Get schools running and students participating in fitness with Daily Mile Tracks. These are a great feature to enliven any playground or sports field, helping children access the mental and physical benefits of running.
Making Fitness Appropriate for Children
The term ‘Daily Mile’ may seem daunting, the distance seeming too long, especially for children, but actually refers to a specific initiative in which children engage in 15 minutes of activity each day on a ‘Daily Mile Track’.
In these 15 minutes per day, according to the Daily Mile Initiative, primary school children can cover an average of 1 mile when running, but this is not a requirement. Other suitable activities, such as walking, jogging, jumping, or skipping are also encouraged when undertaking the Daily Mile. This variety is important because different movements help develop different parts of the body, helping flexibility and developing gross motor skills as well as the benefits of running to the cardiovascular system.
‘For every child, every day’ is the determining factor for the initiative. A Daily Mile challenge is a non-competitive, inclusive, and fun program to get kids moving. While friendly competition among peers is natural and encouraged, the design of the tracks and the messaging from teachers and staff should communicate that the Daily Mile track is a fun space for children to challenge themselves and enjoy activity in their own individual way.
Bringing Fun to Daily Mile Tracks
You can choose from a huge variety of Daily Mile markings and alternative fun options with playground markings. The thermoplastic markings are high quality non-fade and non-slip to create a long-lasting, fun, and vibrant trail for children to follow.
Choose from standard marking options or mix and match to create your own trail to best fit your students’ needs and the dimensions of your play area. Sports play markings designate areas for sprints, walks, warm-up exercises, and warm down activities as well as a variety of activities such as skipping, hopping, and jumping or other running games and walking challenges. Schools can also opt for a multi-colour finish for markings for setting up team races divided up into running lanes to encourage friendly competition. This helps make a varied, fun space for exercise that is suitable for primary school children.
Circuit tracks are a must-have for the school playground, allowing children to complete the full 15 minutes of activity in laps, regardless of the size of the playground or playfield. Extra instructions at the start or finish line telling students how many laps there are in a mile, or what type of activity to do on each lap are a great choice to enliven these smaller Daily Mile tracks.
Safety Surfaces for Running Tracks
Non-slip markings are essential for a fun and safe trail, but if your school playground needs a surfacing refresh, it is even more essential to choose the right material for the running track. The ideal surfacing for running or any kind of activity is shock-absorbent to ease pressure on the feet and legs, with no-trip edges, and be water-permeable to prevent flooding and puddling that can cause slips.
We recommend rubber mulch tracks, aggregate paving, or artificial grass to create a special surface for running tracks. These come in a variety of colours from vibrant and bright to subdued and natural to best suit your playground while exciting your students.
Our Conipave tracks use a hardwearing resin-bound stone and rubber system for a durable, flexible surface. The unique aggregate texture allows for greater ergonomic protection to lessen the stress on the feet and legs when running.
Rubber mulch works in a similar way to these mixed aggregates while offering superior surface bounce and slip resistance. We recommend a rubber mulch track for greater accessibility and to provide greater fall protection to improve safety for any younger children who may use the track.
Artificial grass pathways are an ideal choice for adding colour and graphics to the pathway. The natural-looking surface acts as a great, durable base for colours and lines to contrast against while also limiting mud and wear and tear of real grass surfaces.
Create Great School Daily Mile Tracks with The School Playground Company
The price of each track depends on a variety of factors such as length, width, and location. Our team carries out a site survey to discuss the options based on your specific school site and pupil requirements. This helps to plan the best track placement and style possible while getting you the best cost possible.
Are you looking to install a Daily Mile Track for your school? Contact our team with the handy form on our contact page or call us at 01455 412134.
