Physically Active and Healthy School, Role of Primary Physical Education Teacher

In times when sedentary lifestyles become more prevalent due to societal changes, establishing physically active and healthy lifestyles is gaining increasing importance. By creating early positive experiences for children, especially prior to the age of ten, special attention should be paid to primary schools in order to have a strong influence on the integration of physical activity into the everyday life of every student. Thus, an active school, in which physical activity is placed at its heart, can help establish active and healthy lifestyles and behavior, based on the idea that the best way to increase children’s physical activity is to give them more opportunities to be physically active. This is shown in conceptual frameworks for an Active School, including components such as active breaks and recess; active classroom learning; schoolhouse, schoolyard, and classroom design; active and dynamic sitting; active transport to school; active homework; physical activity-related school events; preschool and after-school clubs and activities; physical education as a learning subject (Scheuer and Bailey 2021).

While teacher engagement in general – along with other relevant stakeholders, such as school headteachers, students and their parents – is critical to the successful promotion of physical activity and healthy lifestyle in school settings, teachers teaching physical education should take greater responsibility in this regard for supporting the development of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values associated with physically active and healthy lifestyles. As a result, these important aspects should also be considered in physical education teacher education.