Physical activity is wonderful for children.
Main point: “Children who are more physically active may behave better, exhibit more self-control and perform better in school.”
More about it:
- It settles them down because “improvements seen in managing emotions among 7-year-olds in the study had a positive effect on academic performance.”
- It’s so important, “We really need to ensure that physical activity does not become an area schools feel they can legitimately sacrifice.”
- For recommended duration, “Children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 should engage in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day.”
Takeaways:
- There is an equity factor as well because there is “importance of ensuring that children have access to multiple forms of physical activity, particularly those living in less-advantaged settings.”
- The attainment gap is real, and “”Physical activities that help them to do things like focus on a task or maintain attention could be part of the way to bridge that gap.”