Train your heart, strengthen your bones, strengthen your muscles: sport makes you smart, healthy and happy. According to experts, it is therefore important that children and young people exercise for at least 60 minutes every day. But only very few people do that: only one in five children is able to do it.
In order to enable children to exercise more, there has been an innovation in some schools for the past two years: a daily exercise unit has been introduced. It’s not a daily gym class, as some people would like. Nevertheless, this should mean more exercise on the timetable.
Movement unit: Everything is possible
Schools that take part can let their imaginations run wild. For example, in the German lesson there can be a short unit where there is juggling, stretching or dancing. There should also be more opportunities for exercise during breaks. In addition, more trainers are coming to schools. For example, you can get to know and try out new sports.
This action was planned by Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) and Sports Minister Werner Kogler (Greens). But forcing children to do something is not their goal. It is important that the children enjoy the exercise “and not see it as a must,” says Kogler.
More schools
325 schools and kindergartens throughout Austria are taking part in the project so far. And teachers, parents and children are largely very happy with it. Many teachers also say that some children can concentrate much better in class if they have exercised enough.
That’s why more schools should be able to take part in the project from autumn onwards. This means that in the next school year there will probably be a daily exercise unit in even more schools in Austria. More and more schools should take part every year.
There is also criticism
But there is still criticism. Some people think that one exercise session is not enough. They think there needs to be a real gym class that takes place every day. Others think that this is not so easy. Because there aren’t enough gyms or gym teachers for that.
But even if daily gymnastics lessons are not yet planned, more exercise should definitely come to schools.