Did you know that nutrition, exercise, and sleep significantly influence academic progress? A healthy lifestyle is built on three pillars: diet, exercise, and sleep, and improving all three can benefit both physical and mental health. For children’s strong growth, healthy development, and lifetime welfare, a good diet, sound sleep, and adequate exercise are essential.
Why Regular Exercise is Essential for School Kids?
Physical activity is crucial for a child’s proper development and growth. The benefits of exercise for children are similar to those for adults. Exercise improves memory and focus, aids in weight control, lowers the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol later in life, and strengthens bones and muscles. Moreover, exercise releases endorphins that improve mental health by creating positive emotions.
Finding an activity that a child is interested in is key. Activities such as karate, dance, cricket, or badminton, which a child is likely to enjoy, can help increase their desire to continue the activity. Physical activity can also enhance academic performance. Physically active students tend to have higher grades, attendance rates, memory scores, and classroom behaviours, such as staying on task. Moreover, higher levels of physical exercise and fitness are linked to better cognitive functioning, such as focus and memory, in students.
Making physical activities more fun and spending time with the family can also be beneficial. If children witness their parents exercising, they are more likely to follow suit. Parents act as role models, so taking children to the park or making it a point to dance promotes physical activity in them.
Why is Good Nutrition Essential for School Kids?
Nutrition is a crucial component of brain development. While we have all heard of “brain foods”, the foods we consume have a significant impact on how well our brains function. A child’s diet directly affects their capacity for cognitive function and academic performance.
With the abundance of sugar, salt, and fat in modern diets, it is crucial to restrict these foods in children’s diets, even though they may crave them. Childhood eating habits often carry over into adulthood and contribute to various health issues as people age.
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Access to fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious options improves children’s academic performance. Eating a healthy breakfast also provides children with more energy to concentrate on learning in class or at home, especially in preparation for exams.
A balanced diet benefits a child’s developing body, as well as other aspects of their lives, such as their capacity for learning, behaviour, and sleep quality. Children cannot flourish emotionally or psychologically if they do not receive appropriate sustenance to support their bodily needs.
Many children are fussy eaters and have a limited range of acceptable foods. If parents describe their child as a fussy eater, the child may adopt this definition and limit their food choices. Instead, involve the child in selecting recipes, shopping for ingredients, and cooking. This can increase their interest in trying new foods.
Why Adequate Sleep is a Must for School Kids?
Compared to their well-rested classmates, children and teenagers who sleep less than 8 hours a night are more likely to receive lower grades. When they are fatigued or tired, the child’s cognitive skills, such as memory, creativity, and decision-making, are impacted. Additionally, they may become irritable, gruff, or impatient due to their inability to concentrate when studying.
According to Heather Turgeon, a sleep expert, Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) and co-founder of the Happy Sleeper sleep method, “growth hormone is typically released during sleep, so sleep-deprived children may not grow to their full potential.” Turgeon claims that this is true regardless of whether it is during the crucial early childhood period of massive growth and pruning or the equally important final stage of brain restructuring and refinement that occurs during the teenage years. Fitful or low levels of sleep have a negative impact on development.
But the benefits of restful sleep go beyond healthy growth. It directly affects mood too. Children of all ages who get enough sleep view the world more positively, experience lower levels of worry and despair, and have better connections with family and friends. Kids who sleep longer have a lower risk of anxiety and depression.
Studies have found a correlation between getting more sleep and getting better school grades and studying effort. During sleep, memory consolidation occurs, and children can retain the information they have learned, which is essential for excellent academic performance.
- Teachers can adopt various strategies to promote healthy behaviour among students, including serving as role models.
- Teachers can encourage their students to eat healthily and engage in after-school physical activities like sports and outdoor pursuits.
- To get students moving, teachers can encourage them to get up from their seats and stretch, and make classroom activities more activity-based.
- Field trips also offer an excellent opportunity to get kids moving and learning outside the classroom.
- Additionally, teachers can speak with parents to encourage them to choose better options for their children in terms of nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
High-calorie, low-nutrient foods, a sedentary lifestyle, and insufficient sleep can negatively impact the health and happiness of younger children and lay the foundation for unhealthy habits in adulthood. What children eat, how they sleep, and how much they move today will have an impact on their health in the future. It is crucial for parents and caregivers to prioritize regular exercise, a healthy diet, and adequate rest, setting an example for children to follow and adopt healthy values.
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