The Growing Connection Between Physical Activity and Brain and Emotional Development in Children
First Presenter's Institution
Fitbit
First Presenter's Brief Biography
After receiving my Master in Social Work, specializing in Child and Family, I worked with a variety of children experiencing emotional trauma from witnessing abuse. I have always wondered how physical activity impacts the development in children. After working with schools for the past 8 years with Fitbit, I have seen and experienced a lot of data and examples how the relationship is extremely strong, yet often unnoticed.
Document Type
Event
Primary Strand
Social-Emotional Learning
Relevance to Primary Strand
I will dive deeply looking at how an increase in physical activity in children can significantly impact learning, memory, focus, and creativity in children. Also, exercise has recently been positively compared to Zoloft in treating depression in children, yet ever far safer. Different ways to get children more active in class with be discussed and shared among the audience.
Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics
Student Learning and Development
Brief Program Description
We have recently seen an influx of data that strongly suggests the increasing connection between physical activity and brain and social development in children. With obesity and screen time skyrocketing during Covid, we look at some strategies to reverse these trends to optimize the learning experience for children in the classroom.
Summary
We tend to view exercise as having immense benefit to the cardiovascular system, and while true, the impact to the brain, via cognition and emotional development is just as prominent if not more. We are observing numerous studies show that physical activity promotes better learning, memory, and focus in children, while also lessening anxiety and depression symptoms!
Kids today take 90 seconds longer to run a mile than their parents, and screen time in children has doubled since COVID. Physical education requirements have been extremely inconsistent throughout the country.
We will look at how a school district outside Chicago used a significant increase in physical activity among their student population to substantially increase test scores and reduce school fights! I will take an in-depth look at how schools can step outside the box to use physical activity to best utilize the cognitive and social development in children, and I want an interactive audience to discuss among themselves techniques they can use to increase activity. Finally, I will briefly describe how a virtual Charter School in California, Elite Academic, has used Fitbit to transform the engagement and health of their students and staff.
Evidence
I have compiled data from numerous studies over the past 10 years that show these connections. The findings are evidence based, and not influenced by personal work I do with schools.
Learning Objective 1
understand that learning, memory, behavior, concentration, anxiety and depression symptoms are all heavily impacted by physical activity.
Learning Objective 2
recognize the shifts in children behavior since Covid from increased screen time.
Learning Objective 3
Discuss and learn from one another how to maximize the classroom experience to increase activity.
Learning Objective 4
Notice the shifts of removing recess and PE from the child's schedule, and learn about the impacts.
Recommended Citation
Schmidt, Tim, "The Growing Connection Between Physical Activity and Brain and Emotional Development in Children" (2023). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 31.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2023/2023/31
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
The Growing Connection Between Physical Activity and Brain and Emotional Development in Children
We tend to view exercise as having immense benefit to the cardiovascular system, and while true, the impact to the brain, via cognition and emotional development is just as prominent if not more. We are observing numerous studies show that physical activity promotes better learning, memory, and focus in children, while also lessening anxiety and depression symptoms!
Kids today take 90 seconds longer to run a mile than their parents, and screen time in children has doubled since COVID. Physical education requirements have been extremely inconsistent throughout the country.
We will look at how a school district outside Chicago used a significant increase in physical activity among their student population to substantially increase test scores and reduce school fights! I will take an in-depth look at how schools can step outside the box to use physical activity to best utilize the cognitive and social development in children, and I want an interactive audience to discuss among themselves techniques they can use to increase activity. Finally, I will briefly describe how a virtual Charter School in California, Elite Academic, has used Fitbit to transform the engagement and health of their students and staff.
