Physical Activity

Guidelines from the World Health Organisation say that children over the age of six need at least an hour of physical activity every day. In Ballintleva N.S. we promote inclusive physical activity throughout the school day. 

Our school provides twice daily playground breaks for all classes and all children are allowed to run during playground breaks. Our school yard is zoned to allow children to engage in a variety of different activities and our school facilitates the use of PE equipment during break times.

Our school has created an Active School WALKWAY route which we use to promote physical activity and cross-curricular learning. 

Here are some of the ways that we have become a more physically active school:

Practicing the fundamental movement skill of balancing while lining up to enter the school

Our Local Environment

Our school is situated in rural south Roscommon. Pupils and teachers alike, thoroughly enjoy any opportunity to bring our classroom outdoors to view the flora and fauna on our doorstep. We enjoy going on walks in our locality to identify the changes each season brings.

Physical activity throughout the year

Our school incorporates physical activity into annual calendar events throughout the school year including Halloween, Christmas, Easter and Seachtain na Gaeilge.

World Book Day 

Wet Day Workouts! 

On wet days the whole school do exercises in the halla or in their classroom. We love learning routines from ‘Just Dance’. We also enjoy Cosmic Kids Yoga, Go Noodle and the non-contact activities from the PDST.

Movement Breaks 

It’s not easy for adults or children to sit for long periods of time without getting restless and losing focus. Here in Ballintleva N.S., we incorporate lots of movement breaks throughout the day to ensure we get a break from our seats and are kept focused. These breaks could be an action song, outdooor games, 10@10, an activity from ‘GoNoodle’ or Drop Everything and Dance.

Travelling to school

All pupils are encouraged to walk or cycle to school. Each Friday a travel survey is conducted by one of the senior pupils to find out which class used the most active and environmentally friendly ways of travelling to school. The winning class receives the golden boot for that week. 

The senior classes conducted a survey to monitor our school roadway for speed and safety. Special thanks to Ciaran from An Taisce for facilitating this.

Outdoor Learning

We love to get outdoors during all seasons.  Outdoor learning and play support children’s emotional and physical well-being as well as their social, affective and cognitive development.