Help Your Child Excel in School

This is a repost from the Millar Chiropractic Clinic website.

Help Your Child Excel in School

Each year it seems that American kids are subject to increasing pressure to perform well on more and more standardized tests, and each year they appear to fall further behind children around the world, especially in math and science. It takes more to excel academically than just showing up to classes and managing to stay awake throughout the school day. Children have a natural propensity toward learning, but unfortunately this innate desire to acquire new knowledge and experiences is diminished in many kids at an early age.  Teachers are frustrated as they feel forced to "teach to the test" - spending the bulk of their time preparing students to do well on standardized tests rather than engaging their students' natural curiosity and encouraging their love of learning. Many teachers complain that they no longer have the time help their students expand their horizons with creative thought or explore new territory.  The smartest kids are often the ones who become bored the easiest and remain bored if they're not appropriately challenged. So how can we help our kids excel when the educational system is not always able to engage even the best and brightest children?  It may seem simple, but making sure our children are healthy, with a strong sense of well-being, is a good place to start. One interesting development in cognitive science (the study of how people learn) in the last decade is the importance of physical activity in relation to human performance. 1,2 The results are conclusive - research proves that physical activity is highly correlated to learning and academic achievement. Active kids are explorers. They are more alert and interested in the world around them compared to their more sedentary counterparts. Active children have an innate impulse to develop and grow. What kind of exercise is best for our children? The good news is that the type of exercise doesn't really matter. It's all beneficial for cognitive development, whether your child is running track, playing tag, roller skating, playing soccer, or biking around the neighborhood. It's the amount and frequency that matters most, not the specific type of the exercise.  It is recommended that every child get at least an hour of some type of physical activity every day. It doesn't have to be an hour all at once though.  Spreading it out throughout the day works just as well, perhaps even better if your child has a tendency to be overly sedentary the rest of time. The most important aspect though is that your child is consistently active. Chiropractic care can play a significant role in a child's development. Regular chiropractic checkups and treatment can improve the functioning of a child's musculoskeletal system, thereby helping to improve their physical performance.  It can also help a child recover quickly from any injuries that may result from sporting or other activities. By enabling a child to continue with the fun and rewarding physical activities they enjoy, chiropractic care also helps them improve their academic performance. The result is a much more well-rounded young person - a child whose interests may extend not only to the sports field, but also to the science lab, math club or music room.

Chiropractic for Kids - Pays a Lifetime of Dividends   Children are usually more in touch with their natural rhythms and innate healing abilities. For the most part, if a child has had a busy day, filled with physical activities, he'll most likely fall asleep the moment his head touches the pillow. For adults, it is usually a very different story. After a busy day, an adult will often find it difficult to fall asleep.  Instead they may lie in bed reviewing things that happened, repeating conversations in their minds, and perhaps imagining how they could have had a more positive outcome. Children tend to live much more in the present moment, and they're able to get their needed rest more easily and efficiently. Children also naturally recover from injuries more quickly than adults. They can fall down hard and bounce right back up. If a child breaks a bone, it will usually heal in a few weeks rather than the six weeks it will often take for an adult to heal a fracture. A child's natural healing abilities are enhanced even more with chiropractic care.  Because their healing powers are so much stronger, kids' bodies absorb the many benefits of chiropractic treatment and immediately put them to good use. If they were feeling unwell, their return to good health is usually very quick, and if they were already feeling great, their little bodies will be even more optimized. Chiropractic care helps kids maximize the joys of being kids!

¹Hillman CH, et al: The effect of acute treadmill walking on cognitive control and academic achievement in preadolescent chiildren. Neuroscience 159(3):1044-1054, 2009
² Ploughman M: Exercise is brain food. The effects of physical activity on cognitive function. Dev Neurorehabil 11(3):236-240, 2008

 

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