How can teachers and parents compensate for lack of physical activity amidst Covid-19

Alka Kapur, Principal, Modern Public School

In the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, it is indisputable that everyday life has become dreary and restricted within the four walls. Social distancing and remote learning has seen a surge in the usage of internet among children. Further, the restrictions imposed due to the ongoing pandemic have curtailed outdoor activities leading to low level of physical activity and rise of excessive sedentary behaviour in children. It is recommended that children aged between 3 to 5 years should remain physically active throughout the day to ensure proper physical growth and mental development. Children aged between 6 to 17 years should ideally undertake moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day for at least 60 minutes.

While it is understandable that teachers and parents would want kids to socialise, one should not underestimate the long-term implications of personality and behavioural changes that children may undergo due to excessive screen time.

Moreover, due to school-based physical activities coming to a standstill, children are also missing out on engagement that they derived out of  physical education class or even recess. A deeper analysis would tell that physical activities and exercise stimulates the release of brain chemicals called endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin that play a vital role in regulating an individual’s mood. Release of these chemicals is essential to maintain good appetite and proper sleeping pattern. Therefore, till the time children remain indoors, teachers and parents can play an important role in facilitating a holistic approach towards reinforcing physical activity.

Children look up to their teachers a lot and follow their guidance without questions asked. This is why a teacher’s authority becomes even more critical in the development of a child. In the times when the classes are being conducted online, incorporation of movement or physical activities pertinent to the academic content is definitely taxing but not impossible. This is where teachers can integrate their creative liberty and come up with a curriculum that is conducive to movement-based activities. Here are certain suggestions for the same:

1. Draft an assignment for students to engage them in a competition using number of steps they walk or kilometres they run. Reward them for their efforts.
2. There are a plethora of physical education applications available that can help children improve their physical strength, agility, flexibility and mental health. Some of the applications are: Swork-It Kids, GoNoodle Kids, 7-Minute Workout for Kids, Skipping Skills. These applications provide a series of exercises which are very elementary and interesting at the same time for engaging kids. Teachers may assign this as a voluntary task at first and eventually make it an assignment for children to make a journal or write an essay.
3. Dedicate a class for letting the students pick any one work out regime or yoga posture and tell them to explain it to the entire class.

Parents are present with their kids for most of the time and this is why enforcing a recreational and firm schedule becomes their responsibility. It might be challenging in the beginning but with a flexible plan, children can easily be motivated with attainable and realistic goals.

Do take a note of the FITT principle, which is recommended by many doctors and physiotherapists. The abbreviation stands for — frequency, intensity, time and type.

FITT entails that the number of days per week for a physical activity, the efforts dedicated for such activity, the time given for such activity and the kind of activity undertaken must be planned and monitored without slack. For parents it is important that they begin with smaller and low intensity goals.

Recreational activities while spending time with kids

Engaging your kid in a physical but recreational activity will motivate them to volunteer for it. Make a tendency to begin with the activities that your children like to do. For instance, bicycling, skipping, dancing, skating, etc. If possible use training equipments and encourage them to pick any one of such equipments on their volition.

Adopt a new hobby together

Try to learn a new skill with your child that will involve physical movement and activity. Learning new skills can help your children in critical assessment, reduce stress and boost confidence. This way it would not just remain a training process and be more involving.

Minimise screen time

It is the time of social media and that is why there is no escape from that. However, what can be achieved is a regulated screen time as excessive screen time can lead to severe mental health issues. Therefore, the first step would be the setting of expectations and goals for your child each day. Slowly and steadily cut down on the screen time and substitute such periods with other leisure activities such as scrabble, carom, etc. Another important aspect is  to engage in conversation with kids. Give them your full attention and try to learn about any concealed thought of theirs. Next step would be to create phone-free zones in house which must be adhered to by everyone and not just the kids.

Last but not least, getting kids engaged in activity also requires teacher’s and parent’s dedication, so ensure that you become active simultaneously.