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TOPIC: Should competitive sport be compulsory in school.

SOURCE: https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/news/2020/05/01/the-importance-of-sports-in-
education
Author: Nord Angelia
01 May, 2020

The Importance of Sports in Education


While many subjects at school are taught primarily in the classroom, sports and physical education
provide a great opportunity for children to head outside, get active, and focus on developing different
skills.
The benefits of sports in education are vast, and they aren’t just physical benefits. This article explores
how sport positively impacts students in their academic progression and beyond.
Benefits of Physical Education
Here are just a few of the benefits you’ll see develop in your child as they do more physical activity
and sports.

1. Stay Fit and Healthy


Fundamentally, physical education can have a range of health-related benefits to anyone, and
children are no different. Kids are bundles of endless energy, and physical education can be an
excellent outlet for releasing some of that.
[...]

2. Boost Self-Esteem
Sport is all about success, achievement, teamwork and friendly competition. Physical Education (PE)
teachers are trained to harness the fun and natural competitiveness of sport to help pupils enjoy
games together so that they get exercise, learn how to play cooperatively and develop self-esteem.
Everything from small words of encouragement from the coach to scoring the winning goal for their
team can help build your child’s confidence. Strong self-esteem is a vital character trait for children to
develop. The spirit and tenacity instilled in them from sport can be carried into their wider academic
pathway.

3. Reduce Stress
Exercise is one of the best stress-busters around. Research has shown how remaining active can
reduce symptoms of stress in children. If studies from other subjects are putting excessive pressure on
your child, physical education will be one of the best ways for them to reduce this. Exercise releases
endorphins in the brain, which are key feel-good transmitters for the mind and body. It’s also one of
the best ways of forgetting about any external troubles. Sport focuses our mind on the task at hand,
allowing us to relax and forget about other worries.

4. Improve Sleep
After using up all that energy running around the sports field during the day, our bodies and minds
tire in the evening. Sleep is a vital part of maintaining our overall health and well-being and plays an
important role in our mood and performance during the day.
[...]

5. Develop Team and Leadership Skills


Any successful team is made up of individuals who can work with others. Teamwork is a vital skill in
the working world, and physical education is often the earliest exposure children have to it.
Many sports teams espouse the importance of the team over the individual. Your child will be able to
contribute to a team environment and see first-hand how important it is to succeed.
As they develop, they might also be exposed to a leadership position, such as the team captain.
Decision making is key to being a good leader. Sports are an excellent channel for improving this skill,
with decisions having to be made and communicated regularly to other team members.
[...]

6. Instil Patience, Discipline and Perseverance


Failure is an undervalued part of sport. It takes perseverance and hard work to succeed in life, and
sport is one of the best channels to display these virtues. The simplistic nature of sport, where there
are identifiable winners and losers, leads to natural highs and lows – something that children need to
be prepared for later in life.
Sport is a great way to display how hard work pays. Perseverance and a never-give-up attitude will be
needed to succeed in all walks of life. Through sports your child will learn the benefits of working hard
to achieve their goals.

7. Impact of Sports on Learning


The positive impact of sport stretches far beyond the physical. Exercise and sporting activity can have
significant knock-on effects on other areas of a child’s academic performance.
Engaging a child in their work is one of the biggest challenges a schoolteacher is presented with. A
study from VU University in the Netherlands showed how exercising can improve the attention span
of school pupils, and a report from the Pediatrics Journal showed how students who exercise after
school can improve their executive control.
The hippocampus is the part of the brain that’s responsible for learning and memory. A study
published in the Brain Research journal found that regular exercise helped to grow this part of the
brain. Consistent cardiovascular-based exercise is therefore linked to better brain functionality and
improved memory.
Adding to sharper brains and a better capacity to retain information, studies have also discovered
how our creativity is boosted by simple exercises such as leisurely walking. Specifically, the
experiment by Stanford University found an improvement in divergent thinking, which is concerned
with out-of-the-box idea creation rather than identifying a correct answer to a question.
Put all the above together, and you have children that are much more capable to achieve in the
classroom – something which is supported by science. The University of Illinois found a strong
relationship between the fitness of children and their performance academically.

Evaluation:

Formal/ Semi-formal vocab Semi-formal vocab


Objectivity No personal opinion inserted
Accuracy yes
Current information 2020
Use of references VU University, Stanford University, University of
Illinois, Pediatrics Journal
Organization Well-organized

Summery
 Physical Benefits: Sports and physical education help children stay fit and healthy, providing an
outlet for their energy and promoting overall health.
 Boosts Self-Esteem: Participation in sports builds self-esteem through success, achievement,
teamwork, and friendly competition.
 Reduces Stress: Exercise is a great stress-buster, releasing endorphins that help reduce
symptoms of stress and improve mood.
 Improves Sleep: Physical activity helps children sleep better, which is crucial for their overall
health, mood, and academic performance.
 Develop Team and Leadership: Sports are an excellent channel for improving this skill, with
decisions having to be made and communicated regularly to other team members.
 Patience, Discipline and Perseverance: Sports help children know about winning and losing, how
hard work pays and a never-give-up attitude.
 Impacts of sports on learning: improve attention span, executive control of school pupils, better
brain functionality, improve memory, boost creativity.

Reflection
 The article provides me with certain information about the impact of competitive sports on not
only the physicality nut also the academic performance of school pupils.
 The idea I share with the author is the way competitive sports help students gain patience,
discipline and preservation.
 The fact that creativity can be boosted just by simple exercises such as leisurely walking is
surprising as I’ve never thought about that before.
 The article could be improved by incorporating more specific statistics, references that illustrate
the advantages of sports for students
 It is crucial to advocate for a varied educational approach that encourage sports participation in
order to boost both well-being and academic success.

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