Personal Position on Participating in Recreational Activities
Recreational activity is defined as any outdoor activity that is done with the aim of exercising through sports, dancing, and camping among other activities that are done during one’s spare time. Recreational activities greatly enhance the physical and mental health and the general well-being of an individual. For an individual, recreational activities help in their development and growth, enhances their self-esteem and self-reliance, and since it is a way of having fun it, therefore, reduces stress. This makes it important for recreational activities to be introduced in schools. In the community, they help in connecting families, strengthens social bonding, reduces isolation, and promote strong communities. Economically, recreational activities reduce the cost of healthcare, and also reduce crime. Recreational activities are important to every individual, regardless of their position in life because, despite the fun and happiness experienced through them, they help us maintain our health and intellectual functioning.
Argument
Participating in physical activity has been revealed to have physical and mental health benefits among the youth and children. It has been related to academic accomplishments and improved concentration in school. Engaging in physical activity every day or an hour for the children has been noted to bring these benefits (Allison et al. 2018). Children and youths spend most of their time in school and it is therefore important for schools to provide opportunities where they can indulge in physical activity which includes even the students with special needs. Self-efficacy is associated with physical activity implementation in schools. However, it is a challenge for all the children to take part in physical activity regularly and this is shown by a notable decline when children get older and also among females. Schools should implement policies that are in favor of all ages and gender so that everyone can benefit from physical activity. To enhance physical and health education in schools, some of the schools have adopted daily physical activity policies.
Physical activity improves the heart’s health, helps in maintaining body weight, and builds strong bones and muscles in kids. Kids need to be active for their brains to develop and to maintain their health. Research shows that physical activity in childhood is necessary for a healthy brain and leads to regulation of the brain, thinking and learning, self-control, and the ability to solve problems. It also helps in the growth of the brain tissue, managing stressful situations, improves a kid’s self-esteem, and helps them be more focused. Studies show that students who exercise before a test have revealed to have stronger brain functioning compared to those that do not exercise (Tremblay, Barnes & Vanderloo, 2018). This shows that when the body does not move enough, the brain fails to function as it should. Being physically active helps in boosting memory in children and youth, including children with brain disabilities. Parts of the brain that are devoted to memory and learning are great in active children compared to those that are not. Active kids tend to be creative and come up with innovative ideas. They are more focused and tend to pay attention for a longer time and this spears to be consistent for all the children, the youth, and even in those that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Physical activity releases hormones that benefit the children and the youth to manage depression-related symptoms. Children with brain disabilities are more exposed to mental health issues and for them, being active is important. Research shows that physical activity helps to lower feelings of anxiety in children and the youth. It is an effective tool in improving social and academic stress in young people and also helps them recover faster from stressful situations. Engaging in dance and sports is effective for children and youth.
Physical activity includes sports which in the community is used for social interaction, prevention of crime, and reduction of risks. Sports which is recreational activity bring people and societies together, emphasizing similar capabilities and bringing together social and racial division. Sports create a platform where individuals learn different skills such as self-control, self-confidence, and management (Hartmann & Kwauk, 2011). It teaches principles such as being tolerant, cooperative, and respectful to people. It teaches the value of one’s effort, managing victory as well as defeat. Sport is associated with these and other positive aspects making it a powerful vehicle that drives individuals to understand the importance of recreational activities. The United Nations holds the belief that sports are set to accomplish goals such as getting rid of extreme poverty and achieve environmental sustainability and universal education. Sport has been viewed as a development tool in the international community. Through social relations, sports contribute to essential differences and renovations in societal life.
Sport is said to be an important tool in growth because engaging in sports is known to instill life skills such as self-esteem, self-reliance, and self-control. It also helps individuals in social knowledge, morals, and management abilities that people require to take part effectively in contemporary social life. Most of this happens through competition, and respecting rules but education is also important since the skills, qualities, and knowledge that are essential for sports and competition require attention (Hartmann & Kwauk, 2011). Achieving self-development goals through education is said to positively allow the growth of dynamic individuals and societies. Sport- based intervention programs focus on risk prevention and social intervention for disempowered youth. When targeted at marginalized people, these intervention programs help to equip them with self-improvement and self-management skills. Through sports programs, disadvantaged individuals are educated into becoming upright citizens. By linking communities, sports build access to resources, statistics, social networks, and economic prospects.
