Physical Activity is important to middle childhood (6 – 10 year olds) because it gives them good self esteem and looks after their holistic health. It teaches our children to make healthy choices with food and to exercise from an early age. As a teacher it is important to role model so children know what is expected of them. In the body of this essay I will talk about why physical activity is important in the middle childhood age and what my role as a teacher is in preventing and addressing obesity. Finally I will discuss ways a teacher could assist in preventing and or addressing obesity.
For middle childhood (6 -10 year olds) physical activity is important for their holistic health and growth. It is important for the prevention of diseases such as: type 2 diabetes, blood pressure/hyper tension, heart disease, strokes and osteoarthritis. (Department of Health and Ageing - About Overweight and Obesity www.health.gov.au>...>Promoting Healthy Weight). Excessive eating leads to obesity, obese children have lower self-esteems and are less popular with peers then normal weight children (Graves, Meyers & Clark, 1998).
Children that have obese parents are more likely to grow up to be obese adults. Children build on their physical capabilities and gross motor skills, elementary children now use running around to play organised games and sports instead of just for the joy of it. They intensify their coordination and speed in running, kicking, catching and dribbling. Once children better their skills at sports it can be very gratifying to them. (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010.p.161)
Organised sports can be an outlet for exercise; it maintains and enhances physical strength, endurance and agility. It also promotes social development with...
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... River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
The Role of Schools in Preventing Childhood Obesity, 2004. The state education standard. www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/physicalactivity/roleofschools_obesity
Thomas J. Berndt (1992) Child Development
www.realtime.net/anr/10eattip.html
www.wiggleintohealth.com.healthy_eating_habits
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References
Department of Health and Ageing - About Overweight and Obesity www.health.gov.au>...>Promoting Healthy Weight
McDevitt, T.M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
The Role of Schools in Preventing Childhood Obesity, 2004. The state education standard. www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/physicalactivity/roleofschools_obesity
Thomas J. Berndt (1992) Child Development
www.realtime.net/anr/10eattip.html
www.wiggleintohealth.com.healthy_eating_habits
Berk, L. (2009). Child Development (Custom Edition for Pennsylvania State University ed.). New York : Custom Publishing.
Obesity in children across America has become an increasing public health concern. Obesity has been identified as an epidemic that is plaguing our children in the United States. In some countries around the world children are dying of starvation everyday. How can this happen when here in America the opposite is a major problem? This is not to say that in America there are no hungry or starving children. It has been proven that our children suffer from obesity, and “children who are overweight or obese as preschoolers are five times as likely as normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults” (“Hope”). Obesity not only can cause a child to become more prone to having health problems down the road, but it can also make them feel insecure about themselves. There needs to be action taken in schools as well as in homes to help prevent this growing epidemic.
Exercise, food, technology, and money all play a role in causing childhood obesity. Lack of exercise among adolescents has been proven to be the leading cause of childhood obesity. According to a May 2012 Institute of Medicine report, only half of America’s children and one in four teens get enough activity to meet current guidelines (Doheny and Noonman 1). The recommendations call for children to participate in at least 60 minutes of vigorous to moderate physical activity every day (Hendrick 1). “Only four percent of elementary schools, eight percent of middle schools, and two percent of high schools provide daily physical ...
McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
Within the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has increased three-hundred percent (Crouse par. 3). This also means that ten percent of children worldwide are overweight or obese (“Childhood Obesity” par. 33). According to the Centers for Disease Control being overweight is defined as, “having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water or a combination of these factors.” On the other hand, they define obesity as having excess body fat (“Child Obesity Facts” par.1). A child is determined as overweight or obese when total body weight is more than twenty-five percent in boys and thirty-two percent in girls (Green ??). Childhood obesity is not just something that influences someone’s life as an adolescent, it causes health risks including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint problems, diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, liver disease, and gallstones (Torkos 42, Galea 62). A study of five to seventeen year olds showed that seventy percent of obese youth have a high risk of cardiovascular disease (“Child Obesity Facts” par. 2). These are diseases that we once associated with growing old, not growing up (Galea 62). Medical risks are not the only problems that childhood obesity can cause. Society has a strong bias against people or children who are overweight. People characterize them as ugly, lazy, and lacking willpower (Torkos 42). These stereotypes can cause an overweight child to have low self esteem which can lead to a much more serious problem, depression. The childhood obesity epidemic needs to be prevented, and the only way to do that is addressing the main causes. Childhood obesity has become a major problem in recent years due to lack of daily physical activity, inappropri...
