Dropping Physical Activity Levels During Summer & How GYSA…
- July 27, 2022July 27, 2022
Summer Break is often the period of time that students look forward to most – NO SCHOOL! However, while it is important for our children to rest and be kids there are some underlying health issues that may occur.
We know that regular physical activity reduces the health risk of childhood obesity as well as mental health problems. And throughout the school year students have the opportunity to achieve much needed levels of physical activity through recess, P.E. class, and afterschool physical activity programs like GYSA’s School Sports Solution™.
But, what happens during Summer Break?
For starters, many children experience “Summer Learning Loss”, which is the loss of academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation. It has also been observed that students show increased sedentary behavior during the Summer holiday in addition to increased screen time, poorer diet regimens and worse sleep quality. Overall, it seems important to continue child engagement over the Summer for both physical and mental health purposes.
For many children however, the opportunities to participate in physical activity is extremely limited due to transportation issues, costs, and lack of programming. A study found that during summer holidays overall moderate physical activity decreases by 53%.
Additionally, children from low-income households find themselves with less opportunity due to lack of programming or high-cost programming that is out of their reach.
At GYSA our mission is to ensure all children can improve their physical and mental health through sports programming.
This Summer GYSA launched its very first Summer Youth Sports program which provided 1-month of programming and concluded with an end of season Game Day event. Enrolled students had the opportunity to play soccer or basketball and also received program t-shirts, weekly skills and drills practice and games twice per week at each 90 minute session.
The rosters for each sport maxed out with 90+ students enrolled! The need was there and GYSA was happy to help fill it, even if only on a small scale!
It is important we continue to provide these services to our children and ensure that no matter their background they have the opportunity to live a fuller healthier life, and still enjoy their Summer Vacation.
Reference: National Library of Medicine