Wellbeing in schools can be achieved in many ways. The mindfulness and wellbeing of students should always be at the centre of classroom teaching and within the hidden curriculum, but in terms of pedagogy, wellbeing can be incorporated in lesson plans and individual tasks.
It is widely known that physical activity contributes positively to wellbeing, and here are five ways the Physical Education in the Australian National Curriculum from foundation through to senior years can contribute positively to student wellbeing.
The Australian Curriculum Physical Education philosophy seeks to provide a basis for students to develop skills and knowledge to live healthy, safe and active lives. Within the lesson content, PE students get to know their individual strengths and limitations and are given opportunities to learn how to keep themselves and their classmates healthy and safe.
Exploring identity, the human body, physical and mental health and sexual education, the ‘Health’ component of the PE curriculum gives students an opportunity to discover more about themselves and their body, how the world works and gives them a chance to ask questions and discuss issues. Through this content, children and teens develop a good knowledge of health, tolerance, and an awareness of how things work.
Teamwork and camaraderie builds healthy relationships and physical education is one of the best ways to show young people how to have sound connections and interactions with peers. In the physical education and health curriculum, explores the people who are important to students and develops students’ capacity to initiate and maintain respectful relationships in different contexts, including at school, at home, in the classroom and when participating in physical activities.
In the PE curriculum, through games, learning fine motor skills and developing coordination, students have opportunities to learn through movement. It’s no secret that children learn through active play, and PE is one of the best ways to do it. When children develop competence, they build confidence, which has a positive impact on wellbeing.
Throughout the Physical Education curriculum, there are often opportunities for youths to demonstrate leadership skills. To be a good leader, students must also learn to be a good team mate and PE teaches these lessons. Physical movement can be challenging, but challenges produce opportunities for accomplishment and success, which enables children to set goals, achieve them and set the bar higher for next time.