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School is a place for learning and not for fun and games. Almost every elementary school student is familiar with this tired adage. Maybe they have heard it uttered by their parent or worse yet from one of their teachers. Extracurricular activities such as recess Wholesale Mario Hezonja Jersey , gym, and organized sports have come under some undue scrutiny over the years. However, when closely analyzed the things that are learned during these activities are not only important for health reasons, but are also closely linked to the skills essential for a child鈥檚 overall growth.


First and foremost, playtime is necessary for a child鈥檚 health and well-being especially considering that America is a country gripped by an obesity epidemic. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) defines obesity as having an excess of body fat (Center for Disease Control, n.d.). This problem has impacted our youth quite seriously as childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. More specifically Wholesale Marreese Speights Jersey , the percentage of children aged 6鈥?1 years old in the United States who are considered obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008 (Center for Disease Control, n.d.). These are scary statistics that only seem to be getting increasingly worse. The CDC makes clear that healthy lifestyle habits, including physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese (Center for Disease Control, n.d.). These habits start in the home, but they need to continue while the student is at school. This includes having access to opportunities like recess Wholesale Arron Afflalo Jersey , gym, and sports. However, there is more to playtime than the health related benefits.


During a child鈥檚 formative years, playtime can be important because it encourages creativity and imagination. Simply put children need to play in order to learn. This is quite evident when watching the way in which kindergarteners interact with one another. Children need to build with blocks, put together puzzles, play with paint Wholesale Elfrid Payton Jersey , and use their imagination in role playing scenarios.


You may be asking yourselves how these activities could have any bearing on your child鈥檚 academic performance, but you might be surprised to find out how important they really are. Children who play with blocks are taught about math and science. Working with puzzles stimulates the brain cells increasing their efficiency and capacity. During this process, the brain produces a chemical called dopamine that is responsible for learning and memory. When kids paint, they are developing an understanding of color and design. When cutting and drawing, they are enhancing the development needed for writing. Finally, imagination and creativity are bolstered through the role playing scenarios. These play sessions can teach children about social bonds while they learn to them to work well within a group.


These playtime activities are an important part of early childhood education Wholesale Jonathan Isaac Jersey , but as your child grows up, playtime continues to be a necessary part of his or her development. Today鈥檚 children have a very structured classroom setting, which can result in lost opportunities for exploration and imagination. Recess, gym, and organized sports are an integral part of a well-balanced learning environment because 鈥渆xercise could help ramp up the development of a child's brain (Richardson, 2009).鈥?As research shows that Wholesale Aaron Gordon Jersey , 鈥渃hildren who engage in complex forms of socio-dramatic play have greater language skills than non-players, better social skills, more empathy, more imagination, and more of the subtle capacity to know what others mean (Almon, Miller Wholesale Jason Williams Jersey , 2009, p. 2).鈥?During playtime their behavior is conditioned. These sessions act as microcosms for the real world where the children are put into situations that force them to interact with one another in a constructive manner.


School is a place for shaping young minds and teaching students the skills that will prepare them for late in life. Playtime, including recess, gym, and organized sports, should fit into every school curriculum not only because it helps aid in student stress relief Wholesale Grant Hill Jersey , but also because it is a crucial part of their educational growth.


Amanda Ahlstrom - About Author:
Robin Obrien is an educational consultant and an expert Math Tutor associated with Math learning center in Dublin. He has contributed valuable insights on interactive educational modules development for preschool students.

What Children Look for in a Friend?

Is this child fun to be with?
Is this child trustworthy?
Does this child help me achieve my goals?
Does this child make me feel good about myself?
Is this child similar to me?

Social Tasks Involved in Peer Relationships

Joining a group or activity
Coping with success
Dealing with conflict
Defending self
Coping with failure
Staying involved
Making a friend
Sharingcooperating
Sticking up for a friend
Coping with rejection
Responding to requests
Making requests
Helping others
Maintaining a conversation
Coping with teasing
Being supportive of others

Although rejected children differ in many ways, there does seem to be something they have in common:

A large proportion of rejected children are lacking in positive interaction skills, such as being cooperative, helpful, refining non-verbal communication, timing Wholesale Shaquille O’Neal Jersey , spatial awareness, verbal language appropriateness and inappropriate dress or poor personal hygiene. This suggests that it should be possible to help these children by teaching them positive ways to interact with others.

RESOURCES:
(This information has been compiled from studies done by National Network for Child Care- Gladys A. Williams, Dept. of Psychology, U of Illinois- Urbana)

(c) Judy H. Wright

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