Counter Argument
Participating in sports can help students develop confidence, discipline, and healthy self-image. However, the self-confidence developed through sports sometimes contributes to individuals forming an athletic identity which sometimes consumes them. This prevents student-athletes from getting other social identities and elements that are needed to traverse through school and the community (James, 2005). Taking part in sports can also make athletes over-optimistic based on their belief in the merit system in the name of being a winner. There are personal and material benefits that are made from sports but for them to be recognized, the athletes need to identify the limitations and liabilities to then transform absurd expectations of what sports can do for them. Such expectations can function at the expense of success in other parts of life. Therefore, participating in sports can be constructive and destructive, could be healthy or harmful and this could be determined by the way the athletes comprehend and negotiate the athletic, educational, and other social elements that they face. There is a widening gap in terms of social, economic, and cultural inequality among the athletes making it difficult for some individuals to take part in sporting and recreational activities.
Despite sports being marketed as an actual growth tool, there is not much that has been done to hypothesize, shape, and arrange the progress field. The implementation methodologies that have been developed are not reliable and there is no clarity on which programs work (Hartmann & Kwauk, 2011). Much of the beliefs about the impact of sports are from heartfelt histories, and suggestive images of people and the community’s transformation that is often delivered by the people who run these programs. Because of the scarce funding and resources, the mission of the programs could easily drift from the social involvement mechanisms and focus on mitigating their sports programs. This changes the whole idea of sports as a developmental activity for people.
Recreational activities are a source of happiness and some such as dance, music, and gymnastics have been introduced in the school curriculum for students. According to Noddings (2003), students fail in school because they are forced to work on what they hate and are not allowed to work on what they might like. Music and gymnastics which are part of recreational activities should not be taught in school because they do not make any contribution to society. It is argued that each individual is naturally different and therefore education should be made differently to fit everyone. Education should be tailored according to the capabilities and talent of the students and should not be generalized. This is because students who seek careers that require knowledge and skills that are not the same as what is in the curriculum are not given a fair chance since they are not able to explore what they want. It is not fair for a student who is interested in gymnastics to be put in the same class with another student who is interested in another activity. For some reason, the one who has other interests will perform poorly, not because they are incapable but because they are interested in another activity. This makes this particular student unhappy in an area that he is supposed to enjoy, relax, and obtain happiness. Sadly, this may cause the student to abandon what they would have loved and enjoyed doing because they were not given a chance to it when they could. Just as women are encouraged to take courses in mathematics and sciences, every student should be encouraged to engage in whatever recreational activity they want by adjusting the school curriculum to fit everyone’s interests. This will help to improve a student’s academic performance, self-worth, and overall happiness.
Recreational activities are important to every individual, regardless of their position in life because, despite the fun and happiness experienced through them, they help us maintain our health and intellectual functioning. They should be fitted in the school’s curriculum to fit each child’s interest to make them more effective. When it is incorporated into the child’s daily living, even academic performance and development is improved. For children with special needs, regular recreational activities will help to boost their health and concentration. Physical activity such as sports helps in social interactions, reduces crime, and can be a source of income. Programs that offer these opportunities should be able to acquire enough resources and funding because they promote the children and youth’s well-being in society.
References
Allison, K. R., Philipneri, A. N., Vu-Nguyen, K., Manson, H. E., Dwyer, J. J., Hobin, E., ... & Li,
- (2018). School and classroom effects on Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy implementation fidelity in Ontario classrooms: a multi-level analysis. BMC public health, 18(1), 802.
Hartmann, D., & Kwauk, C. (2011). Sport and development: An overview, critique, and
reconstruction. Journal of sport and social issues, 35(3), 284-305.
James, C. E. (2005). Race in play: Understanding the socio-cultural worlds of student athletes.
Canadian Scholars’ Press.
Noddings, N. (2003). Happiness and Education, Cambridge University Press, 2003. ProQuest
Ebook Central,
Tremblay, M., Barnes, J., & Vanderloo, L. (2018). The brain+ body equation: Canadian kids
need to move more to boost their brain health.
