B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Moving with Purpose, Safety and SkillPlaying Safe: Preventing Concussions and Injuries
B3 A1.1 A1.4 A1.6About 35 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain how concussions can happen during physical activity and ways to help prevent them.
- I can follow rules, use equipment properly and play with control to keep myself and others safe.
- I can explain why it matters to report a possible concussion right away.
- I can manage strong feelings during games so I make safe choices.
Words to know
concussion
A brain injury caused by a hit to the head, face, neck or body that makes the brain move quickly inside the skull.
prevent
To stop something from happening, or make it less likely.
protective equipment
Gear that helps protect your body, like a helmet, mouthguard or shin pads.
body control
Being able to stop, slow down and change direction when you choose.
heads-up play
Keeping your eyes up so you can see other players, equipment and walls.
Rowan's Law
An Ontario law about concussion safety in sport.
Remember from Grade 4
In Grade 4 you learned that a concussion is a brain injury. It can happen from a hit to the head, face or neck, or a hit to the body that makes the head move quickly. Most concussions happen without being knocked out. If someone might have one, follow Stop, Tell, Check, Return.
This year you will focus on prevention: what you and your team can do before and during play so that fewer concussions and injuries happen at all.
Safety starts before anything goes wrong
Picture two backyard games of tag. In the first, kids run with their heads down, push each other, and play right beside the fence. In the second, kids keep their eyes up, tag gently, and stay away from the fence.
Both games are fun. Only one is likely to end with someone hurt. Most safety happens before anything goes wrong.
How concussions can happen in activities
- Collisions with another player (running into each other, heads bumping).
- Falls where the head hits the ground, ice or a hard surface.
- Being hit by a ball, puck, stick or other equipment.
- Running into a wall, goalpost, tree or other object.
- A hard hit to the body that makes the head snap back and forth.
Five ways to help prevent concussions and injuries
| Way | What it looks like |
|---|
| 1. Rules | Follow the rules that protect people: no hits to the head, no pushing from behind, no tripping, keep sticks low, tag gently below the shoulders. Call "Mine!" to avoid two people going for the same ball. |
| 2. Equipment | Wear the right gear for the activity, in the right size and worn properly (for example a helmet for biking, skating and tobogganing, shin pads for soccer). Check gear before you play. |
| 3. Space | Play where there is enough room. Keep the playing area away from walls, fences, trees, posts and roads, with safety space around it. |
| 4. Skills | Play with heads up, use body control (stop, slow down, change direction), and learn to land and fall safely. |
| 5. Behaviour | Play fair and in control. Don't play rough to get back at someone. Respect everyone's safety. |
What helmets can and can't do
Helmets are very important. They help protect your head from serious injuries like a broken skull. Always wear one for biking, scootering, skateboarding, skating, skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing.
But no helmet can fully prevent a concussion, because the brain can still move inside the skull. That's why rules, space, skills and behaviour matter too. A helmet is one part of playing safe, not the whole thing.
Why telling right away matters
If someone keeps playing with a concussion, it can get worse and take longer to heal. Another hit before the brain has healed can be very serious.
So if you think you or a friend might have a concussion, stop and tell a grown-up right away. Getting better happens step by step: back to learning first, then light activity, then more, with a doctor's or nurse practitioner's OK before full sports again.
Rowan's Law is an Ontario law about concussion safety in sport. It is named after Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old high school rugby player from Ottawa who died in 2013 after concussions. Because of the law, sport organizations in Ontario must share concussion information, remove a player who might have a concussion from play, and use a step-by-step plan for returning to sport.
Big feelings and safe choices
When we're frustrated, angry or over-excited, we can make unsafe choices, like pushing, swinging a stick wildly or charging into someone.
Try this when feelings get big:
- Notice it: "I'm getting really frustrated."
- Pause and take a slow breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
- Choose a safe action: step back, get a drink of water, or focus on the next play.
Good teammates also remind each other: "Heads up!" "Easy, keep it low!"
Worked exampleLet's make a game safer
Five friends play ball hockey on a driveway with a tennis ball. The net is right against the garage door, players lift their sticks high when they shoot, and two players keep crashing into each other near the net. How can they make it safer?
- Space: Move the net away from the garage so there's safety space, and make sure the driveway is far from the road (or set a rule: if the ball rolls toward the street, stop and a grown-up gets it).
- Rules: Sticks stay below the waist. No slapshots. Only one player in the area right in front of the net.
- Equipment: Use a softer ball, and wear gloves and running shoes. A helmet adds protection.
- Skills and behaviour: Keep heads up, call "Mine!", and slow down near other players.
With more space, low sticks, a crease rule, softer equipment and heads-up play, the game is still fun and much safer.
Worked exampleLet's decide: tell or not?
During soccer at recess, Kai and Leo both jump for the same high ball and bump heads. Leo says, "I'm fine!" but he looks dazed, holds his head and asks, "What's the score?" twice. What should Kai do?
- Notice the signs: looking dazed, holding his head, and asking the same question twice (trouble remembering) can be signs of a concussion.
- Stop: Leo should stop playing right away, even if he says he's fine.
- Tell: Kai should tell the supervising teacher at once. This is caring, not tattling.
- Kai checks himself too: he also bumped heads, so he should tell the teacher how he feels.
- Then: a grown-up stays with Leo, his family is called, and he should be checked by a doctor or nurse practitioner. No more play that day.
Kai should stop the play and tell a grown-up right away, for Leo and for himself.
Hands-on activityBe the safety coach
You need: paper, coloured pencils, a ball, 4 markers (shoes or cones), a helmet (if you have one) and a grown-up.
