Tag: Sportz Village Schools

Business World

Schools are Gradually Reopening – Should they start Physical Education andSports too?

Mar 2, 2021 by Neel Achary 0 Comments #Business Head, #Institute of Youth Sports, #Krish Iyengar, #Sportz Village Schools

The year 2021 has started on a positive note with schools in several states of India re-opening, in a staggered manner. However, it is of utmost importance that school leaders give sports and physical education the same priority as academics, especially in the current scenario.

Along with several physical and mental health benefits, sports and nutrition are the two elements that can boost a child’s immunity. World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 60 minutes of reasonably rigorous playtime every day for a growing child to be healthier and fitter. Moreover, according to a 2019 study in the US, children who were not involved in exercising were twice as likely to have mental health problems such as anxiety and depression compared to their counterparts.

In addition to reducing anxiety and depression among children, sports or play also helps with stress reduction, improvement in confidence and higher self-esteem. The reason being any physical activity or sports help produce endorphins within the body that leads one to feel happy and positive. Additionally, by instilling the values of sportsmanship, discipline, and leadership, play or sport also becomes instrumental in the social-emotional development of children.

Sports or physical education not only contribute to a child’s health, immunity, and fitness but also to his/her academic performance. Physical education or sports is an important part of modern education. There are several studies that prove a direct and positive correlation between sports and academic performance.

For instance, “According to research done by Budde et.al, aerobically fit students are 2.4 times more likely to pass math tests and more than twice as likely to pass reading tests than those who are not fit. Also, 20-40 minutes of brisk walking is said to improve mathematical performance in children.”

Moreover, studies have also shown that participation in sports on a weekly basis is associated with higher GPAs in English and Mathematics.

Sports can also be used as a tool to meaningfully engage with children and improve their attention span, attendance, and peer relationships. Additionally, studies have also shown that structured physical activity can improve a child’s classroom behavior by approximately 20%5.

According to the Institute of Youth Sports 20096, most children enjoyed going to school after the inclusion of sports in their timetable.

Sports or play helps build the 21st century skills in children. Play also helps develop the 3Cs of learning in children- Critical thinking, Collaboration and Creativity. Various concepts of science and math such as speed, velocity, gravity, and kinetic energy etc. can be taught to children with the help of sports.

Commenting on the importance of integrating sports with academics, Krish Iyengar, Business Head, Sportz Village Schools, said, “It is heartening to note that the National Education Policy 2020 includes sports and physical activity as an integral part of the education of a child.Integrating play or sports in the core academic curriculum will help educators better understand the thought process and the learning process of a child. Play can also be an instrumental tool to develop formative assessments that focuses on the 360-degree development of a child.”

Business World

Let Children be Children : SportzVillage underlines the importance of physical activity during these trying times

Oct 21, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #physical activity, #Play At Home’, #Saumil Majmudar, #Sportz Village, #Sportz Village Schools

With no end in sight to the school shutdowns, it is even more necessary than before to focus on the overall well-being and health of children. The children are under increasing pressure to outperform their peer’s due to shrinking opportunities and rising competition. The pandemic has worsened this situation even further, as the kids are left with no way to decrease their stress.

The continuous exposure to laptop and phone screens has had a negative impact on their health and it has led to an increase in obesity and laziness levels as well as deformities in their posture. Physical Activity has taken a hit at a time when it is required the most. The lack of exercise has affected the cognitive development and socio-behavioural skills of children. In a bid to set their child apart from others of the same age group, parents are enrolling their kids into more and more online courses which leads to an increase in the screen time along with an increase in mental pressure.

Keeping this in mind, Sportz Village Schools, India’s No. 1 sports education organization, had launched the ‘Play At Home’ program, which is going stronger by the day. The Play At Home program is designed to integrate seamlessly into a school’s online curriculum and help keep kids physically active and stress free.

Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder, CEO and Managing Director of Sportz Village said “It is extremely important to keep our children fit and happy during this trying time. Through the ‘Play At Home’ program, children will not only be fit, active, healthy and happy but also would get an opportunity to do fun activities along with their parents.”

WHO GUILDELINES FOR PHYSICAL FITNESS.

The world health organization stresses the importance of physical fitness and recommends that all kids and adults should take part in some form of physical activity, thereby adjusting the form and duration of the exercise to cater to their needs.

Physical presence in the playgrounds is not possible and people need to find new ways to keep their kids active. The WHO recommends a few methods like online exercise classes as a way to remain physically active even at home. These activities can be sustained during and post the pandemic. They also recommend engaging in stay-at-home physical activities that are not digitally driven.

The ‘Play At Home’ program is designed in a manner that will help the children to be active, healthy and happy while they are at home. The program contains age-appropriate activities and tasks that are helpful to maintain the physical, emotional as well as mental well-being of the children. The program contains online-live physical activity sessions as well as the ‘leaderboard’ platform through which trainers can assign tasks and monitor the activity levels of children.

Sportz Village’s ‘Play At Home’ initiative has also been applauded and supported by many of its partner schools as well.