By now almost everyone has heard about child obesity in America, but just how high are the rates? The answer might surprise you. According to Nate Whitman, a writer for The Huffington Post, “rates of obesity have doubled in 2- to 5-year-olds, quadrupled in 6- to 11-year-olds, and tripled in 12- to 19-year-olds” (par. 2). This is due to more children staying inside and only doing activities such as video games. They do not interact with anyone besides whomever they are talking to online. These findings are astonishing to say the least. What can we do to combat this? Involvement in organized sports helps children develop their social skills, improve their academic progress, and stay active.
One of the positives of youth participation in sports is that it is an effective way of children making new friends and developing social skills. Sports teams provide an introduction for children to talk to other children with whom they may not talk normally. This is a huge opportunity for overweight children that might not socialize with others very often. As Ann Rosewater – a spokeswoman for the organization Up2Us – puts it, “overweight children have reported that the best part of organized sports is making new friends” (13). Teamwork can create a strong bond between athletes who compete together. Working toward a common goal gives children a reason to become good friends in an attempt to reach their endeavor of winning. They learn to help other children when they see them having a tough time and learn to offer words of encouragement to them (Harle par. 3). Children are given a sense of camaraderie by playing a sport with peers and that sense can become so strong that they will go as far as considering each other a second family....
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Adams, Jill U. "Physical Activity May Help Kids Do Better in School, Studies Say."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Doheny, Kathleen. "Kids Who Exercise More May Get Better Grades – WebMD."WebMD. WebMD, 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Harle, Wade. "Benefits of Teamwork in Sports." LIVESTRONG.COM. Livestrong, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
Mahesh, Roshni. "Regular Exercises Can Help Children Excel in Studies." Business & Health. International Business Times, 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013.
Rosewater, Ann. "Playing Well - Organized Sports and the Health of Children and Youth." Up2Us - Home. Up2Us, May 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Whitman, Nate. "Physical Activity in Schools Is Essential to Reversing Childhood Obesity." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.
Athletes in times of difficulty can be important role models.” This shows that sports are in fact helpful because they can grow children into being important role models for the rest of society. Studies have shown time and time again that playing sports can be beneficial to children and we also believe this to be true. Many people still think that sports cause “too many injuries”, or coaches “are not fair enough”, but adolescents will experience these things all throughout their lives because injury can happen anywhere and they will not always be the best at what they are doing. Sports are beneficial to the youth because they can teach children and teens important life skills, help them maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle, all while improving their mental health.
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 ...
Martin, K. (2010) Brain Boost: sport and physical activity enhance children’s learning. Retrieved from http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au//assets/files/Research/Brain%20boost_emailer.pdf
Participation in sports has proven to increase self-discipline and self-esteem, and can teach athletes to learn from their mistakes and move on (Issitt). Athletes playing team sports also develop the ability to work well with others and use teamwork in their everyday lives. Teammates form relationships that are strengthened over a common passion and goal. These relationships can last long after high school is over (Chen). These social skills translate into better communication used with an athlete’s family, peers, and in the community. Likewise, “A 2006 study in Maryland found that student athletes are 15 percent more likely than non athletes to be involved in their communities and to take the time for civic engagements, including participating in voting and volunteer activities” (Issitt). The same study also concluded that athletes are far more likely to be comfortable with public speaking than non-athletes. This study provides concrete evidence that high school sports can help to gain mental and social skills that will be used later in life
(Callender, n.d.). With this participation gradually increasing in the U.S. adolescents, sport specialization including year-round sport specific training, participation on multiple teams of the same sport, and focused participation in a single sport is also claimed to be increasing in frequency in predolescent children across the world (Mostafavifar, n.d.). Children have been involved in little leagues since the 1800’s, and with the rising problems of obesity in today’s children, I believe it is important to encourage involvement in physical activity. This could be either a positive or negative viewpoint on early sport specialization, depending on how it is looked at. It is estimated that between 18 and 28 million American children are to be involved in some type of organized sports participation.
