Often times, when pressure arises to improve school grades, many conclude that more time

should be allocated for school teaching and home assignments and less time for physical activity. But that may not necessary be the best step to take. Experts say increasing their level of physical activity would provide what their brain require for better scores, reports Sade Oguntola.

Experts are promoting good diet for brain development. Breastfed children have averaged higher Intelligent quotent (IQ) scores than non-breastfed children. Also, youngsters with healthy diet on average have an IQ of five points above their peers that eat junk or unhealthy diet. What is more, new evidences suggest that children who do more exercise, whether at school or on their own, tend to have higher scores in their school works.

Physical activities do the body good, and there’s growing evidence that it helps the brain too. In a review of 14 studies that looked at physical activities and academic performance, scientists found that the more children become physically active, the better their grades are in school, particularly in the basic subjects of Mathematics, English and reading.

Twelve studies were conducted in the United States and the other two in Canada and South Africa. Sample sizes ranged from 53 to about 12,000 participants between six and 18 years of age. Their findings in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine all suggested that being more physically active is positively related to an improved academic performance in children.

Whether the exercise comes as recess, physical education classes or exercise on the way to school, it can improve blood flow to the brain, enhancing memory, attention and creativity, which are essential to learning. And exercise releases hormones that can improve mood and suppress stress, as such also help learning. So while it may seem as if kids were just exercising their bodies when they’re running around, they may actually be exercising their brains as well.

Unfortunately, physical-education classes or recess time have been taken away from study time to be able to allocate more time for instructional classroom subjects. But physical activity does the body good, and there’s growing evidence that it helps the brain too. With school performances dropping, some individuals still erroneously  believe students need to spend more time in the classroom rather than on the playground.

Despite emphasis of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on the   students need to observe one hour of physical activity every day to remain healthy, many childcare centres taking care of preschool children also ignore physical activity.

In fact, experts equally warned in the journal Pediatrics that many preschools and child care centres are so focused on safety, lack of space, limitation in budgets and academics that kids are not getting the activity they need to be health.

With as many as 75 per cent of all preschool-aged children spending time in a child care setting, the implications are clear. It promotes childhood obesity. Regular exercise helps prevent weight gain, but this is not the only benefit. Physical activity and free play also help children practise gross motor skills, such as throwing and catching a ball, climbing, and skipping. It also boosts concentration, self confidence and ensure better peer relationships.

Parents also need to value physical activity and gross motor development as much as academics. Out of concern for potential injury, some parents forbid their children from participating in outdoor activities, and ask them to ‘read a book instead’.

What is more, Dr Adefemi Afolabi, a consultant surgeon, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, stated that parents needed to allow their children to play because physical activity helps some children to even remember what they have read.

According to him, “if you make a child to sit down to read all the time, it may be difficult for that child to be able to actually discover new things because playing itself is a form of learning as well. They can learn from their colleagues, from discussions, what they read and so on. For instance, when a child loses a game, it would enable him to know that it is part of life to be successful and to fail.”

To what extent should children play? Playing must be done in moderation. “For instance, no child should actually go and play until he has completed his school work. So, playing and learning must be balanced. That is why we have recess in schools: a time to go and play, relax, ward off the effect of sitting down all the time and so on,” said Dr Afolabi.

Dr Afolabi, decried absence of playing grounds for physical-education classes in many private schools, adding that this was detrimental to the growth of children. He stated that things like computer games for children could make children learn some things, but they should not be substituted for physical activity.

“Although, there is always the fear of injury to children, if children are made to play under supervision, injuries can be avoided. Also, children must be told to play safe and not to injure themselves or their opponents.”

Nonetheless, Dr Afolabi declared “sustaining an injury is part of life, but it can be taken care of if it occurs. It is also a way for them to learn from their mistakes.”

In addition, Dr Olaide Amotsuka, Medical director,  J-Rapha Hospital and Maternity, Bodija, Ibadan  while stating that play cannot be divulge from the life of children, especially does preschools, declared “If you want a child to learn anything, bring it in a play form.”

Citing the example of children who do not like eating, Dr Amotsuka stated: “Many mothers make eating time a serious business. They want children to eat like adults, but making it play-like would ensure the child eats well as well as learn over time to enjoy his food.”

She declared: “It is commonly said that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. This is because during play, children discover themselves. It helps them to be able to express themselves and their emotions, build their self esteem as well as make discoveries.”

“A child that does not play is not going to be confident even if such scores 100 per cent in school work because playing makes them to be able to discover the substance they are really made of,” she said.

Dr Amotsuka emphasised that “if a child is sent to school, say before age four, that child in school must be made to do more than 50 per cent of playing and not memorising things. Whatever they are taught should be in the form of play.”

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