- Pick an activity you love (bike riding, tag, soccer, tobogganing, ball hockey...).
- Make a safety plan poster with five boxes: Rules, Equipment, Space, Skills, Behaviour. Write or draw at least one idea in each.
- Helmet check (from Grade 4): 2 fingers above the eyebrows, straps form a V under each ear, 1 finger fits under the chin strap.
- Heads-up practice: set up 4 markers in a square. Dribble a ball with your hand or feet around the markers while your grown-up holds up fingers. Call out the number without stopping. This trains your eyes to stay up.
- Body control practice: jog, and when your grown-up calls "Stop!", stop in two steps with knees bent. Then try changing direction on "Switch!"
- Show your poster to your family and explain your plan.
Safety: Do steps 4 and 5 on grass or a clear floor, away from walls and furniture.
Your turn
1Name three ways a concussion can happen during activity.
Any three: collisions with players, falls, being hit by a ball or equipment, running into a wall or post, a hard hit to the body that makes the head snap.
2Name the five ways to help prevent injuries from this lesson.
Rules, equipment, space, skills, behaviour.
3Can a helmet fully prevent a concussion? Explain.
No. A helmet helps protect against serious injuries like a broken skull, but the brain can still move inside the skull.
4What does heads-up play mean?
Keeping your eyes up to see other players, equipment and walls.
5Why should someone with a possible concussion stop right away?
Playing on can make it worse and slower to heal, and another hit before healing can be very serious.
6What could you do when you feel very frustrated in a game?
Notice the feeling, pause and breathe slowly, then choose a safe action (step back, get water, focus on the next play).
7Do it and check: Jog and stop in two steps when a grown-up calls "Stop!"
Look for: stopping within about two steps, knees bent, balanced, eyes up, not sliding or falling.
More practice: warm-up
1True or false: you must be knocked out to have a concussion.
False. Most concussions happen without being knocked out.
2Name a sport or activity where you should wear a helmet.
Any: biking, scootering, skateboarding, skating, hockey, skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing.
3Should sticks be kept high or low in ball hockey?
4Why do we leave safety space between a game and a wall?
So players don't run into the wall if they can't stop in time.
5Who is Rowan's Law named after?
Rowan Stringer, a high school rugby player from Ottawa.
More practice: on your own
1Your friend says, "I'm wearing a helmet, so I can do anything." What would you say?
A helmet helps, but it can't prevent all head injuries. You still need to follow rules, play in a safe space, use body control and make safe choices.
2In a tag game, players keep tagging hard on the back of the head. What rule would you add, and why?
"Tag gently, below the shoulders." It keeps hands away from the head and neck, so it helps prevent injuries.
3Why is it important for a teammate to tell a grown-up when a friend might have a concussion?
The friend may hide it or not notice their own signs. Telling gets them help so they don't get hurt worse. It's caring, not tattling.
4Two players run for the same ball. What can they do to avoid a collision?
Call "Mine!", keep their heads up, and use body control to slow down or change direction.
5After a concussion, what usually comes first: going back to school learning or back to full sports?
Back to learning first, then light activity, then more, step by step, with a doctor's or nurse practitioner's OK before full sports.
Challenge
1Make a safety plan for tobogganing using all five ways (rules, equipment, space, skills, behaviour).
Example: Rules: one person or sled at a time, go down feet first, walk up the side. Equipment: helmet, a sled in good shape. Space: a hill away from roads, trees, fences and water, with a long flat area at the bottom. Skills: know how to steer and roll off safely. Behaviour: wait your turn, check the bottom is clear before going, no pushing.
2Explain why rules like "no pushing from behind" help prevent concussions, even though they aren't about the head.
A push from behind can make a player fall forward and hit their head, or make their head snap back and forth. Concussions can come from hits to the body, not just the head.
3Ivy gets angry when she loses the ball and swings her stick at the other player's stick hard. Describe a better plan using a calm-down strategy.
Example: Ivy notices her anger ("I'm mad"), takes a slow breath, and chooses to get back on defence, keeping her stick low. Before the game, she can plan a cue word like "Next play." This keeps everyone safe and helps her team.
Quiz
1. Which is a way to help prevent concussions?
2. Can a helmet fully prevent a concussion?
3. Your friend hits her head, seems confused and says, "I'm fine." What should you do?
4. Why do we leave safety space around a playing area?
6. What does Rowan's Law help with?
Big idea: Grade 5 students learn behaviours and procedures that help prevent concussions and other injuries during physical activity: following safety rules, using equipment properly, choosing safe spaces, playing with heads up and body control, and managing emotions. It builds on the Grade 4 lesson on recognizing concussions and responding (Stop, Tell, Check, Return).
About concussions: In Ontario, Rowan's Law and school board procedures guide concussion awareness, removal from play and gradual return. Anyone with a suspected concussion should stop right away, not return to activity that day, and be assessed by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner. Return to school and activity should be gradual and follow medical advice. Seek emergency care for worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, increasing drowsiness or confusion, weakness or tingling in the limbs, or loss of consciousness.
How to help at home:
- Check helmet fit together at the start of each season.
- When your child plays with friends, ask them to tell you their safety plan (space, rules, gear).
- Praise your child for stopping or telling when someone is hurt.
Common difficulties:
- "Helmets make me safe from everything." Helmets are essential but can't prevent all concussions; behaviour and space matter too.
- Pressure to keep playing. Make it clear that you will always support stopping to check.
- Big emotions in close games. Practise the notice–pause–choose steps in calm moments first.
Social-emotional learning: Managing frustration to play safely builds emotion management; looking out for teammates builds healthy relationships; designing safety plans builds critical thinking.