Participating in a sport at an early age can be essential to the overall growth process during a child’s upbringing. Whether the participation is through some sort of organized league or just getting together amongst friends and playing, the lessons learned from this can help teach these kids and provide a positive message to them as they develop. There is a certain point, however, when organized sports can hinder progress, which is when adults get too involved and forget about the underlying reason to why they are helping. While adult involvement is necessary, adult involvement can sometimes send the wrong message to children when they try to make participation become more than just about fun and learning. According to Coakley (2009), “organized sports are worth the effort put forth by adults, as long as they do what is in the best interest of their children and put that thought ahead of their own agenda” (Coakley, p. 151). This is a valid argument because once adults put themselves in front of the children and their values, it needs to be re-evaluated as to why they first got involved in the beginning. Partaking in organized sport and activity from a young age can be beneficial to the overall development of children, as long as decisions actions are made in the best interest of the children and not stemming from ulterior motives of adults.
Sports may not be all that good for children. Some people might say that sports can cause injury, children won’t get a chance to play if they are not very good, or children may be made fun of for lacking skill in that particular sport. I believe that participating in sports has a much more positive impact on children. Sports can help children’s health approve, help them develop new friends, and can help improve the children’s self confidence.
Chomitz, Slining, McGowan, Mitchell, Dawson, Hacker. (January 2009). Is There a Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement? Positive Results From Public School Children in the Northeastern United States. Journal of School Health, Vol. 79, Issue 1, 30-37.
The cases show that gym class helps students do better educationally and personally. A study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine had fourth- and fifth-grade students run around or exercise by other means for at least ten minutes. While those students were running and exercising, other fourth- and fifth grade students stayed in the classroom and sat quietly. After the ten minutes, all students took math exam. The group of students who exercised or ran for ten minutes before the exam did noticeably better and scored higher on their exam than the group of students who sat inside quietly before the test (“Gym Help Students”). This study shows that physical activity during the school day goes hand in hand with doing better and receiving better scores. Another study has been conducted to try and prove or disprove if being fit from gym class has anything to do with doing better in school. This study was published in the Journal of Pediatrics and was conducted with children and students from Nebraska. 12,000 students participated in the study. Each student’s physical fitness was measured using things such as a timed run and the student’s body mass index. Then they measure each student’s academic achievements in English and mathematics based on the state’s standardized test scores. Being in better physical shape was linked significantly higher test scores. However, the body size of a student didn’t seem to have any influence over whether or not they did well on their tests. Students who were overweight but still fit and physically active had higher test scores than students who were of lighter weights but were not fit or physically active (“Gym Help Students”). When students are able to pass more fitness tests, they seem to be able to do better on standardized and general tests. Students
Children have competed in sports for generations, and today that is something that still holds true, yet recently, children have not been getting enough exercise and obesity rates have spiked tremendously. This raises many different interests and ideas of what can be done to stop this. Every person has their own take on sports, but the main question that can provide two contradictory answers is “What are the values of having the youth compete in sports, and is it what’s best for the child?” Yes, sports provide children with a source of entertainment and enjoyment, but the benefits of signing your kid up for a sports team are much deeper than just simple fun. In order for kids to have the best chance of sustaining a healthy body and mind, participation
When children feel accepted by the rest of the team, they report more enjoyment of activities, higher levels of self-esteem and are less likely to avoid participating in sport. Many experts believe that sport friendships are different to other friendships that children have, because in sports you support each other more and really get to learn one another ’s character, strength and weaknesses. This is developed through the desire to succeed and working together for the same outcome. On the other hand, this can also have a negative effect, if you make a mistake that could have won the game, you might feel that you have let your friends down.
School sports teams lead to children learning how to cooperate from a young age. Playing on a sports team allows a student to develop important skills, including how to play fairly, support other teammates, and celebrate your own and other people’s successes. In addition, playing on a sports team provides a great opportunity for students to get involved in their school community. For example, the National Federation of State High School Activity Associations suggests that playing high school sports increases participation and sportsmanship in an effort to develop good citizens through interscholastic activities (Gould). Playing grade school or high school sports is a great way to learn teamwork skills that will be used in the real
Physical activity in general is associated with improved academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores,”(("Facts: Sports Activity and Children. " Facts: Sports Activity and Children | Project Play. N.p., n.d. Web. 06
A school’s main priority is to have a student succeed in the classroom, and it is proven that physical education helps this. There has been many studies done to prove that this is true. For example, a study done by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education performed a study on if education correlates with maintaining good physical condition. The researchers tested many different physical traits such as aerobic capacity, body composition, flexibility and others. The results proved that there’s a direct relationship between physical fitness and improved academic achievement" (Studies Show That Physically Active Kids Perform Better Academically." SPARK PE. SPARK, 2011. Web. 26 May 2014. ). What many...
“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