David Taylor: Inspiring children to be more active
If there’s one person that knows about encouraging children to be more active, David is the go to person.
A Primary PE specialist, community cricket coach, and PE and Sports officer at Active Sussex, he sees first hand the positive impact of physical exercise - but can digital products compliment physical education?
What’s the biggest challenge you face getting children more active?
Screens! They are everywhere, and what they can offer can be a little bit distracting…
Online gaming and apps in particular are handing out instant points, prizes, upgrades, every minute for every interaction. It can be difficult to compete with this and replicate a reward system as frequently in the physical world.
So, what can we do in the playground that’s similar?
The daily mile has been a fantastic initiative to answer those questions. It was achievable for most children at school with the instant reward of completing the distance and earning themselves a sense of pride and accomplishment, and also contribute to classroom points for the school.
Can screens be a good thing?
Absolutely! It’s a big influencer in children being more active. Having access to YouTube in particular gives children access to a whole world of different ways to be active. There’s opportunities to learn more about an activity they’re interested in, eg. “How do I get better at…?” There is also the access to knowing what activities are available outside the traditional football or netball at school. Cosmic Kids Yoga, Go Noodle, and Jo Wickes spring to mind.
There’s a lot to be said about children playing on their consoles too and spending time on games like FIFA! What a way to be inspired by being active than by playing as one of your heroes!
Not every household has, or wants, access to the internet and devices, do you think that can impact children being active?
That’s difficult to answer! It’s not one we can measure, but I do notice organisations and clubs relying heavily on online services as way of keeping in contact with children and their parents, as well as sharing resources to activities to do at home.
You’re right though, it’s fair to say not everyone is online, and children have to rely solely on teachers, friends, and parents for encouragement in and outside of school. It’s those people that have a responsibility to ensure that those children don’t feel excluded.
What is the one digital tool that could complement physical learning for children in primary schools?
I’ve seen a lot of children being motivated by having a step counter like a Fitbit. There are lots of ways teachers can get creative with setting goals and organising competitions - who’s the most active class in the school?
And finally, what’s the most rewarding element of what you do?
Seeing children being more active is incredible! It’s not just because they’re participating, it’s noticing huge positive improvements in their mental health, self confidence and their attitude to being more social.
Thanks David! Amazing to hear how digital can, at times, help children to be more interested in being active.