Get the kids outside to play! Remember the days of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play? They encouraged kids to go outside and get active rather than staying in watching TV.
And we need to get them back to that. Technology is great, but too many kids are playing virtual games rather than going outside and enjoying a day in the sun. Let’s start with the basics by looking over these tips for organizing your school’s field day.
Choose a location
Where are you planning to host this grand event? It needs to be in a central location with plenty of space for every activity and some rest stations. Some schools have a field adjacent to their school, making it easier to accommodate everyone. However, some inner-city schools don’t have the same luxuries. If that’s the case, you need to scout a location and start the process of obtaining a permit. The location should be within the school district so that students, teachers, and parents don’t have to travel far. If you need to organize school buses to transport everyone, start the process of renting one as you scout a location. Find a spot with plenty of grass and a lot of parking space.
Get the kids ready
Get the kids pumped for a day of fun activities. It’s good to paint a picture of the field day as a chance to enjoy being outside, but throwing in a little competition can’t hurt anyone. Students will be more excited and energetic about being active when they know there will be prizes involved.Use their gym periods to run through the various activities you plan for the day. This gives them a chance to practice for the big day. Plus, they get more exercise to keep them healthy. On field day, they won’t feel overtired because they’ve been training and preparing for this day for weeks.
Divide by grade levels
There are some things the 6th graders do that the 3rd graders can’t. To keep things fair and balanced, you want to divide the students by grade levels. The activities chosen for upper-level kids will be solely for them.It’s also safer to keep them separated because the younger kids won’t have the level of strength, speed, or agility as the older students. But you should keep a few activities open for everyone to join—these shouldn’t require much force and are more for play than competition.
Accommodate guests
Make this a big event for everyone to enjoy and not just students and teachers. Invite parents out to see their kids and cheer them on. Remember, if the location isn’t the school, you’ll need to provide bathrooms for everyone.Schedule to have enough portable restrooms on the day, and be sure to include more than one ADA-compliant porta potty. Parents with little ones will need the space to go inside the restroom with their children.
Recruit the big kids
You need more than your team of teachers to keep things organized. Recruit some high school kids as volunteers to help out. Offer volunteering credit to give them more incentive to get involved.Have a high schooler stationed at every event with one teacher. The pairing makes things more manageable for everyone on staff. They can also help with the snack and refreshments table.Organizing a field day for your school is exactly what your students need to stay active and healthy.
