How can we stay motivated, active, and healthy whilst away from school?

The main challenge with staying active and healthy whilst being away from school is replicating the same activities consistently.

At Hatherop, children exercise and play sport on a daily basis and a typical day allows the children from Reception to Prep 8 between 3h hrs to 4 ½ hr of physical exercise per week. This is not including the time spent participating in the breadth of clubs and activities that children have access to at school.

So, how do we remain active and motivated at home?

What are you doing at home?

Has it felt successful?

Was it enjoyable?

What is motivation?

Motivation is an individual’s desire to improve, achieve and succeed. As a teacher or a parent, it is our job to be able to inflame that desire in a child, and challenge them to become the best they can be each and every day.

Creating the right environment for the children to learn or play is of paramount importance, and activities have to be fun. Young children learn best through play, whilst for older children, a healthy competitive attitude is often a motivational factor.

Children have to experience what winning is like and how it makes them feel. Just as important, is experiencing the disappointment of losing. Setting the ‘bar’ too high can often seem unachievable so I always recommend small, realistic and achievable targets.  This I believe is the key to success and keeping the children self-motivated.   

The good news is that the wait is nearly over and I am hopeful we can all return to school and enjoy the rest of the term. If your son or daughter is not already actively involved in any extra-curricular sport in or outside of school, there is no better time to get involved.