Physical activity and Brain Development in E lementary Students

1. Physical activity and Brain Development in Elementary Students Stephanie Evans EDUC 2100 Dec. 14, 2012

2. Physical Education in Schools • 3.8% of elementary, 7.9% of middle, and 2.1% of high schools provide daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire school year. • 22 % of schools do not require students to take any physical education at all. Since childhood obesity rates continue to rise across the country, there is public support for more physical education in schools. • The vast majority of parents of children under 18 (95%) think physical education should be part of a school curriculum for all students in grades K-12 • All children age 5 and older should participate in at least 30 minutes of enjoyable, moderate-intensity activities every day, and a minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity at least 3 to 4 days each week.

3. Physical Benefits • In the elementary grades, the physical education program emphasizes the development of fundamental loco motor, non-loco motor, and manipulative skills through the main content areas of educational games, dance, and gymnastics. • Physical activity at a young age is the basis for developing, expanding, and refining children’s range of motor skills and awareness. • Physical education professionals’ instruction is critical if children are to develop fundamental motor patterns (e.g. jump, throw, skip, hop, catch, and kick). • The motor skill basis established during the elementary grades may enhance children’s social, cognitive and physical development and increase the likelihood of continued interest and participation in physical activity.

4. Cognitive Benefits • Children learn through a variety of means (ex: visual, auditory, tactile, physical). Teaching academic concepts through physical means may nurture children’s kinesthetic intelligence. • Research has demonstrated that children engaged in daily physical education show superior motor fitness, academic performance, and attitude towards school versus their counterparts who did not participate in daily physical education. • Physical education learning also offers a unique opportunity for problem solving, self-expression, socialization, and conflict resolution. • Children in elementary school acquire knowledge through physical exploration of their environment. • Physical education may provide children with learning experiences essential to the formation of mental schemes (i.e., mental patterns or systems that describe the ways people think about the world; building blocks of thinking).

5. Affective Benefits • Physical competence builds self-esteem. Quality physical education programs enhance the development of both competence and confidence in performing motor skills. • Attitudes, habits, and perceptions are critical prerequisites for persistent participation in physical activity. • Physical Activity leads to higher levels of: • Achievement • Joy • Self-esteem • Optimism • Well-being • Self-worth

6. P.E & Test Scores • A new study by the John W. Gardner Center at Stanford University found that students who passed the California physical fitness test also performed better on the statewide standardized tests. • The study followed two groups of children from grades four through nine, keeping track of their academics (using standardized test scores) as well as their physical fitness test results. • The physical fitness test measures students on six levels of fitness, including aerobic capacity (running a mile), body composition (Body Mass Index, or BMI), flexibility, upper-body strength, trunk extensor strength, and abdominal strength. In order to pass, a child has to successfully perform 5 out of 6 levels of fitness.

7. The Brain & Body Regular aerobic exercise • Increase s number of capillaries servicing the brain • Allows for a greater exchange of nutrients and waste products. • Optimizes oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain • Improves brain performance. Exercise helps to • Build and maintain healthy bones and muscles. • Reduce the risk of developing obesity & chronic diseases • ( i.e diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer.) • Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being. • Improve students’ academic performance, including • Academic achievement and grades • Academic behavior, such as time on task • Factors that influence academic achievement, • Such as concentration and attentiveness in the classroom.

9. Recent Problems • A trend among many public school districts throughout the United States to eliminate recess in elementary schools • Reasons why recess is vital: • Playing is an active form of learning that unites the mind, body, and spirit. Until at least the age of nine, children’s learning occurs best when the whole self is involved. • Playing reduces the tension that often comes with having to achieve or needing to learn. • Children express and work out emotional aspects of everyday experiences through unstructured play. • Children develop skills such as cooperating, helping, sharing, and solving problems. • The development of children’s perceptual abilities may suffer when so much of their experience is through television, computers, books, work-sheets, and media that require only two senses. The senses of smell, touch, and taste, and the sense of motion through space are powerful modes of learning. • Children who are less restricted in their access to the outdoors gain competence in moving through the larger world. Developmentally, they should gain the ability to navigate their immediate environs (in safety) and lay the foundation for the courage that will enable them eventually to lead their own lives.

10. What can we do as Teachers? • Recognize developmentally appropriate motor skills and incorporate them in classroom participation and lesson plans • Provide opportunities for physical activity through out the day. (i.e. stretch breaks, group movement • Encourage students to be active outside the classroom (i.e sports teams, going on walks / walking to and from school, etc.) • Being an active role model for students to aspire from, children look up to teachers. • Ensure & supervise student safety Sponsor organizations / programs that encourage physical activity for children such as: American Heart Association - The AHA is a national association dedicated to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.  Check out the Children's Health and Healthy Lifestyles sections. KidsHealth- A website providing doctor-approved health information about children from before birth through adolescence.  Created by the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media. Let's Move! - Program developed by First Lady Michelle Obama to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Head Start Body Start - The National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play provided grant information and resources for Head Start Programs (radio programs, physical activity calendars, activity plans). Be Active North Carolina -  Be Active North Carolina, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing physical activity levels. Eat Smart Move More (ESMM) - a statewide movement that provided increased opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray.

11. References • Basch, C. E. (2011). Physical Activity and the Achievement Gap among Urban Minority Youth. Journal Of School Health, 81(10), 626-634. • Castelli, D. M., & Hillman, C. H. (2007). Physical Education Performance Outcomes and Cognitive Function. Strategies: A Journal For Physical And Sport Educators, 21(1), 26-30. • Davies, D., Fitzgerald, H., & Mousouli, V. (2008). Obesity in childhood and adolescence. (1 ed., Vol. 1-2). Westport: Greenwood Publishing, Inc. • Jensen, E. (2000). Moving with the Brain in Mind. Educational Leadership, 58(3), 34-37. • Jurimae, J., Hills, A. P., & Jurimae, T. (2010). Cytokines, growth mediators and physical activity in children during puberty. (Vol. 55, pp. 77-78). Switzerland: Library of Congress Cataloging- om-Publication Data. • Kubesch, S., Walk, L., Spitzer, M., Kammer, T., Lainburg, A., Heim, R., & Hille, K. (2009). A 30-Minute Physical Education Program Improves Students' Executive Attention. Mind, Brain, And Education, 3(4), 235-242. • Sherman, K., Collins, B., & Donnelly, K. (2007). Let's Get Moving!. Teaching Pre K-8, 37(6), 48-49. • Stevens-Smith, D. (2004). Movement and Learning: A Valuable Connection. Strategies: A Journal For Physical And Sport Educators, 18(1), 10-11. • http://beactivekids.org/bak/Front/Resources.aspx • http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/physicalactivity/facts.htm • http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/physical_education.htm • http://www.livestrong.com/article/529108-what-are-the-benefits-of-physical-education-in-school/#ixzz2E7HmSRpb