A child who makes it across the monkey bars for the first time can feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. A child who invents a game other children enjoy will admire their own creativity. Playgrounds are a great way for children to explore and develop their sense of self.
Physical activity has lots of health benefits for children.
It:
1. Strengthens children’s bones, muscles, hearts and lungs.
2. Improves children’s coordination, balance, posture and flexibility.
3. Helps children stay at a healthy weight.
Physical activity also boosts children’s well-being. For example, active children are more likely to:
a. Be confident and feel like they belong.
b. Be relaxed and sleep well.
c. Concentrate better at school.
d. Get along with others and make friends quickly.
e. Share, take turns and cooperate.
Jumping rope is also an excellent motor skill-building activity. Since kids have to pick up their feet simultaneously while jumping rope, it builds bilateral motor coordination. Jumping rope for beginners also takes a lot of concentration, which helps kids hone their ability to focus.
Swinging forward with their legs tucked up helps children improve and develop the correct posture. They will also improve body strength at the same time. In the meantime, they also train to attain complete control over their balance and hand-eye coordination.
“Just as we have to prepare a special environment for sport, like a tennis court, if we are to play tennis, the child must be given the means for the kind of exercise necessary for his life. The small child must have the opportunity for movement. ” – Maria Montessori
“Movement, or physical activity, is thus an essential factor in intellectual growth, which depends upon the impressions received from outside. Through movement, we come in contact with external reality, and it is through these contacts that we eventually acquire even abstract ideas.” – Maria Montessori.
Children who enjoy sports and exercise tend to stay active throughout their lives. And staying fit can improve how kids do at school, build self-esteem, prevent obesity, and decrease the risk of serious illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease later in life.
