Is playtime valuable in the primary school - Essay Example

s the most important part of school for us and we all have observed the regular noisy and slightly chaotic school playground, we know for sure that children do not utilize that time to improve their physical strength. But the fact of the matter is that by regularly exercising their bodies they are indeed doing the very same thing. Research has suggested that overweight and obese children are often socially withdrawn and display aggressive–disruptive behavior (PPSG, 2005). And it has also been shown that children who have little or no physical activity during preschool up till primary schooling are prone to obesity and hence carry a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Children who tend to be more active during their early years usually go on to have a higher proportion of muscle mass as compared to reclusive children who do not indulge in physical activity during playtime. One point to be noted here is that restricted movement in playtime also reduces the positive effect that playtime has in this aspect. Playtimes should therefore offer children an important opportunity to increase their daily physical activity through “unstructured physical activity during playtimes” (WHO 2007) The benefits of playtime are not only restricted to physical well being.

Various studies have shown that playtime has positive effect on building the social skills of children. Children are mostly free from prejudices and hence they do not usually judge the other person based on their background and ethnicity if it has not been instilled in them by their elders. Hence children from different backgrounds mingle in the playground. Their “play” is seen as a social act much the same as people going out for dinner or grabbing a drink together (Smith, 2010). Children from ethnic backgrounds and children with disabilities benefit from free play at playtime in terms of social development and inclusion.

It has also been seen that children benefit from physical playtime activity in