The International School of Choueifat-Cairo
Sports: The Motive Behind Our
Childrens Behavior
Ghada Ehab Ahmed Gouda Soliman
Student ID : 9151
Ms. Khalifa
Date : April 14, 2019
Word Count : 1620
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Abstract
Behavior and behavioral motives vary from a child to another. Many factors contribute to these variations in behavior. Currently noticeable variations in behavior are widely believed to be caused relatively by exposure to social media. Another underlying factor that has been overlooked that affects childrens behavior is sports. Identifying factors that contribute to childrens behavioral motives is important for parents to understand and analyze their childrens behavior.
This leads parents to have a clear understanding of their childrens psychological needs and; therefore, act accordingly to offer their children a healthy environment to grow and mature in. Consequently, this might cause a decline in skyrocketing suicide rates amongst teenagers or young adults. One way parents can offer children tools to build their self-confidence and help them achieve a healthy psychological status is engaging them in a sport of their choice and which parents find fitting for their childrens abilities.
Recent research suggests that engaging in physical activity helps children improve their social and academic abilities. Several studies have been conducted on participants and showed that being a part of an organized sport enhances childrens behavior.
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Outline
Thesis Statement: Behavior and behavioral motives vary from a child to another. Many factors contribute to these variations in behavior. Currently noticeable variations in behavior are widely believed to be caused relatively by exposure to social media. Another underlying factor that has been overlooked that affects childrens behavior is sports.
I. Introduction
Define sports.
Discuss childrens behavior.
Give examples of commonly practiced sports.
Define sports as a motive behind childrens behavior.
II. Effects of a physical activity program on children’s behavior
Discuss the effects of a physical activity program on children’s behavior during academic instruction.
Discuss the participants who were in the activity program.
Explain the Energizer activity program and the procedures that took place.
Discuss the results and outcomes of the program and how it affected childrens on-task behavior.
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Analyze the programs results.
III. Effects of organized sports on childrens social abilities
A.Discuss the effects of organized sports on childrens social abilities.
a. Give examples of limitations and risks.
b. Give examples of benefits.
B.Discuss the benefit-to-risk ratio and analyze sports benefits and risks on childrens lives.
IV. Conclusion
A. Analyze all the studies and observations.
B. Conclude weather sports have a positive or negative impact on childrens lives.
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Behavior and behavioral motives vary from a child to another. Many factors contribute to these variations in behavior. Currently noticeable variations in behavior are widely believed to be caused relatively by exposure to social media. Another underlying factor that has been overlooked that affects childrens behavior is sports. Sports are experimentally proven to improve physical health and fitness. Furthermore, sports enhances mental and psychological health by distracting ones mind from overthinking and anxiety. Applications of this can be seen in societies were sports act as a part of treatment plans for patients with anxiety disorders and depression. Sport (or sports) is all forms of usually competitive physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical ability and skills while providing entertainment to participants, and in some cases, spectators. Sports are usually governed by a set of rules or customs, which serve to ensure fair competition, and allow consistent adjudication of the winner. (Sports). There are many sports that one can choose from. Commonly practiced sports include swimming, aerobatics, basketball, volleyball, and tennis. Sports can help our children overcome lifes struggles and obstacles. When not managed properly, continuous stress and mental tension can not only affect ones psychological health, but can also increase the minds probability of developing thinking and behavioral deformities which can be difficult to manage and tolerate. In 2002, only 9 percent of adults were able to say that the children they saw in public were “respectful toward adults,” according to surveys done then by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan and nonprofit public opinion research group. (Judith Warner). This shows that undesired behavior amongst children is observed in societies. Factors that lead to these behaviors
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range from bullying to even more influencing factors, such as traumatic events. Family psychologists who come in contact with children and parents and listen to stories from different perspectives agreed that one of the leading causes of disrespectful behavior among children is improper parenting. Rude behavior, particularly toward adults, was something for which children had to be chastised, even punished. That has also now changed, said Dan Kindlon, a Harvard University child psychologist and author of “Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age.” Most parents, Dr. Kindlon said, would like their children to be polite, considerate and well behaved. But they’re too tired, worn down by work and personally needy to take up the task of teaching them proper behavior at home. (Judith Warner). Identifying factors that contribute to childrens behavioral variations is important for parents to understand and analyze their childrens behavior. Therefore, parents can have a clear understanding of their childrens psychological needs and, consequently, act accordingly by offering their children a healthy environment to grow and mature in. Most parents are unable to understand their childrens psychological needs and ,therefore, dont follow guidelines set by child psychologists for parenting. To compensate for psychological needs children needed at a young age and still needs, parents should find children sources of support and behavioral education since its parents responsibility of offering children a healthy environment to grow in. Can engaging in physical activity put an end to the crisis? One way parents can offer children tools to build their self-confidence and help them achieve a healthy psychological status is engaging them in a sport of their choice and which parents find fitting for their childrens physical abilities. Recent research suggest that engaging in physical activity helps children improve their social and academic abilities. Studies conducted by groups of experienced physicians on volunteers show that benefits
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of engaging in physical activity include improvements in social interactions, behavioral modifications, and academic grades.
