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The Effects Of Physical Education On Children

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According to the New York Times the United States is the 11th worst country for obesity rates out of 15 developed countries and the Program for International Student Assessment measurement found the U.S. ranked 31st in math literacy and 23rd in science (Klein). Since 1980, the obesity rate for children has been rising at a steady rate, while the education and cognitive ability of children has been falling at a steady rate. We can assume there is correlation between the physical fitness of children and their cognitive ability and come to the conclusion that exercise is crucial to the development and cognitive ability of children. It is estimated that almost 48 percent of schools in the U.S. do not have physical education class. In order to…show more content…
PE teaches children how to participate in many sports and activities and introduces new fun ways to be active. A student might not know he or she likes a sport until being taught at school. For example, I was not fan of ultimate Frisbee growing up. I was made to play it in PE class and I ended up loving it. Now I own a few Frisbees—which are extremely cheap—and I play Frisbee every chance I get. This is just one example of an easy to learn, fun, low cost sport that PE taught me. A school can also add a lifetime sport requirement to their curriculum. This will give the students an opportunity to learn a sport that they can play its entire life and will increase their chances of living an active lifestyle. According to Figure 1, students who take P.E. in schools are far more likely to be active outside of school. Life time sports not only act as a way to stay fit but also as a social outlet (Emerson). Many of them require a partner or an opponent. Lifetime sports are great activities to strengthen relationships with people. If a student knows a lifetime sport, it increases their chances of living an active lifestyle.
Figure 1. (Holland). Schools need to encourage students to participate in sports and active extracurricular activities. Sports and extracurricular activities are crucial to the student’s social development. “Sports programs teach students about teamwork, goal-setting, the pursuit of excellence in performance, and many other
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