what should be done to convince the school students to adapt a healthy lifestyle
Answers
You can either use the following conversation or develop similar one using ideas from it:
Student A: Hey, I had been itching to talk to you very urgently about our friend, Archit!
Student B: Really! What happened?
Student A: I am really very upset over my brother’s habit of just sitting in front of TV for hours at a stretch.
Student B: Similar problem is at my home too! My younger sister is a perfect couch potato.
Student A: You know this sedentary habit is harmful—physically and mentally!
Student A: Playing outdoor games are so essential to the proper physical growth and development. While playing them we really have to exert our muscles, bones, sinews, tendons, and other organs. This physical movement is so wholesome for our health.
Student B: Not only this. Sitting continuously for hours and watching senseless TV programmes just affects their minds negatively. You know there are so many channels available, some of them are quite inappropriate. He might get addicted to such channels, which will further leave him worse off. I think we must do something to motivate them to play outdoor games.
Student A: What can we do? We have already tried counseling them many times.
Student B: We need to do more than counseling. We must talk to the parents and persuade them to get them enrolled in any sports club or gym. We must also talk to the principal to include more sports programmes and competitions during the academic calendar.
Student A: I feel why don’t we call a famous India sportsperson to give a seminar on benefits of sports and games and leading a healthy life style. The event will inspire as well as motivate the students.
Student B: It is a good idea. The school can also start various sports clubs in the evening and with parents’ cooperation the students attending these clubs can be made mandatory. Once the students get the taste and thrill of playing games, they will find them more attractive and beneficial to them. They will willingly start playing and participating in outdoor games.
Student A: That sounds great. I think we should go and share our ideas with the principal.
Student B: I think we can also have a seminar or workshop organized for parents in the school to make them aware of their cooperation in this mission of encouraging children to play outdoor games.
Student A: That sounds great. Let’s go and make arrangements. We need to act now!
Follow-up questions
How easy/difficult do you think it would be to…? Why?
Answer: It would not be an easy task because weaning them off their sedentary life-style require a lot of efforts from all involved in it. They will oppose any suggestions and moves to reduce giving time to outdoor games or other activities.
If you could involve a sportsperson/celebrity to… who would you suggest?
Answer: Well, involving any celebrity or sportsperson can really have an influence. They might act upon his/her advice. A seminar on the benefits of outdoor games can really inspire them to start playing outdoor games.