Obesity has become one of the leading concerns of youths today. Obesity is non –discriminating and affects all. Moreover, medical conditions are linked to obesity are both mental and physical. As more information accumulates about obesity and its effects. Moreover, children are at the greatest risk and it is an epidemic. Looking into the daily activity of children dose not paint a bright picture
Physical activity enhances children’s quantitative development within middle childhood, supporting growth toward healthy strong people, physically and psychology. Middle childhood is documented as being between the ages of six to ten years old. A lack of physical activity affects children across all areas of development; it is not restricted within the domain of physical development. Discussed within are the expectations of motor development within middle childhood, the benefits of physical activity and the consequences of prolonged inactivity. Along with how a student’s physical development facilitates or restricts development in other areas and how the learning environment can accommodate and support the physical needs of students.
Rosewater, Ann. "Playing Well - Organized Sports and the Health of Children and Youth." Up2Us - Home. Up2Us, May 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
In our society today one of the most difficult problems we are facing is the large numbers of obesity in our children. One of the major factors in that is this; our children have become less physically active. At an early age children start watching TV, learn how to operate a computer, and play video games. Having technological skills is now a necessity in all of our lives because everything has turned “computerized,” but the fact is that our children are relying on these types of entertainment rather than getting up and physically exercising to entertain them selves. This directly affects the large number of obese children in our country today because of the lack of physical exercise. It is not that we want our kids to look a certain way or to be better at sports than everyone else, but it is that we want our kids to be physically fit and to develop a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise is not only for adults, it is for children as well, so we must understand the importance of our children exercising and the benefits from it. By doing that it will make an impact on that child for the rest of his/her life.
Many kids are growing up having to face an obesity issue, a problem that stops them from being kids. While healthy kids are out playing, and running these kids are on the benches watching them play because running could be fatal in their case. The problem of early child obesity is a lot more serious than we think. For example, it can result in many deadly health diseases. In addition, the health risks are only increasing with time, and many of them are incurable just treatable. If this health issue is not dealt with immediately a lot of children will miss out on their childhood, and their lifespan will be cut short.
Siedentop, D. Introduction to physical education, fitness, and sport. 7. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2009. Print.
Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (1998). Understanding children’s development, third edition. Malden: Blackwell Publishers Inc.
McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.
“Children who exercise regularly have higher levels of self-esteem.” (Brown, W.J. & Brown P.R., 1996, p19). Teaching Physical Education can have immediate health benefits as it helps normalise body weight and body composition. Physical activity also promotes positive mental health. Both immediate outcomes may be useful in motivating physical activity practices so that they have long term benefits. One of the main benefits of physical activity is that “it keeps children involved and that it invariably makes you feel good.” (Brown, W.J. & Brown P.R., 1996, p19). Getting the correct amount of Physical activity in school hours will decrease the rates of obesity and will reduce the risk of diabetes, asthma, heart disease and other health related illness’. Regular exercise for children also helps their cardiovascular health and bone development. There is also evidence that Physical Activity has a positive effect on mental health in children, including reducing anxiety and depression and improving their mood. However, there is some evidence that for children who don’t enjoy Physical Education it can have a negative impact on their self-esteem and
McDevitt, T.M, & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education (4th ed). New Jersey: Pearson Education.