From soccer to salsa, gymnastics to guitar lessons, there is an abundance of activities available for the little ones today. After school activities are all about fun and enjoying what they do. Look to do activities with other children at school so you can share the load of the driving, and they also have friend alongside!
Every child has different likes and dislikes, so it’s about doing something they find interesting.”So, if they like being outside, try a ball sport; if they prefer being indoors, try dancing or martial arts. If you aren’t sure what to choose, try something such as athletics that has a variety of different activities, or an all-rounded sports program that rotates through a different sport each week. Testing out a different activity each week might give your child enough exposure to one sport to then move on and concentrate on that sport alone, or they might enjoy staying in the rotation program…either is fine!” If in doubt, keep in varied, keep it fun, and look for activities that grow strength and coordination and confidence.” says Claire Mahoney, Paediatric Physiotherapist, from Osana Therapy.
Exercise improves brainpower and cardiovascular fitness. Exercise helps regulate appetite, reduces risk of many types of cancer, improves the immune system, and buffer against the toxic effects of stress. The reason is that exercise regulates the release of the three neotransmitters most commonly associated with the maintenanceof mental health: serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
What is the relationship between physical activity, fitness and academic achievement?
Exercise also improves children’s ability to learn. Many research have found a positive association between children’s physical activity participation and academic achievement. The studies have concluded that:
• Short bouts of exercise benefit executive control/function
• Greater vigorous physical activity out of school results in higher test scores
• The average academic achievement of children who received extra physical education is significantly higher than children who were in a control group which did not receive extra physical education
• Reading comprehension improves
• Physical activity intervention leads to significant improvements in children’s maths scores
• Cognitive benefits are maintained over time
On top of that, correlation studies (which explore the relationship between sport, physical activity or fitness and academic achievement retrospectively) have found:
• A linear relationship between academic performance and physical activity with sport/physical activity a significant positive predictor of academic achievement with higher physical fitness, physical capacity and physical activity being associated with higher school ratings of scholastic ability
• Students who reported a greater level of exercise spent more time in sport and achieved higher grade point averages
• Greater physical activity level was associated with positive achievement orientation
• Boys who were in the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) for aerobic fitness or muscular endurance were found to be 2.5 to 3 times more likely to pass maths/reading exams. Girls who were in the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) for aerobic fitness were 2 to 4 times as likely to meet or exceed reading and maths standards
How can physical activity and sport improve learning?
Evidence of the physiological effects of physical activity on the brain assist in explaining this relationship. Exercise can increase levels of a brain growth factor (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), stimulate nerve growth and development in the brain and increase the brain’s resistance to injury, reduce plasma noradrenaline (a vasoconstrictor), increase blood flow to the cortex of the brain. In other words, exercise encourages neurogenesis, the formation of new cells in the brain. This evidence indicates that regular physical activity is likely to provide children with the optimum physiological condition for maximizing learning.
Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn—O. Fred Donaldson
Source: https://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/file-support-and-advice/file-research-and-policies/brain-boost-how-sport-and-physical-activity-enhance-children%27s-learning.pdf?sfvrsn=4; https://issuu.com/kidsonthecoastmagazine/docs/kotc_sc84_issuu; https://issuu.com/karenboyes/docs/teachersmattermagazineissue10
Editor: Anna R. Phoa, Anggie Kirana, Aulia Nurdini
English Language Consultant: Todd Cordy
