DPA: Daily Physical Activity During Online Learning

All elementary school classrooms across Ontario are required to have 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily physical activity (DPA) (Ministry of Education, 2017). Are students getting this DPA time online? We know the negative effects of spending too much time sitting in from of a computer and being online. In this new world of being online all the time, how are teachers including DPA time into the online environment? With the time spent online increasing for children, it is becoming more important than ever to include DPA. Creating DPA activities can be difficult in the classroom or online. Some resources for creating DPA activities include: 

The Toronto District School created a free resource with DPA activities for Primary, Junior and Intermediate Grades. This an expansive resource that can help teachers find new ideas for DPA activities and many can be adapted online. 

DPA Book:  https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/Documents/FINAL%20DPA%20book%202005.pdf 

We Are Teachers: "Our Favorite Virtual P.E. Resources to Keep Students Moving at Home". This resource includes DPA activities specifically for online learning. 

https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-pe-classes/ 

St. John's Elementary school "Distance Learning at home". The Physical Education teacher from this elementary school created physical activities that can be done at home and online but also can connect to the Physical Education Curriculum. 

https://pe.st-johnschool.org/tools-for-an-active-home/ 

With the increasing amount of time students spend online it is important for teachers to ensure they incorporate DPA into the online classroom. These websites can help teachers find new creative ideas for DPA in an online classroom. 

Alexandra @NU OTECC