Youth development is a major priority for all of us. As you no doubt know, physical activity is associated with a host of elements that promote student well-being. We offer equipment adapted to your students.
As mentioned, physical activity is associated with a host of elements that promote student well-being such as physical fitness, healthy living, cognitive skills and academic success, physical health, psychological well-being and mental health as well as social skills
It is well established that staying physically fit all of one’s life is a consequence of the positive exercise experiences one has had during childhood and adolescence. This is where your role comes in.
We have the solution to work together on the physical development of your students. Our equipment, designed for jumping, climbing, pushing and pulling, not only develop all of these different fundamental motor skills, they also provide a fun space to promote muscle strength, which is best developed between the ages of 13 and 15.
We now know that in Canada, only 35% of school-aged children are active enough to meet the 60-minute moderate-to-sustained physical activity recommendations per day.
However, the practice of physical activity is associated with a multitude of elements that promote the well-being of students. Let's learn a little more about physical activity among young people.
It is well established that staying physically fit all of one’s life is a consequence of the positive exercise experiences one has had during childhood and adolescence.
Physical literacy is directly developed from the particular group of activities a child has practiced. Unfortunately, lacking this crucial know-how will lead many children to abandon sports and physical activities for passive hobbies instead.
Physical literacy comes from developing motor skills such as running, jumping, throwing, catching, swimming, skating, climbing and pushing. These skills serve as building blocks for all future sports. Accordingly, they can develop four qualities.
1. Flexibility
2. Cardiovascular endurance
3. Speed
4. Muscle strength
There is a specific window of opportunity for each new skill a child learns that we call “the sensitive phases of development”. This is the optimal timeframe in which a child can attain skills that will let them reach their full potential later on. Think of it as storing up a skill for future development, depending on the sport they’ll practice.
All children, therefore, must have a good command of basic motor and sports skills for a population to be healthy and active.
Here is a table showing the estimated ages for optimal development.
As the graph demonstrates, most of the elements of physical literacy develop very early, often before the age of 13.
Trekfit’s training circuits and urban obstacles, designed for jumping, climbing, pushing and pulling, not only develop all of these different fundamental motor skills, they also provide a fun space to promote muscle strength, which is best developed between the ages of 13 and 15.
Teenagers who don’t want to go to a gym to work out can get the same results by using Trekfit’s circuits. Moreover, the information panels are clear and include options for varying intensity. Teenagers will be able to challenge each other and since they are using their own body weight, the risk of injury is practically nil.
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"Installing TREKFIT structures on our sites has allowed us to offer our various sports clubs a new high-quality platform that promotes physical conditioning among young people. Furthermore, the equipment is available to the community at night and on weekends. This arrangement is highly appreciated by everyone."
Schools are the heart of our young people's lives. Since TREKFIT’s earliest inception we’ve aspired to be an instrument of positive social change in the health and wellbeing of our youth.
We believe that by offering them a compelling space to gather and develop their social and physical skills, the foundations for the development of a long-term active life are being set. As that’s the best way to support their development, the obvious next step was imagining the ideal schoolyard to help them do just that.
During our reflections, we referred to the Lab-École and the publication “Thinking the School of Tomorrow” (Penser l’école de demain), which acted as a resource and helped support our ideas. As their findings are directly related to our observations, we’re happy to share some of their conclusions.
In Quebec, there’s been an effort underway to demonstrate the schoolyard’s true value on the success and health outcomes of young people. In fact, it is the ideal place for everyone to get together and move at the same time, while having fun and recharging their batteries outside.
Considering that it is the first place a child sets foot upon arriving at school in the morning and where his first impression of the day is made, considering that the child spends an average of 20% of his day at school and that he finds himself there at least 720 times in a school year - needless to say, it’s a space of particular importance to him.
The outdoor space that borders the school has several functions: it is a living environment for young people, a meeting place, a work environment for the school team and a community space. For students, this is an important socialization area where they learn to communicate and share. The schoolyard is also a crucial place for young people to develop their motor and cognitive skills. Play is allowed and encouraged, and creativity is promoted in a number of ways. In terms of community, a yard used to its fullest potential becomes a space that promotes meeting, sharing, discovering and transmitting the values of living together.
