Monday, 3 April, 2023 - 12:00
Great Activities to Help Improve your Students' Overall Wellbeing
Every day we read articles about healthy lifestyle choices, eating right, the importance of regular exercise, and lately a greater focus on our children’s wellbeing. Children's wellbeing is a combination of their physical, mental, emotional, and social health and part of teaching our children how to achieve a balanced lifestyle is to lead by example.
We have experienced a lot of changes within the world over the last two years, the education system being one of the most affected areas. It is now more important than ever that we give our young people the tools and knowledge to make smart choices. Whether you are a parent, career, or educator we have an important role to play when it comes to encouraging healthy lifestyle habits.
There is endless evidence that suggests good quality learning outside the classroom adds significant value to young people’s education and growth. Having good mental wellbeing doesn't mean you're always happy or unaffected by your experiences but more about finding ways to look after yourself both physically and mentally, to better cope with the day-to-day challenges and experiences that life throws at us.
Wellbeing doesn’t necessarily have one meaning so below are just a few ideas, programs, and educational suppliers to help you achieve positive outcomes in health, mindset, and overall, well-being so your students are better equipped to live their best life and take everything in their stride
Australia’s physical activity recommendation states that kids need to do at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day but can benefit from up to several hours over the course of each day so why not start by doing what childhood dreams are made of- climb a tree!
Tree Climb Adelaide offers an outdoor venue, and they encourage a "Challenge by Choice" mindset to have a go at climbing a tree. Their educational programs provide a unique context for the development of a range of prosocial behaviours, problem-solving, collaboration and interpersonal skills.
https://www.schoolactivities.com.au/school-activities-directory/treeclimb
Australia has almost 40,000 kilometres of coastline, with many surf beaches. Surfers enjoy the physical benefits of paddling, surfing and simply being in the fresh air so why not combine cardiovascular fitness and a great way to spend time outdoors at Surf Camp Australia. Students are taught surfing theory as well as practical techniques at one of Australia’s safest beaches for learning to surf – Seven Mile Beach. These lessons can be tailored to suit student and teacher needs and cater to all abilities.
https://www.schoolactivities.com.au/school-activities-directory/surf-camp-australia
Surf and Sun Beyond the Classroom is another provider that believes in the benefits of outdoor education helping students to get outdoors so they can learn, grow, and explore.
Surf and Sun offer engaging outdoor experiences that challenge, reward, and inspire. Camps and activities are available for all year levels and abilities from a 2-hour come and try right through to a full journey.
https://www.schoolactivities.com.au/school-activities-directory/surf-sun-beyond-the-classroom
Virtually any form of exercise is known to promote general health and wellbeing and cycling comes up again and again as particularly useful for promoting positive mental health. When you combine exercise and time outdoors it’s a bit of a magic mix known to combat stress and anxiety. Cycling has been shown to be one of the most effective activities for the head and heart and the best part is that it’s easily accessible to most of us.
Regular cyclists often comment that they can ‘clear the mind’ or they feel “free” when cycling. The rhythmic, aerobic, and low impact nature of cycling, much like other motor skills, has known brain boosting benefits and can help regulate sleep patterns.
Apart from the social benefits of participation, riding increases the production of proteins used for creating new brain cells by two or three times the norm! It also increases the activities that allow the different regions of our brain to communicate more effectively, ultimately helping students improve their physical and cognitive performance.
Over the Edge Melrose
Offers mountain biking lessons that are integrated into the Australian Curriculum competencies for HP&E for Years 5—10. Courses cater to your school's needs ranging from 2-hour sessions to several sessions over the course of a term. Over the Edge experienced and qualified instructors will develop students’ skills and confidence in mountain bike riding in a fun and safe environment
https://www.schoolactivities.com.au/school-activities-directory/over-the-edge-melrose
Whether you’re studying at home, school, the library, or university, take a study break during your day, go for a walk, and get some fresh air. Start from young where you encourage your students to play outdoors and better still have a go yourself – slides and swings are fun, and small children will participate willingly if they see you are enjoying yourself too. Not everyone may be ‘sporty’ but everyone can get involved in an activity to get your body moving. Encouraging regular exercise can be an important and impactful change in a student's lifestyles.
A healthy lifestyle simply means doing things that make you happy and feel good. A child’s job is to play and children in general thrive when engaged in an activity that brings them joy. Making physical activity a part of their daily routine is not only fun, but also healthy. Encouraging kids to be active when they are young establishes a routine that could stay with them throughout their life.