In the past decades, many of us who were in school then remember the games we used to play and to play in the parks with our friends along with the PE classes that were a regular feature in school. The author notes that a lot has changed since then. The Robert Woodson foundation in a study reported that now only 36 percent of children were getting the recommended one hour of physical activity needed per day and only 30 percent of children were regular in participating in some types of sport even while several studies have shown that participating in sports can increase children’s mental alertness and their performance in school. Many schools have decreased the time devoted to PE and sacrificed it for academics in order to meet the standards set by educators. But the author asks whether this is all necessary. He notes that research has shown that physical activity improves the mental ability of children which includes their ability to learn. Other benefits of physical activity are healthy body weight and acting as a support in learning. With physical activity, obesity and overweight would not become an epidemic. The author then lists what parents can do to make their children get adequate physical activity.
Key Takeaways:
- Data suggests that as of 2007 less than 40% of kids are meeting the bare minimum of an hour of physical activity a day.
- Although, “Leave No Child Behind” standards have been a boon for academics, it has resulted in less school time being given to physical activities.
- Parents have the power, through voice and petition, to push the administrators or organize the PTA to change the curriculum.
“If school staff are not available to run physical activity programs, parent volunteers can implement lunch time activities, classroom yoga, or even supervise a PE class!”
Read more: https://www.superkidsnutrition.com/what-happened-to-physical-education/
