‘Education and health are inseparable’ (WHO)
For some years now research into the relationship between children’s Physical Activity (PA) levels and the benefits it can have on their social, cognitive, academic and overall mental wellbeing have been well established, with many results widely published. Positive mindfulness has become such a predominant topic in children, Public Health England released framework for schools to follow and Ofsted guidelines to report on, in an attempt to improve children’s future social skills, emotional health and well being into adulthood (1).
'One in eight (12.8%) 5 to 19 year olds had at least one mental disorder', NHS digital.
Here at Moki we understand not only how activity influences physical wellbeing, but also how it helps and supports children’s positive mental health and how that plays an important role with improvements in cognitive and fine motor skills both academically and personally through increased self-esteem. (2)
The question posed therefore, is how can this be measured and reported on a day-to-day basis? How can we identify any gaps in the day that can be improved upon? Moki measures and reports in 30 minute intervals. So you can quickly see how active the kids were in the maths lesson just gone, or during reading time or wet play break. And add in comparisons, such as, what happens if you mix things up and take a lesson on habitats outside to the school field or surrounding area? Or introduce organised wet play games? How does this physically active learning (PAL) reflect in a child’s daily activity and subsequent self-efficacy.
(2) https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3794-2