We know that a large group of children and teenagers still will seek the outdoors for sport and play, but in order to reduce inactivity within our young people in Somerset, SASP staff have come up with a creative way to engage with inactive pupils. Traditional sports still serve a wonderful and important purpose, but for those young people that do not seek exercise and outdoor play by themselves, we can entice them in through interactive playsets.
Our rational for this, using the digital allure and the changing behaviours in young people, we have provided a new offer that better addresses their needs through fun, choice and freedom. Therefore, making the video games they love in to real life versions. Tablets and other interactive devices are so powerful as the child can pick it up, start playing and the games are designed to teach them all the skills they need. They are ‘roped’ in to the next game as it will automatically restart. They get to try and beat their personal best constantly. It is therefore a safe place to fail as you always get another go! Children find this incredibly addictive! It is this concept that has been transferred into physical games.
The following games have been adapted for this programme,
- Angry Birds
- Shut Up and Dance
- What Do You Mean?
- Temple Run Obstacle Course
- Fruit Hero’s
- Floor is Lava
- Emoji Game
- Mario Cart
We have taken this format into primary schools and have also trained Year 6 leaders to run the various activities. Each school selected 10 inactive children to go along to the initial festival, the games and programme can then be transferred back to PE lessons, playtimes and extra-curricular clubs. Leaders and schools also received several sessions around the delivery of the activities. The next stage of this project is to introduce it to families. Therefore, facilitating active play with parents taking part in the activities alongside their children, assisting with physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing and individual development for both children and adults.
We are hoping to have an adaption of this for our Level 3 School Games in the near future, but currently this is being used in school and community settings to engage with inactive young people.
“Our children loved it! They are going to tell the whole school about it in assembly. One of our grandparents commented: 'Jo gave it 10 out of 10. That's the first time I've heard him use that expression. He was so energised by the whole experience!'”
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“It was really good motivating the children who do not normally perform so well in PE.”
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“I thought it was fantastic those children came away red faced and out of breath, so it did exactly what it set out to do.
I also brought a child whose concentration normally wavers and he was on task all the way through.”