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YMCA Victoria is tackling the rising rate of childhood obesity with an old-school approach.
A YMCA survey shows cost, safety fears and lack of time are the greatest barriers to parents encouraging their children to be active.
So YMCA Active Kids is going back to basics with a Chalk it Up! program, which was launched at Braybrook’s Dinjerra Primary School during National Children’s Week.
Lina, 8, and Zeliha, 9, were among pupils who took part in various games.
Chalk it Up! provides primary schools with buckets of chalk and game cards to inspire chalk-based schoolyard games such as foursquare, Y-ball, chalk baseball and hopscotch.
The program is being rolled out across 19 primary schools in Melbourne’s west and in some YMCA camps and gymnastics clubs.
Dinjerra Primary School principal Ros Mancer and physical education teacher Deb Domas encouraged all young people to pick up the chalk and start playing.