Schools is where knowledge is passed on to younger minds. But as the Roman saying goes: “Mens sana en corpore sano” (A healthy mind in a healthy body), it is impossible to separate both. However, budgets being restricted, some schools invest less in sports equipment than they should. Here is why they ought to review their stance and provide more sports facilities to their students.
Sport Keeps Children in School
Not all students get good grades. Some don’t spend enough time studying, while for others learning is harder. In this case, many tend to leave school early as they can’t keep up with the group and lose interest. However, a school that offers great sports facilities, such as tennis court halls, an ice skating rink and more can motivate the students who are best in this area, while making sure they complete their studies. Not everyone will end up becoming doctors and lawyers once they arrive on the job market, but this doesn’t diminish the importance of the learning process which everyone should complete to acquire the basis necessary to function in our society. Sport can be the factor that will enable those with weaker grades to go through the whole process.
Sport Creates Good Habits
Good habits are created at a young age, and some will last a lifetime. In school, some routines are created through sports activities. It is a well-known fact that to succeed in sport, you must repeat the same exact movements and practice them in action, over and over again. We all learn how to use a ball to play with under the playground canopy of our elementary school, but we develop our skill through the sport that interest us the much later on, whether it’d be tennis, football, basketball or volleyball. Our trainers teach us how to handle the ball through repeating a given movement. The understanding of the importance of this repetition is what enables our brain to understand that forming good habits is key to a successful life. Students who are able to practice lots of sports are also more prone to remain physically active throughout their lives; an important factor when you want to live in a sane body.
Sport Helps to Develop Social Skills
Sport is most often played in groups. It requires an intense interaction between all participants, which facilitates the development of social skills. Students who enter into team sports will often become leader of their schools. That is because they have acquired the ability to communicate with fellow students much better than others, having to do it regularly on the field with teammates. When school teams go on the road to play games, players spend more time together and develop human bonds. They also get to meet other people from outside their school, which opens-up their mind to the rest of the world.
Sport is a Necessity for Mental Health and Well-being
Studying is important when you are at school, but students also need to find a way to let go and relax, away from the books and the internet. Sport is precisely what they need, as it enables them to push their bodies to their natural limits, forgetting all about the rest for a few hours. Once the physical activity is completed, students can head back home and benefit from a good night of sleep to replenish their energy. The next day, they can go back to their seats in front of their various teachers, with an increase capacity to learn thanks to the release that sport has brought them.
Schools should definitely make physical education a priority in their establishment. By promoting an active lifestyle, schools will help improve their students’ physical and mental well-being, which should also reflect positively in their academic performance.