Sport and physical activity in pre-school

Physical activity is vital for a child’s development and lays the foundation for a healthy and active life.Research has shown that the involvement of children in physical activity who have experienced trauma significantly reduced mental health problems – “increased levels of physical activity had significant effects in reducing depression, anxiety, psycho- logical distress, and emotional disturbance in children” (Ahn & Fedewa, 2011, p. 393). Furthermore, Ahn and Fedewa identified that “studies also showed that physical activity increased children’s levels of self-esteem”, and that these results mirror studies done with adults.

“When designing physical activity interventions for children, this study showed that individualized- or class- wide interventions had the greatest effect on children’s mental health. When the intervention was led by teachers, researchers, or PE specialists, children showed the significant reduction in mental health problems through physical activity” (Ahn and Fedwa, 2011, p. 394).

References:

Ahn, S., & Fedewa, A. (2011). A Meta-analysis of the Relationship Between Children’s Physical Activity and Mental Health Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 36 (4), 385-397 DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsq107

Spark. (2011). The importance of early childhood activity. Retrieved from http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/the-importance-of-early-childhood-activity/

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