| Singapore, a developed city state of four million people is experiencing
the pitfalls that come with rapid modernisation and economic progress-
elevated disease risk factors among adults and young people. Weekly
compulsory physical education classes of 70 minutes in schools and
the associated sports activities after classes are inadequate to meet
emergent physical activity guidelines of a daily accumulation of at
least 90 minutes of physical activity of at least moderate intensity.
Daily play sessions that are exclusive of an active daily recess,
physical education classes taught by trained specialists and after-school
sport sessions, can provide many developmental and holistic health
benefits that may carry over into adulthood. A school environment
that is play-encouraging, play-enabling and play-inviting can be a
useful, innovative and natural way of inculcating a love for movement
and help redress a serious trend of physical activity insufficiency
while youngsters engage electronic gaming activities. Pilot initiatives
for the PRIDE (personal responsibility in daily effort) for PLAY (participation
in lifelong activity for youths) programme is a radicalised approach
in a number of primary schools in Singapore to infuse daily physical
play of between 20 to 45 minutes during curriculum hours. The hope
is that PRIDE for PLAY will reap benefits of improved holistic health
of youngsters- better physical, social, emotional and mental attributes.
While PRIDE for PLAY is no panacea to all of the ills of modernisation,
it will go some way in helping the students of tomorrow to be physically
healthy, socially more engaged and tolerant of others, mentally more
apt to problem-solve and emotionally more proficient to embrace working
life in adulthood.
KEY
WORDS: Daily play, physical activity, children, Singapore.
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