The Quality of Physical Education in Young Children

The quality of physical education in young children

Schquana Stanford

PED212

Prof: Heather Miller

11-21-2011

It is very important that the youth of this nation continue to be healthy and

Physical educated. In this paper I will discuss some qualities of physical education in young children and give two positive issues. As a teacher one must have a plan to in my paper I will discuss what plan I will take as a teacher to access and improve the motor skills of my students in physical education. Students are not the only one who are presented with issues teachers and parent are when trying to provide good physical education, and I will discuss some of those issues also.

Two qualities that physical education has on young children both positive are the decrease in obesity children and self-discipline (Pangrazi & Beighle, pg. 8). Obesity and overweight among our country's youth is a growing and troubling problem. The percentage of children ages 6-11 that are overweight has more than doubled in the past twenty years, and the percentage of teens that are overweight has more than tripled during the same period (Plaza, 2004). It is estimated that 15% of 6-19 year olds are obese and more than 10% of children 2-5 years old are obese (Zametkin et al., 2004). This is likely due to poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity. Contrary to conditions in the past, many children now stay inside after school and watch television or play video games instead of playing outside. Most students no longer ride their bikes to school or come home for lunch. Portion sizes in restaurants have grown and schools no longer provide enough healthy food options. These lifestyle changes are resulting in over 9 million children being classified as overweight, and African American and Latino children are grossly over-represented in these numbers (Satcher, 2005). Physical education helps slow down the percentage of obese children. Overweight children grow in to overweight adults. A program like physical education encourages active behavior and it helps children understand the importance of proper weight management. Regular physical activity is associated with a healthier, longer life style, and with a lower` risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and most of all obesity. Despite all the benefits of physical activity, most school-aged children in this country are inactive. Lack of physical activity has also contributed to a sharp increase in childhood obesity in the last decade. Given the fact that regular physical activity will help younger people stay healthier, and is an essential component of childhood development, it is important that this be included as part of the regular school curriculum. It is important that parents work hard at home with their kids in teaching them to be physical, so that they are not overweight when attending physical education. Overweight children have a hard time performing in physical education. A study showed that overweight children were less proficient at performing motor skills because deadweight reduces relative strength (Pangrazi & Beighle, pg. 26). Being overweight takes a toll on a child mentally and physically to where the feel that they are unable to do some activities like running. I feel that it should be clear to everyone physical education does a lot to prevent kids from being obese. Physical education helps with decreasing the percentage of obese children and also helps with self-discipline. Daily physical education and activity allows students to acquire skills and attitudes necessary for lifelong participation in physical activity. Physical activity is a proven treatment strategy for obesity and may also be effective to prevent future obesity. High student physical activity levels are associated with higher grades, less substance abuse and healthier psychological profile. (http://www.nationalguidelines.org/guideline_print.cfm?chap=3)

Physical education is essential to a student's total education. Planned, successfully-conducted physical education programs can provide many benefits for children and adolescents. These include improved levels of physical fitness, self-discipline, enhanced self-confidence, development of many skills, and reinforcement of knowledge learned in other subject areas. Physical activity has been correlated with physical and emotional health, such as better relationships, less depression, fewer risk-taking behaviors, and higher grades. Inactive adults show increased rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and certain cancers, all of which can lead to premature illness and death. Physical education should be offered every day to provide sufficient teaching time and ample opportunities for students to learn skills and be physically active (http://www.nationalguidelines.org/guideline_print.cfm?chap=3). Physical education can be a major force in helping children socialize with others successfully and provide opportunities to learn positive people skills. Especially during late childhood and adolescence, being able to participate in dances, games and sports is an important part of peer culture. Although both obesity and self-discipline can be improved in children while they are attending physical education there are many issues that teachers, parents, administrators are faced with as they relate to providing quality physical education. An issue that has been around for years is budget constraints. Barriers to implementing comprehensive health education programs including physical education are abundant. Gaining administrative and government support for