“Mama, may I watch one episode of the cartoon please?”
With this question, the screen time floodgate is open.
Nowadays, screen time is easily accessible to children. Once your child is idling, the one activity that he or she looks forward to is to get more screen time.
Children are increasingly inactive and unfit and this does not help with their brain development.
How Active Should Your Child Be?
According to the UK National Health Service, children ages 3 to 5 years old should be physically active for about 3 hours a day.
If your child is 6-7 years old, he or she should be physically active for an hour a day.
In this article, you will uncover 4 positive effects physical activities have on your child’s brain.
How does physical activities affect brain development?
#1 Sends more oxygen to brain for optimum cognitive and physical development
Do you feel your heart pumping fast when you exercise?
During physical activity, our heart not only pumps blood to the necessary muscles to move, but it also pumps blood to the brain. This is because any movement in physical activity is initiated by the brains. Therefore, the blood that flows to the brain allows it to work and send neuron signals to the muscles to bring about movements and motor action.
With enough oxygen, the brain is able to signal where to send blood to your child’s muscles and tissues.
#2 Keep your child happy
During physical activities, the body releases endorphins which reduce the perception of pain.
Have you heard of the “runner’s high”? That is due to the effect of endorphins.
Through feeling good about yourself, your child will have a positive outlook in life.
#3 Reduced anxiety and less emotional meltdown
Ever wondered how to handle your child when he or she has an emotional melt down? Or kicks up a fuss over little things in life?
It can be really frustrating and sometimes only the rod can beat the foolishness out of them.
Reasoning does not help most of the times when they lose their cool.
Physical activities reduce the body’s stress hormones.
Use your weekends to play with your child. Your child may not remember what you have done with them but they will definitely remember the good feelings when you are with them.
#4 Whole Brain Engagement
When your child engages in physical activities such as sports and games, cognitive thinking is involved.
“What movement should I make to get there quickly?”
“How can I make my body jump higher or run faster?”
“When should I pass the ball to my teammate?”
“Where should I run so that I may receive a pass?”
“What is the best way to throw the object to hit the target?”
Source: https://changespsychology.com.au/brain-emotions-behaviours/
Above is an image of the brain.
Frontal lobe: Important for cognitive skills such as planning, self-awareness, self-control. Considered our command center for our personality.
Example of when It is activated: when you make decisions during games and sports.
Temporal lobe: Processing emotions, language, learning and remembering verbal and non-verbal information.
Example of when It is activated: when you have to interact with your teammates.
Occipital lobe: Visual perception of color, form and motion.
Example of when It is activated: when you receive a pass
Parietal lobe: Inform us about our environment through touch and position of our body parts (physical self-awareness).
Example of when It is activated: when you perform any form of physical activities
From the examples above, it is obvious that during physical activities, the whole brain is activated.
A brain is just like any muscle, either you use it or you lose it. Brain development requires constant cognitive thinking and play practice and you can achieve it through any form of physical activity.
Neurons are nerve cells within the brain, in charge of sending motor commands to our muscles.
The more play practice your child gets, the stronger and faster the neurons function.
With constant active play time, the cognitive development of the child will be enhanced, which in turn leads to an increase in IQ. But that’s not all, children who engaged in physical activity are more confident of themselves and hence, would seek play time with other peers. This, in turn, leads to an enhancement of EQ.
As an educator and a parent, we want our child to do well both in self management and relationship management.
Benefits of Having A Healthy Brain
Source: www.scholarshipowl.com
Much research has been done in determining if physical activities and play are related to brain development.
And the answer is a resounding YES!
The end results would be excelling in academics results, better self management, and better relationship management!
This would definitely guarantee your child a more fruitful and fulfilling life!
Your child can get a headstart in life if you provide them with the right environment during their golden period of growth and that is right now! It is never too late.
Conclusion
Given the strong emphasis on academic achievements in Singapore, I am concerned with my child’s results as well.
Indeed getting exceptionally good academic results can get your child far in life in terms of career.
As good parents, we do not want our child to just have good academic results. We want them to lead a rich fulfilling life.
If this article has benefited you, do share with your friends and family!
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See you around!
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