Effect of an educational traditional games program on primary school pupils' health-related fitness

Abstract EN

A high level of Health-Related Fitness (HRF) is associated with successful functioning within daily life and participation in physical activity both in short and long term.

Many strategies to increase the HRF of primary school pupils have been studied, noted and implemented.

However, limited empirical evidence exists that links traditional Games programs to the development of the HRF of primary school Pupils.

This study examined the effect of an educational traditional Games program on primary school Pupils' health-related fitness.

This research followed an experimental pre-test/post-test design including a control group and an experimental group.

The study involved 60 pupils from fifth grade of primary school, half of the pupils who formed the experimental group were subjected to the experimental treatment in period of 9 weeks.

Fitness was measured using the FITNESSGRAM test battery.

The results showed an increase in the HRF of the participants.

Therefore, using traditional Games is recommended as a positive foundational activity for primary school children, additionally, the results can provide useful information in the application of traditional games in physical education classes.