Physical activity and childhood, a fruitful alliance

As they developed their mental capacities throughout history, human beings have been able to make scientific and technological achievements of benefit to their daily life otherwise unthinkable for previous generations.

To strengthen such intellectual progress, physical activity is very important and essential to the improvement of human capabilities, which translates into quality of life. Exercising at an early age leads to the formation of future men and women mentally and physically healthy, according to Rogelio Prince Hernández, a sports trainer with more than 45 years of experience in the field.

"Starting a systematic physical activity at the age of six provides a unique opportunity to develop the child's skills, based on play as a driving force for learning,” he said. “Teachers or trainers engaged in this activity must focus on patience and dynamism, since at this age children have a short attention span, which makes repetition necessary to help them adopt the proper postures when practicing any given sport.”

Just as individuals have dissimilar characters, so too are the physical capacities of each child; however, practicing sports allows children in general to strengthen their bodies and improve their social skills, he explained.

“Playing games paves the way for new relationships and has a favorable impact on locomotion and learning. Playing involves not only physical activity but also a high level of attention that strengthens movement coordination. Marching, soft running and jumping rope help the child’s motor function and make them stronger,” he added.

According to Prince Hernández, holder of a Master’s Degree of Science, sports oxygenate our body, which is good for reasoning, and therefore a child who thrives from the physical viewpoint is very likely to make remarkable intellectual progress. However, there are also contraindications and undesirable behaviors such exercising too much or using weights at an early ages, both conducive to muscular injuries and delays in the child’s biological growth.

"Just like science, physical exercise needs a methodology, and its proper practice leads to better quality of life and health, whereas a wrong approach will harm the child’s organism,” he stressed.

As far as this professor is concerned, exercise is health and a trained body prevents disease, enhances social development and strengthens the mind, since physical activity and childhood are undoubtedly a fruitful alliance.