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Active Inside and Out: 3 Ways Athletics Help Our Students Pay Attention

While it’s true that the mind needs to be exercised regularly to stay strong and that flexing the brain in the classroom helps our students and teachers learn and grow, it’s also important to emphasize the benefits of physical activity.

Sometimes, when we’re engaged in a lesson or working on homework, we can forget to pay attention to our bodies, which is why Kells Academy is dedicated to encouraging exercise and athletic participation to help students to stay healthy in body and mind. We aim to improve our students’ quality of life through active living, and participating in athletics helps keep students more alert, focused and healthy – in fact, just 5 minutes of exercise can give a boost to our overall mood. If you’re interested in giving your child the opportunity to strengthen their body as well as their mind, read on to learn more about how students at Kells Academy get active and stay sharp in the classroom.

Exercise Boosts Students’ Capabilities for Creativity and ‘Divergent Thinking’

One of the core components that fuels our creativity is a process of thought known as ‘divergent thinking,’ which is a way of exploring potential solutions to a problem. We engage in divergent thinking in activities such as brainstorming, freewriting, and creating artwork, and this gives our attention span a boost because it helps us think creatively and explore the subjects and material presented to us in a deeper, more meaningful manner.

Henry David Thoreau said it best: “the moment my legs begin to move my thoughts begin to flow.” Simple physical activity can be an easy way to help us overcome our mental blocks and better focus on the things that need our attention. Kells emphasizes physical activity in our curriculum because it gets students moving and helps encourage many aspects of divergent thinking, from problem-solving to exploration of ideas and it can even help students come up with a few original ones of their own. Whether students are kicking a soccer ball around, lifting weights in the Kells gym, or going on a cross-country run, they can take advantage of the many benefits of getting involved in athletics and use that to help enhance their creative thinking and attention levels in and out of the classroom.

Athletics Can Help Improve the Cognitive Abilities of Middle School Students

Whenever we exercise, we engage an area of our brain known as the hippocampus, which helps regulate our emotions and memory. The hippocampus grows the more we engage in physical activity, which means that the more active we are, the more our cognitive abilities can grow.

Participating in athletics is a great and easy way to make sure our English private school students stay active on a regular basis, which in turn helps improve their thought processes and how they explore the things they learn. Regular exercise can help Kells students focus and stay on the task at hand, making them more capable of multitasking, analyzing information and avoiding distractions. A good workout can also improve certain areas of cognitive functions such as our ability to organize, plan and prioritize tasks, all of which benefit our students as they learn and grow in the classroom.

Jan 23 private academic middle school

Kells’ dedication to physical activity can help students grow both in and out of the classroom

Physical Activity Can Benefit the Mental Health of Students at Kells

We’ve all had days where we find it difficult to concentrate and our minds are elsewhere. Our middle school students can have days like these as well since they are in an important developmental stage in their lives where they may be distracted by trying to balance the pressures of growing up with their emerging sense of independence.

Whenever we engage in physical activity, our brain releases a rush of endorphins which makes us feel happy after our workout. Daily exercise can not only boost our mood, but it also can shrink parts of our amygdala, which is the part of the brain which helps control and process stress, fear, and anxiety. This means that when students participate in an athletic activity like the Kells soccer or basketball team, they are not only forming a strong support system of friends and teammates, they are also improving their brain’s ability to process their emotions in a healthy way as well as negative emotions, which can help them stay focused, present and engaged in class.

From soccer to basketball, and volleyball to golf, the intramural sports, inter-school tournaments, and competitive athletics at Kells also serve to help teach our students important concepts like teamwork, leadership, and perseverance, lessons which they can take with them from the court or field and strengthen further in the classroom.

Jan 23 English private school

Participating in a competitive sports team can help our students zero-in on important lessons

Are you interested in giving your child the opportunity to get active and reach their full potential?

Contact Kells Academy for more information about our private academic middle school.