Making physical education a priority in schools

If you’re concerned about the amount of physical activity your child is getting at school, you’re not alone. According to the results of Physical and Health Education Canada’s public opinion survey of Canadian parents on physical and health education and physical activity, parents across the country believe greater emphasis needs to be placed on physical activity within the school system.

We know that physical activity is important to keep our kids healthy, but did you know it also has academic, lifestyle, and personal development benefits? More opportunities for physical education and activity can be connected with improved test scores. And it also has a positive impact on a child’s self-confidence and mental resiliency.

The bad news is that, with school systems strained financially, when decisions have had to be made between investing in academic priorities versus investing in PE, the latter often has had to take the back seat.

With 67% of the parents questioned in the PHE Canada survey believing that children should receive 150 minutes or more of physical education each week, and 82% of parents believing that the education system needs to place more importance on providing quality PE classes, it is clear that more and more parents are on the same page when it comes to the importance of physical activity for their kids.

It’s great to see that parents are becoming more vocal on the issue and that our concerns are being shared in a more public forum. We need to continue to make our voices heard when it comes to PE in our children’s schools.

To bring the topic of physical activity and physical literacy onto the agenda at your child’s school, check out our BACK P.A.C. resource.