Providing sports opportunities

We want to encourage our kids to be active, but are we providing the encouragement and spaces for this? We would like promote our vision of ‘‘nurturing an equitable and inclusive environment for young people to build a lifelong love of sport and recreation through positive and meaningful experiences.’’

How we do this is by providing those opportunities either through organised structured sport or recreational opportunities that may be unstructured .

As an organisation we are trying to encourage schools to promote opportunities at lunchtimes, before or after school on their own grounds and gyms.

The number one reason students generally play sport is for fun and to be with their mates.

Offering sports gear at lunchtimes for students to use and go and be active with mates ticks the boxes.

Kids are only limited by their own imaginations as to what they can set up and play.

The availability of sports gear for lunchtime recreational play seems to have been dying off in schools and use of the gym at lunchtimes for purely recreational purposes.

Some school gyms are locked at lunchtimes if not in use for sports practices.

Schools need to encourage activity so making gear, spaces and places available will promote this.

Several schools are applying for Kiwisport funding to purchase equipment specifically for lunchtime play which is great.

Some schools are offering lunchtime activities using students as physical activity leaders to run these.

Using students in a resourceful way and providing leadership opportunities has to be positive.

In the UK there has been a an increase in girls being active by setting up gym equipment either before school, lunchtimes or after school in the gym for girls to go and exercise, setting up their own routines.

Before or after school circuit exercise classes could be a popular option.

It is all about providing and promoting the opportunities.