Active Kids

The statistics really are quite shocking.

Kids just aren’t getting the physical education they need in schools.  Pair this with the increase in sedentary activities outside of school hours as well as less healthful eating habits, it is not surprising that every year, the rates of childhood obesity climb ever higher for Canada’s children and youth.

While the current Ontario curriculum stresses the importance of daily physical activity, in reality, scant resources are allocated to make this happen.  And it is happening across the Country.

The 2005 Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth gave a failing grade nationwide to the physical activity of Canada’s kids.

With cutbacks and resource reallocations, many Ontario public elementary schools do not a physical education specialist. Instead, classroom teachers are now instructing students for their physical education without any training in how to teach and motivate kids to lead healthy, active lives. And, the amount of gym time kids receive generally falls short of the 150 minutes recommended per week. While 74% of Canadians (Gallup Poll) are in favor of daily physical education, only 14% of elementary and 4% of secondary schools have it or offer it.

So, don’t rely on the school to provide the amount of physical activity your child needs. 

What to do?

• Be an educated parent.  Find out how often your child has physical education and whether a specialist physical education teacher is providing it. 

• Be an advocate for your child.  If your local school is not offering quality physical education, contact the Board of Education to try to help make it a reality.

• Be active with your kids!  Try to set aside time for a daily physical activity as a family, such as a walk after dinner or playtime in the yard.

• Be a role model.  Make daily fitness activities an important part of your life.  This will show your child that you are ‘walking the walk’ of physical activity!

Keep physical activity non-competitive and fun to foster a lifelong love of fitness!

For more information on how to get active as a family or the KidFit program, email liz@wayfit.com.