Benefits and added value of sport and physical activity in primary education

They then cite studies showing that:

• Children nowadays not only exercise less, but also move less skillfully.
• Both physical fitness and motor skills have declined.
• A larger proportion of primary school children in the Netherlands have poorer motor skills than children of the same age before the lockdown.

Based on the studies, the Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity compiled an overview of the five most important arguments for primary schools to focus on more and better physical activity.

1. Health

Sport and physical activity are beneficial for children aged 4 to 12 in many ways. There is convincing scientific evidence that sufficient physical activity has positive effects on children's physical and mental health. In children, sufficient physical activity reduces the risk of depressive symptoms, has beneficial effects on bone quality and improves insulin sensitivity. Endurance training improves fitness and strength training increases muscle strength in children. In addition, plenty of physical activity helps children maintain a healthy weight.

More physical activity in and around school helps children meet the physical activity guidelines and is therefore good for their health. The foundation is sufficient physical education. Provide at least two lesson hours for years three through eight. More physical activity in and around school can be achieved by structurally focusing on active transport, encouraging active playground games during breaks, using energizers, offering programmes involving active learning and organising after-school activities. Adjustments to the school building and its surroundings also contribute to more physical activity.

2. Cognitive development

In recent years, more and more has become known about the relationship between physical activity and children's cognitive development. For example, there is evidence of positive effects of prolonged physical activity on blood flow to the brain and the development of brain structure.

The positive effect of physical activity on cognition has led to a number of important findings that support the added value of more physical activity at school. For example, short-term physical activity breaks have an immediate effect, particularly on improving attention. Structurally engaging in more physical activity leads to other benefits, such as better health, greater self-confidence and well-being, without compromising academic performance. There are good indications that when schools structurally focus on prolonged and regular physical activity, this also leads to better numeracy skills. Research also exists on combining physical activity with subjects such as language and world orientation; the effects there are still less conclusive. Finally, school leaders, teachers and pupils report experiencing improvements in the classroom and are enthusiastic about the effect of additional time for physical activity.

To achieve the positive effects of physical activity on children's cognitive development, schools can implement an active school day: the dynamic school day. This can be done by encouraging active transport to and from school – walking or cycling – introducing active breaks, and, above all, organising good and sufficient physical education lessons and after-school sports activities. Use energizers so that children move between lessons and allow children to move during lessons.

3. Social-emotional development

Children's social-emotional development involves learning to deal with their own feelings, such as disappointments and successes, responding appropriately to the feelings of others and learning to work together. Children who engage in plenty of physical activity are less likely to experience emotional problems. This includes anxiety and depressive symptoms. This is mainly because physical activity has a positive effect on self-image. Research also shows a positive relationship between physical activity and social acceptance, giving children a greater sense of belonging to a group. In addition, sports and physical activity lead to more social interactions. This, in turn, has a positive effect on social skills. In short, sport and physical activity have a positive effect on social-emotional development.

School provides an excellent opportunity to stimulate social-emotional development. Self-image is, for example, enhanced through good motor development and experiencing success during sports and physical activities in a safe setting. This happens especially when (subject) teachers differentiate their physical education lessons according to skill level and social interactions. Also consider (supervised) playground games during breaks and offering after-school activities for vulnerable groups, such as children with few social contacts.

4. Motor skills and lifelong physical activity

Children who engage in sufficient and varied physical activity at a young age in a challenging and varied environment generally have better overall motor skills than children who are less active and move less diversely. By sufficient physical activity, we mean children who meet the physical activity guidelines. The greatest development of these basic motor skills takes place largely up to and including around the age of eight, but continues beyond primary school age. Well-developed motor skills are important for developing and maintaining an active lifestyle. In other words, enjoying sufficient and varied physical activity ensures that children are not only more physically active now, but especially also fitter later in life.

A physical education lesson at school is the most important place for many children to receive explicit attention to motor skills and is therefore an important cornerstone for lifelong physical activity. A qualified and competent subject teacher, preferably starting from kindergarten, is indispensable in this regard. Pupils taught by a physical education specialist develop better motor skills than pupils taught by class teachers with ‘only’ a qualification to teach physical education. Challenge children with playground games and after-school activities to further develop their motor skills. By using a pupil tracking system and/or motor skills tests, appropriate learning support and/or (after-school) activities can be offered to children with a motor delay or children who enjoy physical activity less.

5. Well-being

Sport and physical activity have a positive effect on mental well-being. Research shows that people who engage in more sport and physical activity, including children, are generally more satisfied with their lives and feel happier than people who are physically inactive. Sport and physical activity also contribute to enjoyment and conviviality. These positive effects of sport and physical activity can be explained by psychological factors, such as relaxation, experiencing success and social interaction, but also by physiological mechanisms, such as the production of endorphins, which act as painkillers and create feelings of happiness and euphoria. It appears that exercising and engaging in physical activity together has a particularly strong relationship with mental well-being. Research also shows that moderate-intensity physical activity is most likely to improve a sense of well-being.

Exercising and engaging in physical activity together at school helps increase children's enjoyment and mental well-being at school. Above all, provide good physical education lessons and organise supervised, active breaks and appropriate after-school activities. In all these activities, it is important to emphasise enjoyment and to involve committed and professional (subject) teachers, while ensuring that all children can participate.

This is a summary. Read the full article on the Alles over Sport website.