Help children get more active while they learn

Many families have faced new challenges as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

With issues such as job losses and health problems potentially having a negative impact on children’s mental health, teachers will naturally be looking for effective ways to support their pupils’ wellbeing.

Home-schooling may have resulted in very different experiences for children too, so school leaders and teachers will be focussed on identifying learning loss and putting strategies in place to narrow the achievement gap.

Schools will need to find ways to encourage their pupils to get at least an hour of sport or activity every day, in accordance with new government guidelines. So how can schools help teachers to address all of these issues? One approach might be to make lessons more physically active. The good news is, there are some very simple ways to do this that fit within the social distancing guidelines.

A new take on literacy

How about changing the way pupils learn English? You could ask the children to stand in a circle, each with a different word on the ground in front of them. They then take turns to throw a ball and form a sentence using the word in front of the child who catches it, helping to develop their vocabulary.

Introducing chair aerobics, where pupils do shoulder rolls, knee taps and finger scrunching at their desks, helps to strengthen the arm and hand muscles they need in handwriting.

There are plenty of ways to make maths lessons more active too.

Jumping Jack maths

Rather than asking the children to sit inside writing or calling out the answers to maths questions, get them out into the playground where they can have fun, get some exercise and learn at the same time.

How about an imaginary table tennis match? Split the pupils into pairs and ask them to choose a card with an instruction on it – count up to 200 in fives or recite the three times table backwards. They then take turns to shout out the answers while pretending to hit a fast-moving imaginary ball across the table to their partner, using their palm as the bat.

Another option might be to set up a relay race where pupils in teams compete by running to the other end of the playground to collect different number statements. This could be a multiplication or division question – ‘what is 15 divided by three?’ – or a simple maths problem they need to solve. They then race back to their teammates to answer the question before anyone else, then it’s the next child’s turn.

Schools that have introduced these kinds of activities into their lesson plans have seen the positive difference they can make to children’s health and wellbeing and the enjoyment they get from learning in this way.

Supporting mental health

Steve Tindall, headteacher at Holy Family Catholic School in Addlestone, Surrey is a firm believer in active learning to help improve mental wellbeing. “Active learning changes the psychology of learning as children forget that it’s maths or English. They are just learning while they run around having fun with their friends.”

The impact on children’s enjoyment of the subject is palpable too. “Maths used to be our pupils’ ninth favourite subject, but since we introduced active learning in lessons, it had risen up the ranks to take third place after art and PE. We’re delighted about that.”

With a new approach and more physical activity built in to lessons, schools can provide their pupils with exciting and engaging learning opportunities that will support their continued progress in the weeks and months ahead.

Get your class more active in lesson time

• Start small – you don’t need to overhaul the entire curriculum to introduce more active learning in your school. Start by bringing more physical activity into one maths or English lesson each week, then take it from there.
• Mix it up – try a variety of different activities to find out what active lessons work best for your class. This will help to keep everyone engaged in getting more physically active.
• Monitor the impact – being able to see the positive impact active learning can have on children’s health, wellbeing and achievement will help you to encourage pupils, teachers and parents to embrace this new way to learn.

Jon Smedley is a former teacher and founder of Teach Active. Any teacher can access up to 50 active lesson plans in English and Maths for free for a trial period at www.teachactive.org, many of which are social distance friendly.