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Daily Physical Activity at school, at home

ParticipACTION Report Card
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines suggest
that children 5-17 should get at least 60 minutes of
DPA each day (p. 6).
Research shows that children need an increased
amount of physical activity each day. Schools are
making an effort to bridge this gap by enforcing
DPA standards.
Ministries of education and school boards should
increase training, support and accountability for
implementing PE according to their
provincial/territorial policies (p. 37).
ParticipACTION. The Biggest Risk is Keeping Kids Indoors. The 2015 ParticipACTION
Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: ParticipACTION;
2015.

What is DPA?
Daily Physical Activity is a 20
minute portion of the day
which aims to have all
students participating in
moderate to vigorous activity.
DPA is required in every
Ontario, Elementary
classroom and teachers use
this as an opportunity to break
up sedentary times throughout
the day.

Important Facts
70% of 3-4 year olds meet the DPA
recommendation of 180 minutes
of physical activity.
Only 9% of 5-17 year olds meet
the DPA recommendation (p. 12).
24% of 5-17 year olds meet the
Canadian Sedentary Behaviour
Guidelines for Children and Youth
which recommend no more than
2 hours of screen time per day
(p. 29).
26% of mothers with children 4-11
ranked DPA as the most important
priority for their child (p. 33).

Other Sources of
Information
DPA in Ontario is part of the
Healthy Schools program. This
implementation was done in
response to the fact that the
activity levels of children was
not sufficient for growth and
development. Physical
education classes alone are not
enough to meet the growing
needs of students. DPA is
beneficial for students are it
creates an active daily routine
that can lead to an active
lifestyle. DPA also allows
students a mental break and the
opportunity to refocus.
(2014). The Difference 20 Minutes a Day
Makes. OPHEA: Healthy Schools, Healthy
Communities. Retrieved from
http://www.ophea.net/article/difference-20minutes-day-makes#.Vp70_JMrJhD

Support Children in an Active Lifestyle

Regardless of our busy classroom schedule, I facilitate interactive and interesting
activities to keep students motivated. Participating in DPA activities helps to build
our students Physical Literacy skills that empower students to make healthy, active
choices, and to build their physical confidence. Regina Benjamin recognizes that while
adults need only 2.5 hours of physical activity per week, children 6-17 need at least
one hour per day (p. 350). Benjamin argues that everyone should play an important
role in the facilitation of physical activity for young people. While some might feel that
60 minutes per day is overwhelming or unachievable, Benjamin notes, in addition to
physical education programs, bouts of physical activity can fit into the school day as
classroom activity breaks, before- and after-school activities, and active transportation
to and from school (p. 351). It is essential that children are not only supported in their
daily activity from school programs, but from home and the community as well. As
parents, some recommendations for supporting your childs DPA could be as simple
as walking, or biking, to or from school, playing catch or kicking a ball together, or
even activities such as gardening or shoveling snow together can support your childs
DPA.
Benjamin, R. M.. (2013). The Importance of 60 Minutes or More of Daily Physical Activity. Public Health
Reports (1974-), 128(5), 350-351. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23646552.

Reducing Sedentary
Behaviours
Some parents find these
guidelines confusing
because some sedentary
behaviours (eg. Reading,
colouring) seem to offer
benefits to mental and
social development. []
Negative outcomes linked
to television, video game,
cellphone and internet use
include disordered
sleeping, (ParticipACTION,
2015, p. 7).

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The Importance of Risky Outdoor Play

ParticipACTION Report Card
The report card informs us that children are
MORE active when they play outdoors (pg. 7).
Risky Play is something that we all grew up
experiencing, but in todays day and age,
children are being suffocated by rules and
limits that are not allowing them to take part
in risky play.
We need to give kids the freedom to
occasionally scrape a knee or twist an
ankle (ParticipACTION, 2015, p. 7).
ParticipACTION. The Biggest Risk is Keeping Kids Indoors. The 2015
ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth.
Toronto: ParticipACTION; 2015.

