Education

The Skinny on Physical Education and Leisure Studies

Everyone enjoys a walk in the park, but how important is sports and leisure in our lives?

It’s a question that’s given rise to research across Canada.

According to the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, students (kindergarten to Grade 12) require a minimum of 30 minutes of planned, professionally taught physical education daily.

In a 2001 study, Statistics Canada found that children who participate in sport are half as likely to experience problems in reading or math. (Statistics Canada, National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, 2001)

Many Canadian college and university programs look at the health benefits of sports and leisure. According to researchers at the University of Ottawa, our health is largely determined by how we live each day.

Programs, such as leisure studies, teach the importance of leisure as well as the history of leisure, sports, and recreation in Canada. This is reflected in books, such as Leisure and Recreation in Canadian Society by Dr. George Karlis.

These university programs also train leisure professionals. These men and women provide recreational services in community, provincial, and federal parks, as well as in recreation departments and other organizations.

This section is about sports and leisure in Canada.