The Benefits of Sports in Schools
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We all know how important PE is for children but what you probably didn’t know is that it can support your child in their other subjects too. As well as the profound impact that it can have on your child’s health, it can also help them to think better when in the classroom. We have teamed up with a private girls school in London to share more on the benefits of sports in schools.
Improved Mental Health
School can be particularly stressful, especially during exam season and this feeling can be very overwhelming. Sports can help to improve mental health by creating a channel for stress and releasing endorphins that relieve anxiety. This can help them to perform better at school by allowing them to feel happier, calmer and less anxious.
Better Sleep
Sports that involve moderate to vigorous physical activity can also improve sleep onset by reducing the amount of time needed to drift off to sleep. Sleep quality can also be increased to allow for deeper and interrupted sleep. This can have a huge effect on your child’s education as sleep makes it easier to concentrate and retain information at school.
Increased Physical Health
Childhood obesity is a growing concern in developing nations that can cause health problems such as type 2 diabetes. Sports lessons at school can play a role in offsetting these effects by giving children the opportunity to exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
Cardiovascular exercise in particular can help to maintain healthy bones and muscles. It’s also been found to increase the size of the brain’s hippocampus by stimulating the development of new nerve cells in the brain. This can help your child throughout their studies as the brain’s hippocampus is responsible for memory.
There are lots of other benefits to be found in certain sports too. Tennis is a good example, as well as being good for cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and overall agility, it’s also great for helping to develop hand-eye coordination.
Preparation for The Future
PE helps children to build transferable skills that can’t be in the classroom. Fundamental skills like leadership, resilience and teamwork. These are skills that are essential for the workplace and can help your child to be a great asset to a team one day.