Have heard this from a lot of parents and adults: Kids today dont play because they are watching TV and playing videogames all day! No wonder they are getting obese!
I believe the real reason is the other way round.
Kids want to play. Try throwing a ball at your kid and playing with him (really playing - not going through the motions!). See if he asks you for TV or a video game after that.
Kids are designed to play. Today's urban context has ruined the playing experience.
Traffic, restricted spaces, unreasonable neighbors, no playgrounds, ill-maintained lawns (the list goes on) has ruined the playing experience of our children. It is just not FUN to play as a kid any more.
As adults, we get ourselves expensive gym and club memberships - but will not spend the same amount of time, energy, money to make our kids experiences better.
Kids are therefore voting with their feet. They are going to the experiences that are definitely more fun. And TV and Videogames are definitely more fun than watching if you will get run-over by a car all the time while you are playing.
So, lets improve our kids' playing experiences - and you will find they are not watching TV anymore!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sports Education
So, what is Sports Education?
Education about Sports? Teaching kids about the various sports and their rules?
or is it really about ensuring that kids stay healthy and fit for life through the magic of sport. The magic that helps kids deal with the challenges of growing up as well as adult life. In case you have forgotten, childhood was not all that rosy as we like to believe. It was tough - dealing with the school bully, peer pressure, exam stress; not to mention the age when girls came into the picture, performance on the sports field, wanting to be part of the "cool" gang in school etc.
Sports helps kids in many ways.
At a very basic, functional level, it helps kids stay healthy & fit.
At a softer skill level, it helps kids learn about how to lose well, how to win well, how to set goals, how to show a vision, how to be part of a team etc - stuff that no classroom teaches. Stuff that really helps when you grow up. Ask a bunch of leaders in society or in business - and you will find out that the stuff that really got them to where they are today was definitely not their degrees.
As adults, we have failed in providing our kids something very simple : A place to play.
Kids need a combination of structured play (that ensures they learn the right skills at the right age) and unstructured play (where kids make their own rules, learn to resolve disputes, work with constraints etc)
Sports Education can help by ensuring that our schools deliver a physical education and sports program that atleast takes care of the structured play bit.
Education about Sports? Teaching kids about the various sports and their rules?
or is it really about ensuring that kids stay healthy and fit for life through the magic of sport. The magic that helps kids deal with the challenges of growing up as well as adult life. In case you have forgotten, childhood was not all that rosy as we like to believe. It was tough - dealing with the school bully, peer pressure, exam stress; not to mention the age when girls came into the picture, performance on the sports field, wanting to be part of the "cool" gang in school etc.
Sports helps kids in many ways.
At a very basic, functional level, it helps kids stay healthy & fit.
At a softer skill level, it helps kids learn about how to lose well, how to win well, how to set goals, how to show a vision, how to be part of a team etc - stuff that no classroom teaches. Stuff that really helps when you grow up. Ask a bunch of leaders in society or in business - and you will find out that the stuff that really got them to where they are today was definitely not their degrees.
As adults, we have failed in providing our kids something very simple : A place to play.
Kids need a combination of structured play (that ensures they learn the right skills at the right age) and unstructured play (where kids make their own rules, learn to resolve disputes, work with constraints etc)
Sports Education can help by ensuring that our schools deliver a physical education and sports program that atleast takes care of the structured play bit.
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