You can never have enough fun games, and I mean FUN games, up your sleeve to encourage young people (indeed, all people) to be and keep active.
In fact, I strongly believe this to be the key to engaging kids. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing in my opinion.
Or, in other words, fun is the magnet.
Why run laps around the oval (to warm up) when you can play 10 mins of tag games – tag games are just as aerobic, and certainly more fun, but importantly – this playful approach to education will teach your students other valuable life skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, leadership, communication, success/failure, patience, etc.
And, … they are more likely to return to your class the next day with a “What are we going to do today?” look on their faces, rather than “Oh, no, not that again.”
This is exactly how Project Adventure got its start. In 1971, a group of teachers recognised that kids were bored to death with the 1950s skills & drills approach to Physical Education. So, they incorporated a series of challenging, rewarding and fun group activities into their curriculum, and suddenly, kids were excited to come to PE.
The formula is pretty simple…
Make it fun, pique their interest, attract their participation and kids get active – and you get healthier, happier students, and academic results will soar.
No brainer to my mind. Fun is the magnet.
This approach forms the backbone and philosophical underpinning of every activity featured on playmeo. Take a moment now to browse playmeo’s ever-expanding database of group games and activities… you are bound to discover something new!
Original post November 2013, last updated June 2019.