Tackling the importance of sports at school

SINCE August last year, the Department of Education has gazetted that schools could resume contact sports (including soccer, rugby, hockey, netball and volleyball) and noncontact sports (including table tennis, athletics, cricket, chess, gymnastics and swimming).

Schools have also been allowed to resume training and inter-school matches.

Kovin Moodley, the director of sports at Penzance Primary School, tackled some questions around this:

Q. What are the health benefits of children being active in sports and training?

A:

Exercise has multiple benefits for learners. The pandemic has placed us all under stress and made so much of life uncertain. Exercising during the pandemic is especially important for relieving stress, improving bones and muscles and developing motor skills and cognitive function. A stronger immune system is important for fighting any sickness, and exercising helps increase health and vitality.

Q: How does being active in sports help with children’s overall development?

A:

Sport allows learners to express themselves and connect with other people.

If your child experiences any Covid symptoms, it’s better for them to avoid physical activity and rest is a much better option.

Meanwhile the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has some handy tips on how to go about encouraging Covid awareness among children. These include:

Remind your child to properly wear a mask (cover both nose and mouth), to wash their hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds during breaks, using a hand sanitiser if one is available, and keeping a physical distance of 1.5m from others.

Children have to be reminded of common Covid-19 symptoms. Educating children helps to create awareness, enabling them to better identify symptoms. Classic symptoms include a fever, runny nose, sore throat, difficulty breathing, tiredness, dry cough, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

Do children know what to do if they feel sick at school?

If your child gets sick or displays any Covid-19 symptoms during school hours, they have to tell an adult that they trust straight away. This adult can be a teacher, school nurse or a staff member.

The adult will follow the necessary guidelines as prescribed by the Department of Basic Education.

Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the child’s parent/guardian will be notified and requested to collect the child from school in order to seek medical attention.