All kindergarten through fourth-grade students (15 classes; three classes per grade level) at a public school in eastern North Carolina participated in a classroom-based physical activity program called Energizers. Energizers are short classroom-based physical activities. By allowing students to stand and move during academic instruction, these activities provide students with an opportunity to increase daily physical activity levels during the school day. The activities last approximately 10 min, integrate grade-appropriate learning materials, involve no equipment, and require little teacher preparation. A multiple baseline across-classrooms design was used to assess whether participation in an Energizers activity affected third- and fourth-grade students’ on-task behavior during academic instruction time. On-task behavior was defined as verbal or motor behavior that followed the class rules and was appropriate to the learning situation. Off-task behavior was any behavior that was not on task and was coded as either motor off-task, noise off-task, or passive/other off-task. On-task behavior was assessed for 30 min during academic instruction time immediately before and for 30 min immediately after students participated in an Energizers activity. The intervention was effective in improving on-task behavior; after the Energizers were systematically implemented, on-task behavior systematically improved. The improvement in on-task behavior of 8% between the pre-Energizers and post-Energizers observations was statistically significant Likewise, the least on-task students improved on-task behavior by 20% after Energizers activities. This improvement was statistically significant and meaningful. The classroom-based physical activity program was effective for increasing daily in-school physical activity and improving on-task behavior during academic instruction.( Mahar et.
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al). The intervention of Energizers activities was effective in enhancing students verbal and motor behavior. This highlights the far-reaching effects of physical activity on childrens behavior and enhancing their ability to focus and perceive information. Moreover, this encourages parents to regard engaging their children in sports as an effective method of enhancing their behavior and offering them a healthy environment. This encourages schools as well to consider offering organized physical activity programs during school hours to enhance students discipline and academic performance.
Participation in organized sports can have physical and social benefits for children. Clearly, the nature of the organization can determine if it has a positive or negative influence. Organization of unstructured sports has potential benefits of coaching, supervision, safety rules, and proper equipment but can also create demands and expectations that exceed the readiness and capabilities of young participants. When the demands of a sport exceed a childs cognitive and physical development, the child may develop feelings of failure and frustration. Even with coaches available to teach rules and skills of a sport, children may not be ready to learn or understand what is being taught. Basic motor skills, such as throwing, catching, kicking, and hitting a ball, do not develop sooner simply as a result of introducing them to children at an earlier age in unstructured sports. In contrast to unstructured or free play, participation in organized sports provides a greater opportunity to develop rules specifically designed for health and safety. Safety accommodations associated with organized youth sports can also include smaller playing fields, shorter contest times, pitch counts for Little League pitchers, softer baseballs, matching opponents by weight in youth football, and adjusting play for extreme climatic conditions. The availability of qualified coaches in organized sports can be a key factor in providing safety and a positive experience.
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Organized sports sessions should be tailored to match the developmental level of participants. Most preschool children have short attention spans and are easily distracted; therefore, exercise sessions should be short and emphasize playfulness, experimentation, and exploration of a wide variety of movement experiences. A reasonable format would consist of no longer than 15 to 20 minutes of structured activity combined with 30 minutes of free play. Instructing younger children using a show-and-tell format with physical demonstration may be more effective than with verbal instruction. Organized sports for children and preadolescents provide an opportunity for increased physical activity and an opportunity to learn sports and team skills in an environment where risks of participation can potentially be controlled.(Washington et. al). This highlights that parents should keenly choose sport organizations for children. Engaging children in unorganized sports can negatively affect their psychological health and lower their self-esteem. On the other hand, organized sports allows development of motor skills, social interaction, creativity, and enjoyment for participants. Participation in organized sports provides a greater opportunity to develop rules specifically designed for health and safety. Effects of participating in organized sports include acquisition of basic motor skills, increasing physical activity levels, learning social skills necessary to work as a team, learning good sportsmanship, and having fun. Parents should have confidence in engaging their children in organized sports where rules are designed for physical and emotional health and safety as it teaches them skills necessary for becoming fruitful members of their society.
Childrens current behavior is reportedly uncivil and disrespectful towards adults and even among children themselves. Other than limiting factors that lead to childrens ill behavior, actions can be taken by societies to help children develop morals that they are expected to have. Studies carried out by professional physicians in school environments shows that organized physical
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activity has more outreaching psychological effects other than just improving physical health. Engaging children in organized sports held inside or outside schools is statistically proven to teach children verbal and motor skills such as appropriate social interaction skills, skills necessary to work as a team, sportsmanship skills, and leadership skills. Parents, guardians, school principals, and other members of societies should look forward to enhancing their communities overall welfare by helping children out of nowadays-corruptive behavior by limiting factor that led to behavioral issues and believing that engaging them in organized physical activity is an effective method of enhancing their behavior and offering them a healthy environment. Members of societies should have confidence in organized sports far-reaching effects on childrens physical and mental health and motivate children to participate in organized sports. Organized sport facilities should be available to children worldwide. Childrens potential abilities can contribute to the worlds welfare only when guided to the right direction.
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Works Cited
Mahar, Matthew, Sheila Murphy, David Rowe, Jeannie Golden, A. Shields, and Thomas Raedeke. “Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on Physical Activity and On-Task B.” Nycphysicaleducation.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2019. <
“Sports.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2019. <
Warner, Judith. “Kids Gone Wild.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Nov. 2005. Web. 30 Mar. 2019. <
Washington, Reginald, MD, David Bernhardt, MD, Jorge Gomez, MD, Miriam Johnson, MD, Thomas Martin, MD, Thomas Rowland, MD, Eric Small, MD, Claire LeBlanc, MD, Carl Krein, AT,PT, Robert Malina, PhD, Judith Young, Phd, Frederick Reed, MD, Steven Anderson, MD, Stephen Bolduc, MD, Oded Bar-Or, MD, Howard Taras, MD, David Cimino, MD, Jane McGrath, MD, Robert Murray, MD, Wayne Yankus, MD, Thomas Young, MD, Missy Fleming, PhD, Maureen Glendon, RNCS, MSN, CRNP, Lois Harrison-Jones, EdD, Jerald Newberry, MEd, Evan Pattishall, III, MD, Mary Vernon, MD, MPH, Linda Wolfe, RN, BSN, MEd, CSN, and Su Li, MPA. “Organized Sports for Children and Preadolescents.” Pediatrics.aappublications.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2019. <