Only one in three children are physically active every day. Let’s change that…
Hello, and welcome to the first issue of the Sports4Kids London publication, detailing our aims to create a brighter future for children of all ages. Please read on to find out more about why we do what we do, and why we are the best in the business to combat the societal problems that our children were forced into.
What’s the current problem?
A clear majority of children cannot abstain from social media and the internet for 24 hours. It’s just 1 day and yet they can’t go without their fix. Our kids were forced, unwillingly, into a society where YouTube and Netflix come before fresh air and vital exercise time. This shows in the statistics that outline the declining mobility and activeness in our society: The UK now possesses the highest rate of obesity in all of Europe, with around 23% of the population obese (obesity may lead to heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even certain types of cancer), according to recent studies. As well as this, almost 60% more children in their last year of primary school are classified as “severely obese” than in their first year, according to Public Health England figures for England and Wales. Not enough is being done to combat the root causes of an unhealthy childhood.
We, Sport4Kids London have started by holding 45-minute sessions for boys and girls from ages of 18 months to 7 years, with a wide range of activities, including: football, rugby, tennis, cricket, golf and dance! No one should lack the opportunity to keep fit and stay healthy, and here at Sports4Kids London, we are helping ensure this. 45 minutes is no made up number either, we use these precious minutes to build engagement in the kids, to provide them with exercise, develop a skill and love for their sport as well as establish a deep sense of community. It has been scientifically proven that 45 mins is the ideal learning and concentration time for young children. When revising for important exams, it is heavily advised to use bursts of 45-minute study sessions, as it helps maximize retention and concentration. Therefore, it is no mistake that our classes are optimized for children.
The problems prevalent in our society do not end simply in obesity, our dependence as a society on social media is something that begins at a young age, and once addiction to it starts, it is near impossible to stop. Over 70% of children and teens have a smart phone, with unlimited access to all the evils and traps of the internet. Not only this, but reliance on a phone for social interaction between ‘friends’ on social media is somewhat ironic. Despite the name, this form of communication is anti-social media. It promotes a society in which we do not need to leave our seats to form friendships and interact. This is breeding a dangerous world. It means that our children will not know how to develop relationships with other human when they (for example) go to university or start working. It is critical that we use the opportunity for us now to be install new mindsets into the kids of today, a mindset that Instagram and the likes do not correlate real friendships, and that we do not have to all live up to societies ludicrous expectations fed to us by social media.
Social media has also left our children with the inability to focus on a given task and sometimes even read a book. The constant deluge of information (a lot of being irrelevant) makes our youth move from Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat to Twitter to WhatsApp and back.
To combat this, our classes at Sports4kids are designed to maximize student, teacher and parent interaction. To teach children from 18 months onwards, a concept of real interaction between real people, in the physical world, not behind a screen. We achieve this in several ways, for example all but a few of our activities are group activities, subtly teaching teamwork, cooperation and leadership to our students. Of course, this isn’t forgetting the obvious advantages to the occasional independent study, which reiterates ideas of independence and individual growth. This is probably most prevalent in our “practice at home books” which outline time and activities for our students to complete at home, either independently or with parent supervision.
This method of learning takes the advantages of both independent and groupwork activities, broadening our students skillset and ability to interact with others, which is slowly being taken away by social media, help us stop that and bring your child along to our classes, or visit our website: www.sports4kids.biz/.
Addiction to gadgets
On a slightly more serious note, we often hear the word addiction thrown about with no substance or relevance, but it is often debated to the extent that children are ‘addicted’ to gadgets, including phones, tablets and more. When we hear the word addiction, we often relate to words like drugs, alcohol, and gambling to it. But should social media and use of gadgets now be classified as an addiction? I am not going to conclude for you, but I will provide the overlaps.
When we sip alcohol, drink coffee or bet on a football match, it’s the same culprit hormone which attaches us to all 3. It is called dopamine and it is a brain hormone that is released and makes us feel ‘happy’. When we see likes coming through on Instagram, or a ton of WhatsApp messages from friends, we feel happy. Why? Because it is the exact same chemical being released into our minds. Dopamine. So, the chemical that addicts us to coffee, alcohol and gambling, is the exact same that addicts us to gadgets and social media? Yes!
Feeling worried? DON’T BE!
There’s no need to be alarmed by any of this, more aware of the facts. Our centers in Maida Vale and Brent Cross are combatting the route causes of a broken society, and teaching students’ day by day the importance of real social interactions and teamwork. Please visit our website www.sport4kids.biz for more information, and call us to book a free taster session, or to enquire for more information. As parents, it is so important to ensure your children keep active, fit and ready for the world, and we are making that so much easier, with Sports4Kids.
Join today @ www.sport4kids.biz
For more information on the current social issues regarding the children of today, an entrepreneur named Simon Sinek brilliantly talks about it in his live recorded interview and speech regarding the ‘millennial problem’. So, for a light-hearted but in-depth analysis of how to tackle everyday challenges surrounding our children’s dependency on phones, follow the links below;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER0Qp6QJNU
Listen to our brand ambassador Colin Jackson, World Record Holder and CBE speak about children’s sport;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZtMu6H2H0s&t=10s
Get in touch with us!
Phone: 020 3669 9531
Website: www.sports4kids.biz/
Call now to book a FREE taster session!
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