10 Tips for Improving Active Play at Your School

Play is about children doing things that are freely chosen, and directed by themselves for their own reasons and intentions. We know from the Active Lives survey that children say outdoor play is their favourite way to be active, but during the pandemic over 50% of primaries have cut playtimes. 

Right now, children need more outdoor play not less, because lots of really good play is so essential for every aspect of their physical and mental development and wellbeing. This book provides 10 ideas on how to improve active play in your school, so that every child is doing what they most need and want, playing with friends, having some freedom and actively enjoying themselves. OPAL is the UK’s leading not-for-profit specialist in improving the quality of play in primary schools. 

The ideas in this book are based on twenty years of action research in over 500 UK schools and will act as a great starting point to developing truly inclusive activity for every child, every day. If your school needs further support in the future, then you may wish to enrol in the full OPAL Primary Programme.