4 brilliant reasons to get the Daily Mile in your school

The Daily Mile is rapidly becoming one of our most popular playground markings here at Uniplay, even considered alongside our wider range of Courts and Sports and similarly active markings. If you’re thinking of overhauling your school playground design in the coming months, the various fantastic qualities of the Daily Mile make it highly worthy of consideration. Here are just a few of them!

Keeps children physically active and healthy

The Daily Mile may only take around fifteen minutes for children each day, but that time really adds up over the course of a week. By the end of each one, children will have been active for about 75 minutes each week, many even more than that. Maintaining this decent level of activity helps children to maintain a healthy weight, while drastically reducing their chances of developing conditions such as asthma or diabetes. The benefits are far more than simply passive, though; increased physical activity also helps children to actively develop their physical skills and qualities, such as fine motor control and overall balance.

It requires no effort to set up

Unlike many team games, the Daily Mile requires no equipment, staff training or setting up time. What’s more, children can run in their uniforms, so there aren’t even any PE kits to worry about. As you might imagine, it’s these qualities alone which can make it quite an attractive option to many schools – it’s one of the quickest and easiest ways to keep children healthy.

It’s inclusive, simple and easy to achieve

Certain children can find team games intimidating, whether because they struggle to understand the rules or because they find it too challenging and competitive. By contrast, there aren’t any sets of rules to learn for the Daily Mile, and children of all ages, circumstances and physical ability can participate. This makes it a highly inclusive physical activity, and takes a lot of the stress out for children who might be reluctant to take part in other games or activities. By a similar token, regular physical activity has even been proven to have a positive influence on children’s mental health, keeping them healthy and happy while reducing the risk of developing depression and anxiety (a worryingly prevalent problem amongst increasing numbers of young people in the UK).

Promotes positive understanding and attitudes towards physical health

Obesity is another rising problem for young children in the UK. According to the National Child Measurement Programme, around 10% of reception pupils are overweight. By the time they get to year 6, this figure has risen to about 20%. Encouraging children to take part in the Daily Mile helps them to develop their understanding of the health benefits of exercise as they grow older. This can have tangible benefits later in life, as regular exercise can improve cardiovascular health, make bones denser, and build muscular strength. It can even improve the body’s natural defences against conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease.

Our philosophy at Uniplay is “to see children of all abilities develop essential skills through play” and we specialise in the design and installation of thermoplastic playground markings, giving playgrounds colour and creativity to enhance play, fitness and fun. You can choose your favourites from our extensive range of categories, or if give one of our friendly experts a call on 0333 321 6695 if you have any questions, or need any advice. We’re always happy to help!