Research
Many researchers have studied in what ways does physical activity affect our children's body and health? Specifically, what would be the differences of a child who exercises and a child who does not exercise? How important is physical education for children and should it be implemented in all schools? These are all questions that can be answered here.
Among the many studies done by researchers about physical activity for kids, one of the most common studies was how physical activity affected academic performance. In these studies, we see promising results for children who do exercise. Children who do not exercise, on the other hand, will face consequences later on, such as lower bone density and muscle mass, higher chance of chronic diseases like obesity or type II diabetes, hypertension (increased blood pressure), and more. Exercise not only improves cognitive skills and functions, but keeps the body healthy.
Although not every child is guaranteed to perform better academically if they consistently exercise, we see improvements in the scores of each subjects in about 50% of physically active children (especially among boys). Only 1-2% may have negative effects if they have other underlying problems physically or cognitively.
Every child is different, but all humans were created for movement, not to be sedentary and play video games at home all day long. No matter the age, the more we don't stay active, the more our body deteriorates. In children, their bodies are still developing so if they are not active, that will hinder with not only growth and development of the body, but also cognitive development as well. It is extremely important for children to be physically active and all schools should implement physical activity at some point of the day for every child, excluding recess time, if they want to promote academic success and healthy growth for students.
- In the United States, approximately one in four children met the age-specific Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans in 2008, and in Canada, less than 7% of children met the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines on at least six days per week in 2009. (Brewer, 2018)
- Studies indicate that there is a strong relationship between early motor control and cognitive development, making attention to a child’s motor development important to reducing risks of poor cognitive performance. Therefore, child caregivers should plan activities for infants that encourage movement to strengthen muscles and neural movement pathways. (Rule & Smith, 2018)
- Although children naturally enjoy physical activity, there is a misconception that because they enjoy it, they are “naturally” active and do not require any encouragement or support to be physically active. This is far from the truth. In England, in 2012, only one in ten children aged 2–4 years met the recommended levels of physical activity. (Brewer, 2018)
Fine motor skill ability at kindergarten is predictive of later school achievement and attention with movement providing the types of interactions that result in cognitive advances. Lack of fine motor skills, in particular, related to use of a writing utensil, leads to a risk for low achievement in mathematics, reading, and science. (Rule & Smith, 2018)
Children with effective mental manipulation of objects, attention to task, resistance to distraction, and control of impulses experience greater success in school. Inhibitory control not only predicts academic success, but also physical and mental health in adulthood. (Rule & Smith, 2018)
Want to know more?
Here is a website that will tell you about a list of things: what exercise does to the bodies of children, how to approach problems among teenagers with exercise, and how parents, as well as educators, can help keep their children and students fit and healthy.