Why Physical Education is Important in School

We all remember gym class. To some, it was an irrelevant interruption in the school day and an unfortunate opportunity to get laughed at while wearing shorts. There are some of us, though, who remember gym class with affection, and felt that it was the highlight of the school day.

There are many reasons why physical education is imporant in school, otherwise gym classes would be discontinued. It has been proven that students perform better in exams when they take regular exercize. One reason is that aerobic exercize causes more oxygen to circulate to the brain. Many wonder why physical education is important in school, but it has as much to do with academic factors as it does with physical fitness.

Did you ever hear a parent of a young child say, "Oh, let him run around a bit, it will calm him down." Few would suspect that the reason why physical education is important in school has something to do with an older child's resemblance to a toddler, but it is a fact that letting kids run around and engage in physical activity lessens hyperactivity and disciplinary problems.

Those who are not convinced by the reasons why physical education is important in school would like to see the time spent in gym curtailed. They argue that there is just not enough time in the school day to cover academic subjects, let alone allot time for gym. However, those who have benefitted from learning team work through sports in gym, and have seen how it applies to one's daily life, even into adulthood, does not ask why physical education is important in school. Many basic social skills are developed in gym class.

Physical education in school helps develop good habits that will last a lifetime, both in the areas of physical health and social maturity. The mind, after all, is an organ and cannot function well if the body is not healthy.