Better Fitness Leads to Better Grades

A growing body of scientific research is resulting in clear evidence on the positive relationship between active outdoor play and children’s health.

Playing and regular vigorous physical activity (activities that produce a noticeable increase in heart rate - like brisk walking, biking, and active outdoor playing) is important for healthy growth and development among children and adolescents.

There is strong evidence showing beneficial effects of physical activity on muscle strength and endurance, bone health and cardiovascular health. A positive association has also been found between physical activity and improvements in concentration, memory, and classroom behavior

Girls with a more natural view (trees, grass, shrubs) performed better on standardized performance measures of concentration compared to girls who looked at a more barren setting (buildings, dirt, or paved surfaces).8

Children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) had milder ADD symptoms after engaging in play outside versus playing inside. The “greener” the play setting (parks, farms, places with tall trees, grass, or natural water sources), the milder the symptoms.

If we want our children to do better in school maybe we could encourage them to play outdoors more. Maybe we could lead by example and play with them. Take them along the next you go for a nice energizing bike ride. Or bring on your brisk walk around the park. Let them rid their bikes and just try to keep up with them!

Encourage Strong Math Skills

Lets face the facts - Our children - many of them anyway - just aren't learning Math well enough. What can we do to encourage and help our children learn math?

Meet with your child's teacher to see if your child is actively involved in math. Find out how you can help your child to better understand math problems.

From statistics in sports to the sale price of clothing, from the calories in food to the amount of gas needed to travel from one city to another, math is important to us every day. Help your child make these connections to math

From the scientist to the doctor, from the plant manager to the newspaper salesman, from the computer programmer to the hardware store owner, many jobs require a strong foundation in math. Show your child that math leads to many exciting career opportunities.

Play games that help children develop decision making and mental math skills. There are many games sold commercially, such as board games, that involve patterns and probability. Play games from your own family traditions such as counting games and games that keep score. Try schoolyard games such as jump rope, hopscotch, and jacks. Games require children to use strategies to make decisions, solve problems, and develop an understanding about numbers and how to use them (number sense) and computational skills.

Your feelings will have an impact on how your children think about math and themselves as mathematicians. Positive attitudes about math are important in encouraging your child to think mathematically. The way to better grades is filled with positive encouragement!

"encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2:6

Ways to Better Grades

Every Parent wants their children to succeed in school and in life. Is your child on track for a successful school year? If not, don’t panic – there’s still time to stage a 4th quarter comeback. Your job is to provide coaching, encouragement, and some discipline.

Schoolwork can easily turn into a boring and unwelcome chore. Especially when your child doesn’t see any relevance or connection to his or her perception of the real world. Try to tune in to your child’s emotional signals and use their likes and areas of interest to your advantage. Avoid letdowns by breaking up the rest of the school year into easily manageable, short-term goals. Use these short term goals to reach or hopefully even exceed your year-end goals. Show your child the value of schoolwork. Teach them how the skills they learn in school apply to their hobbies or career interests, and help your child to recognize opportunity within adversity.

Encourage Build good work habits by scheduling study time in 30-minute blocks with a 10-minute break every half hour. Staying on top of daily workloads will help your child avoid the stress of last minute cramming. Make sure your child has a designated work area that’s free of distractions such as television and cell phones.

Work with your child’s teachers and prioritize daily assignments. If materials have a way of getting lost, invest a couple hours developing a system for filing and organizing class work. If you’re like me you might have a hard time dragging your child away from the TV or their favorite video game. You’ll do yourself and your child a big favor if you encourage a healthy balance between schoolwork and playing video games or hanging out on Facebook.

Maybe if we share an excitement for learning with our beloved little ones they will develop a life-long love of reading and learning! There are many ways to better grades - encourage your children to study and play hard!