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Better let your child play for his own good

“One thing teachers and parents have to understand is that sacrificing physical education for classroom time does not improve academic performance. It is found that activity breaks can improve cognitive performance and classroom behaviour. In that note we can conclude that there is no negative impact of sporting activity on education,” he asserts.

Kunal Bhatia is a commerce student who loves to play cricket almost every evening after school. Giving him company in the parking lot of the residential apartment are neighbourhood peers.

“I love watching it, I love playing it, I love everything about it. It’s a good workout for me,” says the 16-year-old, who also plays for his school’s cricket team.

As some of his friends are away for the holidays, Kunal says that other than cricket, he finds alternative activities — like jogging — to keep himself busy and stay fit.

His mother, Shweta, says her son doesn’t come home until he is covered in sweat.

“When he comes back (home), he takes a shower and goes straight to his room to finish his homework, and then sits on the computer. I don’t know where all the energy comes from but my son maintains good grades in his class,” she reveals.

She adds that earlier she and her husband used to discourage him from playing out of worry that he would give more importance to the game than studies. But they later stopped after a family discussion.

Youth involved in physical activity have an improved level of focus and temperament, according to Dr. Kumar. “Kids doing physical activity have better brain function and nourishment compared with those not doing it. They have generally higher concentration levels, higher energy and increased self-esteem. This is mainly because of the improved blood circulation to brain during activity, changes in hormone level and improved nutrient intake,” he explains.

Another aspect that comes to mind are the injuries inflicted during games that may force a student to take breaks from school, miss classes and may adversely affect their overall academic performance.

Dr Manoj weighs out what is normally frowned upon by parents into a long-term positive.

“If it (sports) involves contact sports like rugby, there is likelihood of injuries and associated loss of study hours. In my opinion this cannot be seen as disadvantage compared with the negative effects of lack of physical activity. Remember, there are more than 50 medical conditions directly or indirectly associated with obesity,” he says.

He also suggests sports-active youth to take care of their health and dietary needs in order to perform well and avoid deficiencies.

“Also important is the kids’ eating habits during activity. If physical instructors and teachers think that putting them on some kind of beverages (mainly sports beverages) is essential then that would produce a negative impact on their health, as most of them are high calorie junk foods,” he explains.

The importance of sports is gaining momentum within the country as some educational institutes, such as the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), are offering yearly scholarships for talented sportsmen where applicants are required to achieve 65 per cent marks in each subject and of course, represent a sports team to qualify. 


farhana@khaleejtimes.com