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Daily Physical Activity

At Howe Middle, we encourage students to be physically active while at school. Research has indicated that:

  1. Regular physical activity enhances academic performance
    • Physical activity has a positive effect upon children’s academic achievement, academic readiness, and perceptual skills.
  2. Regular physical activity improves children’s mental health and contributes to their growth and development.
  3. The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing - this is directly linked to a lack of physical activity.
    • Participation in physical activity is positively linked to aerobic fitness, body composition, and muscular strength among school children.
  4. Daily physical activity improves children’s skeletal health, which in turn reduces their risk of developing osteoporosis in the future.
    • It has been shown that osteoporosis originates early in life and bone mass development in childhood and adolescents influences the risk for bone fractures.
    • Physical activity in childhood and adolescence plays a vital role in optimizing peak bone mass and might reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.
  5.  It is important to educate, encourage and motivate children to participate in regular physical activity because the habits they establish in childhood carry over to adulthood.
  6. Participation in regular physical activity has a positive impact on behaviour and healthy lifestyles in youth.

To this end, each pod at Howe Middle is scheduled to have a daily physical activity period of at least 30 minutes. This is accomplished because each pod has scheduled time in the gym or fitness room each day.