Middle childhood is a critical period in the development and formation of the individual. The chapters’ central thesis is that middle-aged children develop their motor skills and cognitive abilities at different rates, impacting how well they learn new things. Additionally, it is essential to consider the problems that kids their age frequently face. Children start to realize their place in the world and learn social rules for themselves during this time when a social character is formed. Kids must have a well-rounded upbringing that includes physical and psychological development since nutrition and physical activity affect the children’s mental abilities.
The authors mentioned that at this age, children’s behavior is a result of their inability to regulate and manage their emotions. Due to this, irrational behavior, such as tantrums or impulsive actions, may occur. For kids this age, adults are the ones in charge, so they try to copy their behaviors and speech patterns (Bergin & Bergin, 2019) They frequently have conflicts with other kids since their social communication skills are still lacking. Since this is when children form their character and patterns that will last into adulthood, teaching these children requires a unique approach that considers all the characteristics of middle childhood.
One of the most significant learning problems is obesity, which directly impacts education. Childhood poor nutrition and lack of activity, which impacts brain function, are causes of obesity. Education workers should pay considerable attention to this problem because they are used to thinking about it as an issue of the future, but being overweight influences a child’s attention and brain activities (Lundborg et al., 2021). Preventing the onset of associated diseases is the primary goal of the fight against obesity. Students spend a lot of time at school and require a healthy diet, so it is the school’s responsibility to provide high-quality nutrition. Only the highest quality products must be produced using the proper technologies. There must be no private businesses at the school where kids can purchase snacks. Teachers must control what food students bring and refrain from eating junk food in front of the students.
Insufficient physical activity is another factor contributing to the issue of middle-aged children being overweight. Children spend practically the whole day seated at the table, and even during the break, they must keep order and composure. Children must stay physically active to retain their focus and information retention capacity. Additionally, the pent-up energy becomes a source of issues with discipline and focus because there is no way to release it (Have et al., 2018). Kids must enjoy these physical activities, thus, it is necessary to schedule the workouts in advance and explain their advantages to the pupils. Students’ emotional health and academic performance will quickly improve if they understand the advantages of physical activity and enjoy it.
In my practice, I have had experience working with obese children and noticed that their motor skills were more poorly developed. The improvement of cognitive abilities was directly impacted by this as well. As suggested in the chapter, I tried to change the situation by scheduling time for physical activity and pleading with the kids to avoid sitting at the tables during recess. In order to illustrate that the trend is a healthy lifestyle, we also spoke extensively about sports and a healthy diet, which had ramifications for future research.
In conclusion, the authors went into great detail in the chapters concerning how children’s learning capacities are impacted by their diets and physical activity levels. Exercise promotes the function of various bodily systems and tissues, which determine all intellectual activities. Due to this, it is the responsibility of the school to set up spaces for children’s physical activity, and the teacher should also remember to do this during class. The school should also create a conducive environment for kids’ healthy nutrition. The regulation of children’s nutrition in school and their physical development should be made at the legislative level throughout the country.
References
Bergin, C. C., & Bergin, D. A. (2019). Child and adolescent development in your classroom: Chronological approach. Cengage.
Have, M., Nielsen, J. H., Ernst, M. T., Gejl, A. K., Fredens, K., Grøntved, A., & Kristensen, P. L. (2018). Classroom-based physical activity improves children’s math achievement–A randomized controlled trial. PloS one, 13(12).
Lundborg, P., Rooth, D. O., & Alex-Petersen, J. (2022). Long-term effects of childhood nutrition: Evidence from a school lunch reform. The Review of Economic Studies, 89(2), 876-908.