Other Sources of Information

Little & Wyver (2008) believe that the goal

Jan 21, 2016

Important Facts (p. 7)

Preschoolers spend twice as
much time being active when play
is outdoors
Kids with ready access to
unsupervised outdoor play have
better developed motor skills,
social behaviour, independence,
and conflict resolution skills
Kids age 9-17 who play outside
after school get 20 more minutes
of heart-pumping activity a day
Playgrounds that are designed to
be safer are considered boring
to children
Children and youth are less

should be to find ways of managing risk rather

likely to engage in higher levels
of physical activity if a parent or
than seeking to eliminate it. Supporting
supervising adult is present
childrens physical play should be the utmost
consideration (p. 39). In an OPHEA article, it is
For Parents
stated that 58% of parents are very concerned
Encourage your children to
engage with their outdoor
with their childrens safety and that they feel they
need to be over protective. These overprotective
behaviours are limiting the opportunity for
children to let loose and play.
Little, H., & Wyber, S. (2008). Does avoiding the risk reduce the benefits?
Austrailan Journal of Early Childhood (5). Retrieved from
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-

The Protection
Paradox
We overprotect kids to
keep them safe, but
keeping them close and
keeping them indoors
may set them up to be
less resilient and more
likely to develop chronic
diseases in the long
run. (ParticipACTION,
2015, p. 7).

environment in a variety of
weather conditions. When they
are supported to take risks, they
have more fun and learn how to
asses and manage risk in all areas
of their lives

Be an Advocate for Outdoor Play

There is nothing more important than the
class, we are exploring new environments
safety of our children, but these
like forests, swamps, rivers, ponds, fields,
and more.
overprotective actions are diminishing our
childrens active play, and a change needs
to be made. We want our children to
For Parents
demonstrate physical literacy to move
Take a step back and remember your
confidently & competently when
childhood.
Children need to learn how to
participating in all physical activities, and to
think independently. Let them go out and
have a desire to be active in their every day
explore, let them play unsupervised and see
life. Developing their physical literacy will
where they end up. Just take a step back,
help our children make healthy and active and put your worries aside, trust me, youre
choices to benefit themselves in the long helping them. Letting them play on their own
terms will help develop their physical
run. Instead of focusing on structured
literacy.
lessons and activities in class, we are taking
an inquiry approach. The students are free Take it outside! Practical strategies for being active outside. (2012). Ontario
Physical and Health Education Association. Retrieved from
to explore and play as they please. As a
http://www.ophea.net/article/take-it-outside-practical-strategies-beingactive-outside-0#.Vp72cVz3qye

Boehme, Cook

Jan 21, 2016

Tobogganing Exploration
Put the risky back in play
Every child loves tobogganing, so grab some toboggans, find a hill, and see what happens! This is also a fun
and easy way to support your childs 60 minutes of DPA. My suggestion for you as parents, is to keep this
activity as unstructured as possible. Let your children direct this adventure. Spin around while sliding down a
hill, try to stand up, go as fast as possible, or hit a jump! Try your best to let your children be the maker of
their own fun. Of course if you see the potential for serious harm, please step in, but try to let the risky
behaviour fly.
The goal of this activity is to let the children explore their capabilities. If children do not engage in risky
behaviour regularly, they will not be aware of their limits or what they are capable of. Let them explore, take
risks, and try new things; let them have fun on their own terms. If your child is less willing to take these risks,
try to encourage them to step outside their boundaries.
One of the most important components of this activity is that you participate with your child!
This does not mean you must run up and down the hill every time, but by leading by example and showing
your child that it is okay to take risks and try new things, they will be more enthusiastic about participating as
well.

Have your child draw a picture of the most exciting part of their tobogganing adventure. Try to have them
think of a time during their adventure that they felt most exhilarated. What made their heart start beating
faster? Then have them write a brief explanation about why this activity was fun, and what they could do next
time to get this feeling again.

Boehme, Cook