Since the schoolyard must be open to its community, it’s essential to imagine it as being as inclusive as possible so that everyone, young and old, can socialize, relax and have fun.
A public space that serves the community must have equipment that can be used by all citizens, whatever their age and physique. It should have equipment that not only enriches the environment in which they live, but that can be used by anyone, without risk of injury and at various intensity levels.
Source : Le Lab-École, Penser l’école de demain, 2019
An area for developing physical abilities while having fun!
The schoolyard is an integrative place that contributes to the development of healthy lifestyle habits and consolidates aspects of the overall development of the child. If the latter can take risks safely and meet challenges at his level, he can thrive and develop his sense of competence, a feeling that will invariably affect his educational success.
It is also here that the child can develop the motor skills that will allow him to get the most out of his regular physical activity that in turn contributes to the development of healthy lifestyle habits.
That is why it is essential to spend time and energy designing a living space that will allow a child to evolve and develop in a healthy and safe environment, year-round.
We now know that a child’s feeling of personal competence strongly contributes to the quality of their experiences. This is why the early development of a variety of motor skills is a crucial factor for adopting and retaining a physically active lifestyle in adulthood. (Government of Quebec, 2017, page 25; quote in Le Lab-École, Thinking the school of tomorrow (Penser l’école de demain), 2019, p. 89).
As well, we notice that young people are often at a loss for what to do when they’ve outgrown the playground. Traditional fitness doesn’t interest younger teens. They prefer activities that involve play and challenge rather than a traditional workout. Equipment like Climbing Walls, Bamboo Jungles and Crossing of Giants are attractive to this group and provide a great way for them to stay active. Inspired by trends like American Ninja Warrior, they can compete against one another in a dynamic, entertaining way. And all the while, they’re developing the fundamental motor skills such as speed, muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance (see illustration below) that correspond to the to the sensitive phases of development for their age group. This will allow them to reach their potential in any sport later on. Then, as they get closer to 16, they may start being more interested in calisthenics or strength training.
Moreover, studies have shown that people who work out in groups are more likely to stick with it. Equipment allowing multiple users on the same piece at the same time is therefore essential. By combining effective group training with playful and fun equipment, we help young people develop their skills and interests for a more active life.
Recognizing the importance of physical activity among youth, we partnered with the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie. In 2019 we rallied our suppliers, employees and friends to the important cause of the health of our young people by participating in the 1000 km event.
Not only has the relationship between young people and nature deteriorated greatly, so too has the time devoted to free play. However, the social demand for outdoor activities is continually evolving. Similarly, 84% of youth report that, given the opportunity, they would like to do more outdoor activities.
Research has demonstrated the many benefits of outdoor physical activity, most notably in stress reduction, reduced symptoms of depression, help with concentration, decreased symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, attention deficit with or without hyperactivity. Outdoor physical activity also promotes social interaction, contributes to motor development, prevents the development of myopia, promotes sleep and improves the functioning of the immune system. In fact, according to ‘’Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature's Influence on Your Health, Happiness and Vitality’’, the benefits associated with physical activity are doubled when combined with nature. Similarly, interaction with the natural environment presents numerous potential benefits: the improvement of self-confidence, social skills, communication, motivation, concentration, fine and gross motor skills, the development of environmental knowledge and more time spent with family in a natural setting are just few.
Source : Le Lab-École, Penser l’école de demain, 2019
The schoolyard according to TREKFIT includes:
Fitness circuits used for group classes and physical education classes.
Obstacles that blend in with nature (Bamboo Jungle, Crossing of Giants, Climbing Wall, Cargo Net) to enable the development of basic physical skills and free play in groups.
Meeting / leisure areas.
A bike path nearby allowing active transportation for students.
Fields dedicated to conventional team sports.
Park for children that’s open to the community.
The integration of a variety of natural spaces (seasonal, covered, varied soils, reliefs etc.)
The mobile application will help you find the most conveniently located TREKFIT fitness park. The application also provides you with the list of equipment available in each park, while offering several specific training programs based on your fitness abilities and goals.
