BLOG · 31 AUGUST 2022
National Health and Physical Education Day (7/SEPT/2022)
Health & Physical Education (HPE) Day is a nationwide initiative that highlights the importance of HPE in the Australian Curriculum, and its influence on the learning and development of children.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a parent, caregiver, teacher or principal - everyone has a role to play in helping young people take a step towards leading healthier and happier lives. Help celebrate the health and well-being of our future generations on HPE Day – it’s easy!
Get Involved
Most children’s waking hours are spent sitting at school and at home, so it’s important to get them to be more active as part of everyday life.
The good news is that getting involved in HPE Day is easy! The hardest part is making a commitment to being more active and then sticking to it.
Have you got a picture or video of your school or class doing a fun activity? Share them on social media using the #HPEday hashtag!
**Please ensure you have written consent from parents when publishing or uploading photos or videos of children.
In Schools
It’s no surprise that schools play a significant role in the intellectual, physical, social and emotional development of children. Learning in Health and Physical Education makes an important and positive difference because it encourages lifelong participation and results in better health outcomes.
Getting your school or class involved in HPE day is easy! Here are some great ideas to consider:
Participate in a range of games and activities undertaken by different cultures
Eat healthy snacks in class, or have a cooking lesson that uses fresh food
Create a circuit of physical activities or ‘play stations’ for students to enjoy
Organise a guest motivational speaker from a local sporting club
Make a poster or model that shows what could be in a healthy lunch box
Go on a HPE-related excursion – what about aquatics, hill-climbing or an outdoors walk?
Get everyone in the class to wear a pedometer for the day and set up a walking/activity challenge to see who can do the most steps
Hold an ‘Active & Healthy homework week’, with the focus being on doing extra physical activity after school instead
In the Community
Not only is HPE an important part of the school environment, but it also extend to the local community. Getting involved in your local community in HPE is easy! Here are some great ideas to consider:
Scouts
Surf life saving
Head to the community swimming pool and/or out of school swim classes (i.e. VacSWIM)
Sport at local clubs (i.e. tennis, cricket, netball, soccer, AFL and rugby)
Learn from grandparents and/or parents the games they used to play and play them at home and also bring them into the school community
Thai chi, yoga, Zumba, boxing or taekwondo dance, ballet/hip-hop, gymnastics classes at local centres
At Home
Parents and caregivers play an important role in promoting an active lifestyle for their children, and there’s heaps of ways to get involved!
It’s not only a chance to put a busy life on hold and enjoy some quality time with the kids, but it also can make a substantial difference to their health by encouraging good habits that can stay with them for the rest of their life.
How can you get involved?
Encourage children to participate and get them active and involved in the community by visiting a local club or play organised sport
Instead of heading straight home after school, go to the local playground, park, oval or beach. Fly a kite or throw a Frisbee. Play games like tag, jump rope or hopscotch in the backyard.
If the weather isn’t great, make fun the focus by having a family dance competition inside, visit an indoor swimming pool, or try a new activity such as rock-climbing or mini-golf.
Teach children new skills to help them be physically active – like how to skip, ride a bike, skating, throwing, catching, or hitting and kicking a ball.
Walk, ride a bike or skateboard all or part of the way to school instead of taking the car.
Be a positive role model and show your children how you plan to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get off the bus one or two stops early, or take the dog for a walk with the family at the end of the day.