Statistics Canada
www.statcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
A family affair: Children's participation in sports
Note: This archived lesson is based on information that is out-of-date.
Article: A family affair: Children's participation in sports (PDF)
Objectives
- To determine the importance that participating in organized sport has for students.
- To examine the influence of family and community environment on athletic activities.
Method
- Read the article "A family affair: Children's participation in sports" and briefly summarize the findings. Ask how many students in the class had parents who were involved in sports when the students were younger. Was the parent involved as an athlete or as a volunteer? In what "direction" did this involvement flow; that is, did the student start to take part in sports because one of their parents was an active athlete, or did their parents become involved because the student had already joined a team?
- Many factors other than parents and household income can influence the sports children play. A suburb with lots of land presents much different sports options than a downtown neighbourhood. List other factors that may affect sports participation.
- Although children aged 9 to 12 are quite active in organized sport, participation rates drop markedly for people in their teens. Discuss some of the reasons for this.
- Ask the class to research several different types of tests for physical fitness. Ask them to develop a test of their own, preferably using simple methods.
- Find out which students play sports and list the most popular ones. Estimate the time commitment for participating (include practices, travelling, the length of the season and so on). What other activities are sacrificed (e.g. part-time job, involvement in school clubs) to play sports?
- High school sport seems to be much more competitive in the United States than in Canada. Discuss why you think the situation is different in each country.
Using other resources
- For more information on physical activity and healthy lifestyles, visit the Health Canada website.
Please e-mail comments or examples of how you used this exercise in your class.
