Playground games to improve children’s fitness
Now that the children have returned to school, it’s important to make sure that there are plenty of activities available to keep them fit and healthy. One great way to encourage activity is through fun games that the children will want to engage in. Take a look at the games below and see how many you can include at your school’s playground.
Sports matches
Sport is a great way to encourage friendly competition, as well as build up endurance, co-ordination and co-operation. Team sports like netball, basketball and football are fast-paced enough to get hearts pumping and will help to develop strategic skills. Try sports like tennis or long jump to allow pupils to progress on their own.
Target practice
Chest throws are great for building muscle in the arms as well as the core, so get a target playground marking and use those throws to see who can hit the best score. Why not mix it up with some bounce passes between children, encouraging them to bounce the ball on a specific number to get a particular score?
Assault courses
Assault courses can include lots of different types of movement, as well as an element of speed. The children will jump, hop, weave and run as they make their way through the course – a fantastic activity for fitness and agility. If you want to make it even better, you can create your own trail that will be unique to your school. Simply pick the stations you like and we’ll be able to install it in your playground for hours of fun.
Bleep tests
The bleep test is used to gauge the fitness levels of the children, who need to make it from one set of markings to the other between diminishing numbers of seconds. The longer they last, the better, and it’s a good activity to do once at the beginning and again at the end of term so that they can see how much they have improved. You can also have races on a running track, which are usually more for sprints rather than a test of endurance (and speed) like the bleep tests.
Move a mile, every day
Doing a mile a day, whether that is walking, jogging or running (or even skipping), is very beneficial for your physical health. Students can go at their own pace and feel a sense of achievement when they reach the end, no matter how they got there. The track can be installed wherever is convenient for your school, although playground perimeters work well, and includes a series of colourful dots, lines and markers to make it enjoyable for the students. Consider breaking it into sections so that the mile starts with a walk, then switches to a jog, then back to walking so that the children are doing an extra bit of exercise.
You can find many more ideas for games designed to improve children’s fitness in our fantastic range of playground markings and if you need any advice for what ones to use, talk to us and we’ll be happy to help. Many of our playground markings can be used for more than one game or activity so the only limit is your imagination!
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