Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust have responded to a pressing need for action following the Government’s announcement of school closures, remote working and social distancing. A workforce of more than 450 trusted and experienced leaders of school sport and physical activity programmes are being redeployed to provide online activities and digital content to support every child in achieving 60 active minutes a day in line with the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance.
The weekly programme will include a variety of activities such as fitness, personal challenges, online contests, problem solving games and those which support physical competence, and mindfulness. The emphasis of the programme will be on fun and wellbeing, and it will make it easier for schools and families to navigate the brilliant range of content being made available daily by people like Joe Wicks and organisations like the Premier League and the National Governing Bodies of Sport.
With schools closing their gates to all pupils except those of key workers and the most vulnerable children as of 20 March, The Youth Sport Trust will galvanise the workforce of publicly funded School Games Organisers (SGO). The SGOs will respond to the needs of those schools still providing care to pupils as well as families and children to reduce sedentary behaviour and boredom, and instead foster daily exercise habits and a positive use of technology.
Other sources of support and ideas include:
Premier League Primary Stars
Following school closures, to support those looking for ways to educate, entertain children and keep them active, the Premier League’s Primary Stars initiative is making school curriculum-linked resources available for home learning, with no registration.
Resources will cover Maths, English, Physical Activity and Health and Wellbeing for Key Stage 1 (5-7 year-olds) and Key Stage 2 (7-11 year-olds), with fun activities to keep children active and learning at home.
These have been successfully used in thousands of primary schools and are now being made available for families.
Scottish Association for Mental Health
The Scottish Association for Mental Health has put together advice and helpful tip for anyone struggling with mental health and anxiety at this time.
This includes for how people can stay connected even if they need to stay at home, what people can do if they feel their own mental health deteriorate and how can we support our loved ones, who may be far away.
The Activity Alliance
Over the coming weeks, many of us will be spending more time at home, in the garden or open air. This naturally means a change in sporting habits, including group activities. There are many ways to continue enjoying an active lifestyle. This includes adapting activities so everyone in the household, disabled and non-disabled, can take part together.
The Activity Alliance has a range of resources to help people with a disability remain active during this time. These include:
- Parasport home workouts with Kris Saunders-Stowe, a qualified fitness instructor
- Change 4 Life accessible activity guide to help keep disabled children and young people active
- 10 today – involves short ten minute routines to get you stretching and moving, and will be broadcast on the radio and online