The programme, called WibS, which is short for ‘Wibbelen & intelligent beweegen an der Schoul’ – roughly fidgeting & moving intelligently in school – is part of the Ministry’s broader ‘Screen-Life Balance’ campaign. Smiling, moving, and learning through play are the core aims of WibS, a project developed by the Ministry in collaboration with the Department for the Coordination of Educational and Technological Research and Innovation (SCRIPT).
In practice, SCRIPT members visit schools to demonstrate practical exercises and workshops to show how to encourage children at different stages to be more active, thus supporting their physical and mental health.
WibS is based on four concepts: there is the WibS-Check, WibS-Bike, WibS-Boost and WibS-Class. Selected activities can be done in school gyms, while others can be carried out outdoors on the school playground or indoors in the corridors with the help of play and sports equipment. Staff and pupils are also taught ideas to link learning and movement together in the classroom.
As a rule, a school president must make a request for their pupils to participate. The workshops can take place over two to four days depending on the needs and size of the school. Since the WibS project was launched in October, SCRIPT’s movement team has visited ten schools, meeting over 450 classes and encouraging several thousand children to get moving.
