National School Sports Week

This week is important because it celebrates schools all over the country participating in P.E. Since National School Sports Week was established in 2008, more than 5000 schools take part in physical activity, with more than 1.8 million pupils participating across the country!

Why is it important?

The 24th – 28th June highlights the importance of young people keeping active, especially during the long hours of learning whilst at school. That’s why it is important to have a lesson of at least one hour of physical activity per week, alongside studying.

Encouraging children to get active and participate in sports at school is what this week is all about, as well as keeping active in general. There are so many different types of sports to try, from swimming to gymnastics and tennis, there is something out there for everyone.

This week is also the women’s football world cup, so why not give football a go?

There are so many benefits of sports and exercise, including, increasing the ability to focus; stimulating brain growth, improving mental health and communication, and boosting cognitive performance.

But how do we know all this?

A study conducted with mice (Van Pragg et al. 1999), compared inactive mice with mice that ran 3 miles per night on an exercise wheel. The physical mice showed dramatic brain growth. Learning and memory was doubled compared to the dormant mice. This goes to show that exercise is therefore good for both the brain and the body.

Physical activity is also known to improve mood by releasing endorphins to the brain. A positive mindset is certainly important for learning.

Mind and Body

As well as keeping the body in shape, it is vital to keep exercising the brain, too. Especially during the six week summer holidays, to keep children on-track with learning.

Students attending the Croydon StudyBox centre get one free hour of playtime, using the on-site facilities, before or after their tuition. What better time to make use of this than during National School Sports Week? There are also two other centres in Wallington and Sutton. Did we mention that new members get a free trial?

Follow our Facebook page!