After months spent on distance learning, children and young people need activity, experts emphasize. This is the only way to improve physical condition and return to a normal lifestyle after the pandemic. "As parents, we need to do everything in our power to get our children away from computers, because they have been spending most of their time in front of monitors" – says the head of the Your Doctor network, Mariola Madler – Litera. "Joint walks, bike trips, games and outdoor activities should become a permanent part of the schedule for the end of the school year and the upcoming holidays" – adds the doctor. A sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular exercise impact the health of all age groups – a fact confirmed by scientific research.
"The physical activity and fitness of children and adolescents has been declining steadily for 20 years, and the pandemic has made this problem even worse" – emphasizes Prof. Bartosz Molik, Rector of the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw. The research of AWF experts is to determine how serious this negative impact is. Together with the Ministry of Education, they have just launched a program that will help students return to activity. In the first stage, PE teachers will receive instructions on how to work with children after COVID-19 and how to motivate them to do sports after such a long period of remote learning and being locked up at home. The second stage provides for the creation of Sport Clubs, i.e. additional active classes for students, which will be implemented from September.
"We want to equip teachers with additional tools related to the ability to conduct health-promoting classes that are intended to improve the physical condition of school children and youth, both grades 1-3, 4-8, and high schools. We will provide them with some tips on psychology and motivation so that they can effectively encourage the entire group of school children and youth to regular physical activity after the pandemic" – emphasizes Prof. Bartosz Molik, Rector of the University of Physical Education in Warsaw, in an interview with the Newseria Biznes agency.
Examples of training topics planned for the first stage of the project include: methods for counteracting the effects of hypokinesia and social isolation, the psychological consequences of distance learning, methods for instilling motivation during physical activity classes, building relationships within a peer group, methods for overcoming barriers to physical activity, and methodological examples of good practice. The "Active Return to School" project is being implemented by lecturers from the University of Physical Education in Warsaw in cooperation with universities in Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice, and Kraków. As part of the training for physical education teachers, 420 training sessions will be held across the country.
As the project creators emphasize, children often experience COVID-19 asymptomatically, but the consequences of the disease are visible. These include fatigue, shortness of breath, weakening of muscle strength, but also chest pain, heart rhythm disturbances, headaches and fainting. These symptoms are additionally compounded by a long-term lack of regular physical activity, which also negatively affects the physical condition of students. Combined with chronic fatigue and weakness, all this can disrupt their normal return to school.
Therefore, the upcoming holidays should be a time of active rest and sports activities that improve overall fitness. This will be useful for both the youngest and their parents, who are also struggling with the negative health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.