. Nobody is perfect at everything, and that’s okay!
2. Even if you are great at something, there is always room for improvement.

Self-Assessment promotes resilience.

Although students may not be where they want to be after self-assessing (due to various circumstances), they always have the choice and power to build upon where they are, and then elevate themselves even higher. Nothing is more empowering as an educator than inspiring a fierce determination to succeed.

Self-Assessment can be applied to all facets of students’ lives.

As I sit here reflecting, I can’t help but begin to identify other areas of our students’ lives where they, and you, could practice self-assessment: health, self-care, balancing time, managing money, studying/planning, and being active. Can you think of any other areas that could benefit from self-assessment?

So now that we’ve talked about how valuable it is to self-assess, how often should one do it? I would argue that your students should self-assess weekly if you really want to allow time for improvement and help your students stay on track and remain committed.

Ready for a challenge… perhaps somewhat of a New Year’s resolution? I dare you and your students to self-assess and look within, for a little self-constructive criticism builds character. Happy New Year!

The post The Power of Self-Assessment appeared first on SPARK PE.

 “It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.”

Physical activity is essential for healthy growth and development of children and adolescents. According to the U.S. Guidelines, children and adolescents should engage in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) every day. This includes engaging in muscle and bone strengthening activities several times a week. It is especially important to ensure that children and adolescents participate in MVPA during stressful times. MVPA has many benefits including stress reduction and strengthening immunity.

There is an emerging need for children to engage in MVPA at home. People are spending more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Families are facing obstacles due to the closure of facilities where they normally engage in physical activity (e.g., schools, parks, and gym facilities). However, in many cases, children may have a tough time engaging at home because space is limited and because it is not part of their normal routine.

Families can benefit from having strategies to facilitate physical activity engagement in their home. Strategies can be helpful in establishing and maintaining a positive home environment and creating a routine that supports physical activity.To this end, the SPARK BASICs are really helpful. Establishing the BASICS from the get-go can help ensure that children maintain a sense of control and structure when engaging in physical activity in the home. Control and structure are crucial, especially when space is limited.

Boundaries

Activity

Stop and Start Signals

Inclusion

Clear Instructions

Safety

If you or someone you know is faced with the challenge of engaging in physical activity in their home environment with limited space, consider the following:

B is for Boundaries…

Establish a dedicated space with clearly defined boundaries so children know where it’s safe to engage in physical activity in the home. In home environments, physical activities should be modified to fit the space that is available. Physical activity can be limited to a small personal space such as a bedroom or extended to a larger general space, such as the living room. If the weather is nice the backyard is a great place for activity.

Higher intensity activities, activities that require manipulation of an object (e.g., catching or throwing an object), and/or activities with more people require more space. If more than one child is engaging in physical activity think about strategies for ensuring there is sufficient time and space to avoid accidents. If there is not enough space, create guidelines (e.g., one person at a time) and make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to take a turn (e.g., each person gets 2 minutes).

A is for Activity….

Encourage children to engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity throughout the day. It is recommended that some activities include MVPA (moderate to vigorous physical activity). These activities elevate heart and breathing rates and work the large muscles of the body. Make physical activity fun by disguising fitness. For example, ask kids to imitate their favorite animal walking and add music vs just asking them to do an ordinary walk with no music. When fitness is disguised kids focus on having fun and are more likely to persist even when they are working hard.

S is for Start and Stop Signals…

Start and stop signals are important to grab children’s attention and to cue children when to begin and when to stop activity. Start and stop signals are important to help maintain control. Start and stop signals facilitate smooth transitions from one activity to another, give children an opportunity to relax and catch their breath between activities, and provide an opportunity to give positive praise, encouragement, and feedback. The best signals are interactive. When signals are interactive, the adult gives a signal and the children signal back.

I is for Inclusion…

Inclusion is important to ensure that activities are tailored to meet the level of every child. If an activity is too hard, simplify it. If an activity is not hard enough, make it more challenging. Emphasize that movement, improvement, and having fun are the goals, not “winning” the game. This helps keep the focus on skills and fun instead of the final outcome. Change the amount of time given, distance from a target, the size of the object or other elements of the activity to allow children to participate at their level and experience success.

C is for Clear Instructions

It is important to give clear instructions when working with children and adolescents. This can be accomplished by using simple cues in a consistent manner when giving directions. It starts with telling your children what the goal is followed by how the goal will be accomplished. Using cues like “today we are going to…” and “…the object is…you do this by…” go a long way in ensuring that instructions are clear and concise. Children have difficulty listening to a long list of instructions. Keep them short and to the point then come back with additional ones if needed.

S is for Safety

Safety should be the #1 priority when engaging in activity at home. Setting boundaries, choosing appropriate tasks, using start and stop signals, being inclusive, and having clear directions are all important for safety. It is crucial to maintain supervision of children when they are engaging in physical activity at home. This can be accomplished by setting up the activity boundaries in a location where children can be monitored continuously. Space, equipment and level of activity need to be considered when choosing the activity to ensure children can participate safely.

The post SPARK BASICS for Home Environments appeared first on SPARK PE.