April 30 to May 4 is Pause to PLAY week. The Pause to PLAY challenge encourages students to put their TV’s, gaming devices, tablets, cell phones, and computers on pause for one full week and become more physically active through play. In partnership with York Region Public Health, many YRDSB classrooms will be participating this year. Students can also participate with families at home!
At JLPS staff will be supporting this challenge with additional active time for our students. We encourage all our families to give this challenge a chance at home. Try going for a nightly walk with your family, instead of turning the TV on after dinner go to the park together or instead of having your children watch TV when they get home from, invite them to use their bike or scooter or just play outside. The ideas are numerous.
The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that Canadian children aged 5–17 accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity each day. The Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines state that those same children should spend no more than two hours of screen time per day. According to the recent ParticipACTION report (2016):
- Only 9 per cent of Canadian kids aged 5–17 meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines
- Only 24 per cent of 5–17 year olds in Canada meet this Canadian Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines
- The average 5–17 year old Canadian spends 8.5 hours being sedentary each day
Exercise that gets your heart rate up has many health benefits. Being active for at least 60 minutes daily can help children:
- Improve their health and do better in school, improve their fitness, grow stronger and maintain a healthy body weight
- Have fun playing with friends and feel happier Learn new skills and improve their self-confidence
