Managing the After-School Time
April 10, 2019
To Play or Not to Play
Are you finding it difficult for your child to fit in all their sports commitments? Often, much time is needed for homework and other academic commitments. You’re not alone; many parents and students face this same conundrum. As a result of the time needed to complete assignments, the thought arises “Sports needs to be placed on hold this year”. Not so fast, however! Experts agree that playing sports actually improves one’s mental ability, so it can help when it comes to those tricky math problems that need to be solved. Let’s look at all the benefits that will have you start thinking about sports in a new way.
The Many Benefits of Sports
Several of the best things about playing sports are ways in which it affects us physically and socially. When the body is growing, it’s the most important time to strengthen bones. Playing sports is a great way to build strong bones that will serve the body well through a lifetime. Socially, working together with teammates via sports is a great way to develop another important skill. A third benefit is something that we’ve all experienced through exercise – sleep quality is improved. When this occurs, school performance improves.
An important aspect of sports that’s not mentioned as often is how it affects us mentally. Being active causes brain chemicals to be released that improves our mood, contributing to a more relaxed, happy person. (Something many parents with teenagers can appreciate.) A recent UCLA study showed that aerobic activities keep mental skills sharp. It does this by increasing growth factors in the brain as a result of creating new neuron connections: (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15159540). Another study showed that exercise acts as a powerful antidepressant due to more cell growth in the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory : (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15769301).
Go For It!
Speaking from personal experience, playing team sports greatly benefited me in the ways mentioned above. My mental focus and ability to problem-solve is strongest when I’m active. It’s very likely that playing sports regularly is the reason I started loving subjects such as math. This type of physical activity may be the reason your child starts loving math, too!