Is 20 minutes enough physical activity?
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s “Physical Activity Guides to Healthy Active Living for Children and Youth” recommend that over several months, children and youth (age 6-14 years) should build up at least 90 minutes of daily physical activity and reduce sedentary activities like playing video games and watching television. In an effort to assist students to reach this goal, the minimum of 20 minutes of daily physical activity will consistently occur during the instructional time of the school day as part of the DPA initiative. Introducing daily physical activity during the school day is only the beginning to attaining a healthy active lifestyle. Schools have a role to play in supporting DPA for children but parents, caregivers and communities, also havea responsibility to support andenhance physical activity opportunities for children and youthso that they can work towards guidelines recommended by the PA Guide.
What is moderate to vigorous activity?
Moderate physical activity causes some increase in breathing and/or heart rate, but not enough to prevent an individual from carrying on a conversation comfortably during the activity. Examples of moderate physical activity are brisk walking and recreational dancing.
Vigorous physical activity is aerobic activity, which increases the breathing and heart rates enough for cardio respiratory conditioning. This type of activity may, depending on fitness level, cause puffing, so that talking is possible but the ability to carry on a conversation is limited. The amount of time required for a vigorous activity is dependent on age and stage of development. Examples of vigorous physical activity are jogging and aerobic dancing.
Can DPA be incorporated as part of a Health and Physical Education Program?
Yes. A minimum of 20 minutes or more of physical activity during a scheduled health and physical education class would meet the daily physical activity requirement. However, on days when a health and physical education class does not include physical activity, or on days when no such class is scheduled, other opportunities for at least 20 minutes of physical activity during the instructional day will need to be provided. Physical activity may be incorporated into the instructional day in a variety of ways for instance; integrating physical activity into other curriculum areas is one appropriate strategy.
Note: DPA time should not replace physical education classes.Teachers are encouraged to incorporate DPA as one component of a physical education class where there is sufficient time for students to be engaged in sustained physical activity for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Can DPA be done as a whole school?
Yes. There are many opportunities for schools to plan, coordinate and schedule DPA time that can be done as a whole school.
- As part of a morning/afternoon announcements.
- Rotating schedule in order to avoid one class being continually impacted.
- One day a week where physical activity is schedule for the entire school to participate in physical activity together (e.g. Active Wednesdays, Fitness Fridays).
- Before, during or after an assembly.
- Special events (e.g., physical activity days, seasonal themes/celebrations, school spirit days, community events, fundraising events, etc.)
Can the minimum of 20 minutes be scheduled into two 10 minute segments?
Implementation of the policy may be at different stages for individual classes and consideration must be given to the scheduling of classes and to the wide range of students’ needs and abilities daily physical activity may occur in several short sessions (a minimum of ten minutes each) over the course of the school day with a goal to achieve a minimum of 20 minutes of sustained moderate to vigorous daily physical activity.
Can DPA be implemented at recess or during lunch time?
No. All elementary students, including students with special needs, must be provided with an opportunity to participate in a minimum of 20 minutes of daily physical activity during instructional time. Recess and/or lunch time can provide great opportunities for children to be physically active at school however, recess and/or lunch time is not considered part of the instructional day. Providing additional opportunities outside of instructional time during recess and lunch time, will allow students to participate in their own student led activities and expand upon their experiences acquired during instructional time daily physical activity (DPA).
How do I know if my DPA time is safe?
All teachers are responsible for the safety of the programs they teach. The health and physical education curriculum states that “Schools must develop procedures to ensure the highest possible level of safety, while allowing students to engage in a broad range of challenging activities. Safety guidelines should outline the practices to be followed for each activity, addressing questions related to equipment, clothing, facilities, special rules and instructions, and supervision. They should also reflect school board policies on how to conduct activities” (p. 5). The DPA teacher guides provide sample safety guidelines that can be used that meet the curriculum policy requirement. For sport specific guidelines Ophea’s Provincial Physical Education Safety Guidelines provide the minimum standard for safety for all physical activities.
