Physical activity in children and adolescents

Posted on January 13, 2014 by john in Daily health tips for kids

Physical activity in childhood and adolescence is essential for development, and also for the prevention of obesity.

Is physical exercise is necessary in children and adolescents ?

This is necessary, exercise the child will contribute to the process of development and maturation of their genetic potential. Sporting activity understood as a game or playful activity that involves movement, significantly improves cardiovascular function and contributes to proper maturation of the musculoskeletal system and their psychomotor skills.

Continued physical exercise together with a balanced diet will contribute to the regulation of body weight, preventing the onset of obesity, both in childhood and in adult life ( 80% of obese adults were obese children ). It will also help in the prevention of degenerative diseases such as arteriosclerosis, closely related to cardiovascular disease.

In the child regular training produces benefits in motor and cognitive skills, and is also beneficial to your personal relationships and social group around you, learning to integrate and obtain physical and psychological wellbeing. All profits obtained from an active life are especially significant from puberty.

A high quality Physical Education :

It is the most effective and inclusive means of providing all children the skills, thinking patterns, values, knowledge and understanding necessary to practice physical and sport throughout his life activities.
Contribute to a comprehensive and complete physical and mental development.
It is the only school subject that seeks the body, activity, physical development and health.
Help children become familiar with the bodily activities and allows them to develop the necessary for your health concern, which is essential for a healthy life in adulthood, while understand the importance of doing exercise physical is to prevent the development of some diseases.
Help children to respect their bodies and those of others.
It helps strengthen children ‘s self-esteem and respect for themselves.
Develops in children ‘s social consciousness to prepare in competitive situations to deal with wins and losses, as well as collaboration and esprit de corps.
Provides skills and knowledge that can be used later in working life in the field of sports, physical activities, and recovery time are increasingly booming.

At the World Summit on Physical Education ( Berlin, November 1999 ), delegates from different countries presented the results of research conducted worldwide on the benefits of physical education and the important role it plays in the development of healthy children and active. Advantages of Physical Education and Sport :

Increase self-esteem and reduces the tendency to develop dangerous behaviors.
Reduce negative attitudes toward school and out of it.
Physical education is an important subject that also serves as preparation for working life.
Improves health, prevent injuries and damage resulting from poor posture.
Improving school performance.
Provides experiences in structured activities with clear objectives and outcomes.
Helps develop abstract thinking through notions such as speed, distance, depth, strength, force pulse, fair play.
Promotes concentration and participatory attitude.
(M. Talbot, World Summit on Physical Education, 1999)

The body part of Physical Education emphasizes :

Formation of motor skills and the ability to exercise these skills under the direction and supervision of the teacher.
Development and improvement of agility and physical wellbeing.

All children and adolescents, regardless of their abilities and their geographical and cultural origin or material circumstances :

They must develop and grow physically.
It has a natural inclination to physical activity.
They must live their childhood as such, before entering adulthood.
They learn more easily through physical activities.
React very positively to the activities that provide fun and who demand a certain performance.

On the occasion of the World Summit on Physical Education A call was made to fulfill the following:

Imposing Physical Education as a fundamental right of all children.
Recognize that the subject of Physical Education depends on the qualifications of teachers and the number of scheduled time within the curriculum. Both are perfectly possible even when other resources, such as facilities, are scarce.
Investing in training and retraining plans physical education teacher.
Support research to improve the level of impact and quality of physical education classes.
Collaborate with international financial institutions to ensure that physical education classes remain defining integrated way in teaching.
Recognizing the crucial role of physical education in the development and maintenance of health, as well as the overall development of the people, and its important role in building confidence and cohesion within society.
Recognize that the expense of physical education classes due to higher costs related to health investment costs necessary to maintain the physical education within the curriculum.

All children should acquire basic knowledge on how to lead a healthy and safe life. Since learning is a process that lasts for life, good health and regular physical activity can help prevent health problems and improve the quality of life of schoolchildren.