A recent survey revealed that forty six percent of parents think children should spend free time on sports. Less than twenty percent would rather their children spend their time on academic activities.
The survey garnered the responses of a thousand parents who have children aged 6 to 15. The scope of the survey was concentrating on mathematics and the impact it has on future success. About half of the parents believed that excelling in mathematics is important for doing well in later life, while a meager five percent opted for being good in sports.
The disparity goes to show that parents remain realistic that the odds of their child doing well in professional sports are rather slim, so doing well academically is still most important for succeeding in life.
However, the good news is that the survey goes to show that the United States stands a better chance of curbing the increasing rate of childhood obesity with many parents understanding the value of sports for their children. While schools have an influence on a child’s weight by instilling the importance of exercise and a healthy diet, parents need to play their part by encouraging the same values too.
Nearly half of parents who took part in a survey think that it is best that their children spend their free time on sports. 18 percent prefer that their children engage in intellectual or educational activities. However, most parents realize that a professional sports career is only viable for a given few, and hence rank being good at mathematics and having an outgoing personality as important traits for success in life, as reported by Bryan Toporek.
In this article by Cathy O’Connor, alarming statistics were revealed regarding the physical activity level of Canadian kids. Only 7% of children and teenagers meet the guidelines of at least an hour of physical activity per day. Tips were also mentioned on how to raise active kids and integrating physical activity into their daily lives.