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We all know we’ve got to move more. We all want children to get more exercise but getting all children enthused about completing the Daily Mile can be difficult. And it’s not surprising.
Miles are a unit we usually use to refer to things that are far away. Tell children that it’s 8, 12, 14 laps around the playground (depending on the size of your playground) and for some children that can feel a bit too much.
At Fun & Active Playgrounds, we’re passionate about making play both fun and educational for all children. Our team have developed a range of playground markings to help you make the Daily Mile feel more accessible to all children.
Using bright and imaginative playground designs we want to give children the extra boost they need to get started or keep going.
Let’s take a whizz through our motivating resources for the Daily Mile and help you get and keep all pupils enthused.
Before we look at our Daily Mile resources, you have to ask the question: Is the Daily Mile worth it? Schools are busy places with packed timetables. You already have so much to do. Should you bother with this extra outdoor activity?
We wondered the same, so we did our research before creating any markings. Here’s a summary of what we found:
1. Boosts Mood and Memory: A study by the Universities of Stirling, Edinburgh and Highlands & Islands found children who completed 15 minutes of self-paced activity, such as the Daily Mile, saw improvements to their daily mood and had better attention and memory than those who didn’t.
2. Improves Cardiovascular Health: When used by children at least 3 times a week, the University of Torino found children’s cardiorespiratory fitness increased.
3. Increases Resilience and Stamina: The skills we teach children are tools for life. There is no greater skill we each require than resilience. From motivation to perseverance and problem-solving, the Daily Mile offers a unique opportunity for children to tackle a regular challenge that will get easier with practice.
With plenty of evidence to suggest running a mile a day can boost children’s emotional, social, and physical health, we decided to get busy designing resources to ensure all children were motivated to participate.
Here are some of our most popular Daily Mile resources for schools:
The biggest challenge in establishing a daily routine is getting started. The Mile a Day Dots Playground Marking is a great way to help children get moving and stay on track. Whether struggling to start or keep going, seeing the visual prompt on the ground helps children to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
All of our playground markings are customisable. Whether you want a different colour, alternative sizing, or a different marking altogether, we can adapt any of our Daily Mile resources for you.
Why not get some of those children who are harder to motivate involved in the design process? Our brilliant team are highly experienced. Working with primary and secondary schools across the UK for over 10 years, we can give you plenty of support throughout the journey. More about bespoke design.
There’s nothing worse than giving all you’ve got to complete another lap, only to lose count of how many you’ve done. The Mile a Day Logo includes a handy reminder of how many laps pupils need to do to complete their mile.
You can customise the bright design with your own lap count for your playground or route.
The colourful sign gives children a welcome reminder that they have successfully completed another lap. Meanwhile staff are freed from the complexity of trying to help children count how many laps they’ve done! With everyone free to concentrate on getting active, staff can get involved too.
All of our markings are made from high-grade thermoplastic. Thermoplastic is a superb material which offers a major improvement to playground painting. Lasting 10 times longer than traditional playground paint, our thermoplastic playground markings are highly resistant.
Suitable for use in all-weathers, thermoplastic playground markings are anti-slip, resistant to flaking and cracking, and won’t fade over time.
Self-motivation is great but we all need a little help at times. Like a friendly face encouraging you to carry on, our marker points can provide pupils with an encouraging reminder of how far they’ve already travelled.
Markers are also a great way to take learning about measures from the classroom into a real-life situation. Knowing how far they’ve run themselves leaves children much better placed to answer those higher-level questions about distances and durations when back in the classroom.
Indeed, understanding how far pupils feel comfortable running will mean children have a much better understanding of whether they like jogging or walking mid-length distances, running long distances, or sprinting for short distances.
These are all great real-life skills and personal learning points children can use to pursue fitness later in life. Some children may even discover athletic gifts they didn’t know they had.
View Daily Mile Playground Markings
You may choose to combine markers with a line to create a discreet track. A single line is great because it helps to keep children focused without interfering with other playground markings.
Leaving children with a permanent visual reminder of the school’s commitment to daily exercise, some pupils will choose to pursue the Daily Mile in their own time at lunch or play. Others will be motivated to undertake more energetic physical activity during breaktimes.
Participating in more exercise during the school day will mean children return to class with better mental and physical health, ready to learn.
If you prefer a single colour, The Mile a Day Line can be produced in any shade. Alternatively, if you want something a little more creative the Mile a Day Footprints add a fun twist.
Got another idea? Tell us!
If you have more space and would like a Daily Mile track, the Mile a Day Track provides a discreet option. Two single lines leave plenty of space on the playground for other markings whilst clearly showing children where to go.
The track can help to build perseverance by creating a real-life running track experience. For behaviour management, staff can insist children keep within the lines, forcing children to run, jog or walk one behind the other in an orderly manner. With these structural elements in place, pupils are less likely to be distracted and more likely to run for themselves.
The Painted Track Playground Marking adds a sense of expectation, giving children a proper running track to use. Rising to the sense of occasion, lots of children will be motivated to participate and persevere because they want to repeat the track stars they’ve seen on the TV.
Browse the full Daily Mile Collection now and secure better health for all children.
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Fun & Active Playgrounds
H5 Daedalus Park
Solent Enterprise Zone
Lee-on-the-Solent
Hampshire
PO13 9FX