Schools are not just responsible for students’ mental but also physical growth. Hence every school needs to ensure its students get sufficient physical education for various reasons. Encouraging students to stay active has many benefits. Not only does it physically stimulate them, but it is also beneficial for their mental health. Schools can incorporate physical education in students’ lives in many ways, including adding physical fitness into the curriculum, arranging for more sports events, and encouraging students to partake in more extracurricular activities centered around their physical fitness. But why is physical education as important as academia? Here’s what you need to know:
What Constitutes Physical Education?
Physical education is a form of discipline that focuses on movement to improve coordination, agility, and endurance. It allows students to express themselves, teaches them how to coexist with other players, and is an excellent way to eliminate stress. According to the guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, it is recommended that children under the age of six and older should get an hour of moderate aerobic activity.
Children should do moderate or vigorous activities such as running or riding a bike at least three days a week. As an educator, you must create a curriculum for your students along the same lines. Activities like jumping the rope, installing playground equipment, and organized sports like baseball or soccer are great places to start.
But if you want a blend of team sports and individual participation, you need to educate yourself on the nuances of physical education. This is why, as an educator, before extending your help to students, you should get a degree in physical education. Virtually, you can find a suitable online physical education degree that can prepare you for a promising career in physical education and help you develop better physical education curriculums.
How Does Physical Education Help?
Students who are active in school reap numerous benefits, these are as follows:
- Helps Tackle Childhood Obesity
Obesity doesn’t impact adults alone but is also prevalent among children. This is because not every child has a healthy lifestyle. Their lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, and sedentary habits can cause them to gain more weight than they should at such a young age. However, if this issue is not handled right away, it can pose a problem for these children later in life. But active physical education in schools can help. As an instructor, you can help these students develop a schedule that caters to their needs without disrupting their classes.
So instead of keeping a 40-minute session, you can arrange for these children to have at least 60 minutes of physical education spanned over three times a week. When students are given the opportunity and space to move, you’ll notice their health improving too. Curbing obesity at a young age prevents issues like high blood pressure, type two diabetes, and gallbladder stones.
- Encourages Students to Become More Social
Socializing teaches students how to interact with each other, develop meaningful connections, and also shape their personalities down the line. But to get your pupils to socialize, they need to have some common ground with the other person; this is where sports come into the picture. Organized activities, like baseball, soccer, and basketball, bring students closer. They learn how to communicate, interact and work with each other in an attempt to win. This improves their social abilities and is an excellent way for your students to feel accepted.
Socializing with other pupils removes the feeling of isolation, loneliness, and alienation. This gives them a more positive outlook towards life and boosts their emotional well-being. Furthermore, team-based sports can help students develop a better team spirit; they will develop better tolerance and are willing to learn from their mistakes.
- Boosts Your Student’s Mental Health Wellbeing
School is stressful. The copious homework, endless lectures, class projects, and tests can all affect students and cause them to get agitated. Consequently, your pupils may need help focusing in class or completing their work on time. These can further add to their piling stress and eventually cause them to burn out, which impacts their academic performance. But, when you offer your students a way to handle their stress without compromising on their education, you will notice their performance improve drastically. For this reason, physical education is essential for students. It gives them an outlet to channel their stress and apprehension healthily.
Physical education also helps your students to take a break from their mundane routine and focus on the game. This improves their concentration and mentally calms them down too. Physical education can also make your students feel good. The increased activity releases a healthy wave of endorphins into their system. These chemicals can make your pupils feel happier, lighter and help keep their stress at bay. The more endorphins get pumped into their system, the easier it will be for them to keep their anxiety levels under control. After a healthy workout, your students may be more eager to learn.
- It helps Students Sleep Better
If your students are young, they need to have a healthy sleeping schedule. This is because growing children need rest, so their bodies can recoup. However, getting children to sleep on time takes work. They may have too much energy or feel way too excited to sleep. If a child doesn’t get ten hours of rest at night, they may fall asleep in class. The only solution to this predicament is incorporating more physical education into their routine.
Allowing your pupils to engage in activities such as jumping the rope, running the track, and playing with equipment can help them eliminate pent-up energy. After forty minutes of playing, your students will feel tired, and by the time they get home, there’s a high chance they will fall asleep. Sleep improves memory, helps students become more focused, heals their muscles, and is ideal for their development.
Final Thoughts
Schools have a vital role to play in a student’s wellness. Educational institutes are integral in helping students develop mentally, physically, and emotionally. This infers that they need to give children opportunities beyond the classroom to work on themselves, such as providing them with space to work on their physical well-being.
A student’s physical health controls many aspects of their well-being. It supports them in managing their weight, improves their sleep routine, and does wonders for their social well-being. Ultimately, physical education gives pupils control over their lives, which can mentally and emotionally stabilize them, allowing them to develop healthier habits and a positive mindset.
