Recent statistics have indicated that about 1 in 3 children in the United States of America between the ages of 10 and 17 years are either overweight or obese, and this has been blamed on the fact that children are becoming less and less active. Plenty of time has been allocated to technology, academics and other activities at the expense of physical activities.
What many parents as well as teachers fail to acknowledge in spite of evidence based research is that physical activity is just as important any even be more important than these other activities and therefore it needs to be prioritized.
Below are the top 8 reasons why children should be allocated time for exercise.
1 Statistics indicate that children who are involved in physical activities for at least one hour everyday record a lower rate of obesity.
2 Studies have shown that children who are involved in physical activities everyday record higher test scores is school especially in English and Math.
3 Studies on child development have shown that the development of the body and brain always go hand-in-hand and is most important when children are at a young age. During this period it’s very critical for a child to be active because it boosts brain as well as development of the physical body.
4 When kids are involved in physical activities especially those that engage multiple senses simultaneously such as sight, touch, sound and many more, it boosts their brain development and gives them a wide array of skills that will benefit them tremendously later in life.
5 Studies have shown that when kids are exposed to aerobic activities from an early age it helps to increase the number of neural connections as well as the size of essential brain structures.
6 Studies have indicated that children who are involved in frequent physical activities demonstrate improved emotional responses because physical exercise involves a high degree of coordination and balance and this plays a direct role in emotional response.
7 Studies have shown that exercising frequently will decrease depression and anxiety and this is very important for the health of a child as they are growing.
8 Exercising regularly will help boost a child’s self-image and self-confidence and this is very crucial as a child is growing up.
This by any chance does not mean that kids should be kept away from technology, academics, or other activities so that they can exercise but rather a balance needs to be found between their day to day non-physical activities and the physical activities. This is the only way children will be able to live much healthier lives.