The Importance of Physical Education: 5 Reasons Why PE is Necessary

You may joke that PE is only good for getting hit with dodgeballs, but some of your most important habits were formed at this stage in your life.

The importance of physical education can't be stressed enough. Here are 5 reasons how PE shapes a child's life.

1. Lowers Risk of Childhood Obesity

Why is physical education important now more than ever? According to a global study done in 2016, roughly 340 million children were categorized as overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has catastrophic effects on children's health that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

In order to understand the importance of physical education in schools, we need to look at it as a toolbox. A child who is active every day and learns about nutrition is a lot more equipped to fight the obesity epidemic than a child whose school doesn't offer this course.

2. Improves Mental Health

Another crucial reason why physical education is important is that exercise does wonders for mental health. Childhood and adolescence are stressful and confusing times. Children's bodies are undergoing intense transformations, kids are worrying about how to fit in, and academic pressures are overwhelming.

PE is a break in children's and teens' hectic days where they can release pent up anxiety, get some endorphins pumping, and bond with their classmates.

3. Heightens Classroom Performance

Can the importance of physical education actually compete with the classroom? As it turns out, kids who have a short period to exercise learn more than the kids who are in the classroom all day. Exercise improves brain activity, which allows children to concentrate and absorb materials better.

4. Importance of Physical Education and Dietary Habits

Why is PE important if it cuts into valuable learning time? Aside from improving their classroom performance for the rest of the day, many physical education classes also have a classroom component. Fitness is only one half of the wellness equation, and PE teachers want to teach kids about the importance of nutrition, too.

Students who learn about nutrition are more likely to make better eating choices. Since we all know that bad habits are hard to break, forming good habits at a young age is the best way to achieve lifelong health.

5. Importance of Physical Education and Self-Esteem

When children are trying to find their place in a world where others judge them for their appearance, staying active can help them feel good about themselves. Students who are able to push their bodies to new limits can't help but feel confident and proud of their hard work.

Learning how to respect your body by giving it the right fuel and exercise it needs is also another way of discovering how to love yourself.

Ready to Get Moving?

Now that you understand the importance of physical education, you should work towards helping every child get excited about exercise. If you want a fun way to motivate kids, you should reward them.

Trophiesplusmedals is a family-run business inspired to help every child feel good about their achievements. If you have any questions about how our services can be the highlight of any children's day, please contact us.