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The Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance findings (see story this page) come as no surprise to Warkworth Primary School teacher Nicole Callender who, up until the end of last year, was the school’s sports coordinator for eight years.
“Fitness and physical activity are recognised as being an extremely important part of the school day,” she says. As well as daily sessions of between 10 and 25 minutes, students are expected to participate in physical education classes two or three times a week.
Callender says that unlike previous generations who made up their own fun outdoors on a daily basis, children today are more inclined to need to be entertained.
She says that while the gaming culture is one factor, the fact that most families have two parents working, often in jobs where there is a long commute, means that there is no longer anyone at home to say, “Go outside and play”.
“But the rising cost of living is adding to the problem. It is expensive to have children in multiple sports teams, incurring costs for uniforms and tournament fees, and then the petrol to get them to these activities. I know a lot of families who are limiting the number of sports their children participate in because of this,” she says.
As a mother of three active children, Callender says she still struggles with controlling her children’s screen time.Her advice is to set limits and turn the wifi off, if necessary.
“It’s also important for parents to model the behaviour they expect from their children – if they see you always on your phone then they will think that is normal.
“I believe sport is extremely important for young children. It is an important part of our culture and, apart from keeping kids fit and healthy, it teaches them to work as a team, develop and practise skills, communicate with others, and they learn how to win and how to lose.”
Mahurangi College deputy principal Jon Blyth, who has been teaching for 25 years, says there is definitely a need for safer routes to school so children can walk and cycle.
“I don’t blame parents for driving their kids in – they are just trying to keep them safe,” he says.
He says in order to engage more teens in fitness activities, the physical education curriculum has moved well beyond offering just competitive type sports.
“There is a lot more emphasis on fun-based learning activities and Mahurangi is always actively exploring other options to get kids moving. If students find team sports such as rugby and netball intimidating, there are alternatives. Archery and underwater hockey, for instance, are hugely popular.”
Callender says the healthed.govt.nz website is a good resource for parents who want to help their kids get more active.
