Active Children & Young People

Being active is really good for your child's body, mind and health. There are lots of fun and easy ways you can help your child move more.

Active Children and Young People

Being active is really good for your body, mind and health – and there are lots of easy ways you and your family can get moving.

There are many ways busy families and young people can build physical activity into their lives. Being physically active is easier than you think, especially if you make activity part of your daily routine.

Here you will find some handy activity ideas, top tips and guidance on how active we should all be and how we can build it into our every day life.

Focusing on these 3 things is a great way to start:

  • Bitesize chunks - try to avoid long periods of inactivity
  • Move more - remember, every movement matters! Walking, running, jumping, cycling, climbing, dancing...it's all good!
  • Find what's fun - get involved in feel good activities. This can be activity in and out of school.

Children and young people should aim to be active for at least 60 minutes per day, every day of the week. Children and young people with disabilities should aim to be active for 20 minutes per day, every day of the week.

Physical Activity for Children and Young People (5-18 years old)

  • Physical Activity For Children and Young People

Physical Activity for Children and Young People with a Disability (5-18 years old)

  • Physical Activity For Disabled Children and Young People


Inspire

The INSPIRE strand encourages young people to engage, participate & learn through fun sport & physical activity opportunities that interest and excite them; developing a positive and meaningful relationship with movement and physical activity, acquiring lifelong learning and promoting social & emotional well-being.

This year we have introduced INSPIRATIONS to INSPIRE young people to be more active and have fun reaching the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day.( 30 minutes in school and 30 minutes at home)

Young people may take part in each of our INSPIRATIONS at school and/or at home. We have provided some FREE resources that you can access below and the chance to be included in our PRIZE DRAW.

Win a £50 High Street voucher and a personal invitation to take part in our INSPIRE Celebration Carousel at the School Games Festival.

We would like to provide the opportunity for more young people to attend our County wide School Games Festival which is held at Loughborough University on the 27th June 2024 and take part in our INSPIRATIONS Celebration Carousel.

The carousel is designed by young people through Youth Voice to INSPIRE young people who perhaps are less active, to try something new, to enjoy participating in this prestigious event where the focus is on FUN not competition. It offers a great opportunity to experience and learn much more than being active, but also develop life skills such as confidence, social skills, team spirit in a supportive environment.

We hope you can support your child to access this amazing event.


How to Get Involved

There are 6 INSPIRATIONS that you can take part in during 2023-24. All Inspirations can be engaged with at school or at home. Simply download the FREE resources and enjoy our themed activities

At the end of each Term we will have a PRIZE DRAW see details below how to take part.

Use our free resources to engage your child. Either download our app (see 'Virtual Together App' below) or use the Resources below to get started. If you submit your scores or submit your usage on the app, you will be entered into our termly prize draw.

Where you have the opportunity to win:

  • £50 High street Voucher
  • And/or a personal invitation to take part at School Games Summer Festival

Resources

My Personal Best

This Inspiration is designed to teach children about determination, resilience, and self-improvement to help their confidence and teach them to see challenges as opportunities to grow. It has been proven that having a growth mind set can improve a child's progress & attainment. Scores can be recorded in a printable 'Personal Best Passport' or on the Virtual Together App* (for app guidance see the back of this document) . All challenges are for the individual to achieve their personal best, there is no leaderboard.

*You can also log the time you have spent learning and practising your new skills using the virtual together app and we will enter you into our PRIZE DRAW

*Thanks to the North West Leicestershire's School Sport Partnership for their contribution to the following challenges

  • Print ready passport

  • Personal best challenges


Move More in Spring

This Spring, we want to encourage young people to achieve 30 minutes of activity every day.

Spring is a great time of year to get out and enjoy the fresh air and explore local surroundings.

We encourage young people to choose what activity they do but if you need some more Inspiration why not check out the Daily Boost pages for some ideas.

Try out something new and fun to get children moving or choose their favourite activity.

Use our Move More in Spring trackers below and share what has inspired them to achieve the 30 minutes activity goal on the activity diary.

  • KS1 At Home

  • KS2 At Home


DanceMania

With evidence suggesting that music increases motivation, improves brain function and mental wellbeing, we encourage you to use music to get your young people moving this Summer.

Try to achieve 30 minutes of activity for 30 days during the Summer Term.

Dance helps young people to develop motor skills like balance, coordination, rhythm, and spatial awareness. It also boosts their confidence because they get the chance to do something they feel good about.

Because of these benefits, it makes dance one of the most vital educational activities in school.

Your school can introduce a music focus into school activities and/or encourage pupils to be active at home.

We have created FREE resources to help them achieve your goals.

It doesn't matter what activities you choose they do, they could learn a new dance style, create their own dance routine, learn a new skill, try some fun games or use music to bring a different feel.

Parents are able to download our Dancemania tracker for their children to colour in each time they achieve 30 minutes of activity.

Upload their results to the Virtual together app and we will enter them into the Summer Term Prize Draw.

  • Parent DanceMania Pack

DANCE INSPIRATION FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Why not try some different dance styles to achieve your 30 minutes of activity per day.

You could learn one style per week

Here are a selection of video clips to get you started.

Alternative Activities

You don't need to Dance to take part in Dancemania

Why not pick some great music and play a game?

We have provided some examples for you to try

You could also choose a new skill and use the music to make it Fun.

  • Games to Music

Prize Draw

Would you like to give your child the opportunity to take part in our annual School Games Festival INSPIRE celebration and be part of an All Star team .

This offers a fantastic experience where young people can enjoy trying some great activities, meet new friends, build confidence and learn some new skills.

Every child taking part has a chance to be invited and in addition we will also select one winner of our £50 High Street Voucher.

Simply download the Virtual together app and log their minutes of activity whilst taking part in one of our INSPIRATIONS!


Key Links


Support for children & young people with special educational needs and disabilities (The Local Offer)

The Local Offer supports parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and young people with SEND themselves.

The Local Offer aims to provide clear, comprehensive and accessible information about the opportunities available for families with a child or children who have a disability or additional needs.

For more information click on the relevant links below.


Stay safe in sport and activity

Sport and exercise is fun – it gives you the opportunity to make new friends, try out new activities and amaze yourself with what you can do. As a young person involved in sport or physical activity, you have a right to be treated fairly and enjoy your activity.

If you take part in sport or activity you can expect your Teacher, Coach or Instructor to:

  • Be organised and on time
  • Treat you with respect
  • Support and encourage you
  • Never use bad language

Is something worrying you? Don't keep it to yourself

  • tell an adult you trust as soon as possible, such as:
    • a parent or someone else in your family
    • another member of staff at the sports club
    • a teacher or school counsellor
    • your doctor or school nurse
  • your club will have a child protection officer – find out who they are and tell them about your worries
  • make sure you're not alone again with the person who has tried to harm you.
Childline

Childline

Is the free, 24-hour helpline for children and young people in the UK. You can call about any problem, at any time – day or night.

Chat online to a counsellor.

You might also want to take a look at Childline's Sport and exercise pages for info and advice on issues relating to sport.

Telephone
0800 1111
Website
https://www.childline.org.uk/