Physical activity should be an integral part of children’s daily lives. Sports activities provide them with an outlet — one in which they can connect with friends their own age and enjoy a common interest. They also encourage children to stay active, healthy and fit and simultaneously provide mental health benefits. In the school setting, sports can actually have a positive impact on a child’s ability to focus in the classroom and have been shown to improve academic performance.
Noting their vital role in the educational setting, it’s essential that children have the opportunity to enjoy sports at school, beginning in the earliest years of education. Furthermore, children should have access to sports throughout their education, which is why you should choose a school for your child that offers sports programmes and facilities for them to use effectively during their time in school.
Sports and Student Well-Being
These are just a few ways that sports have a positive impact on child health and well-being:
● Involvement in sports has a direct correlation with academic achievement. Those who play sports on a regular basis have higher cognitive performance in the classroom setting.
● Playing on a sports team allows students to develop deeper connections with their classmates and their school community, giving them a sense of belonging that they may not otherwise find.
● Organised sports promote physical activity in children, which can prevent them from becoming obese or developing health complications.
Skills that Children Can Learn Through Sports
● Leadership — When children play sports, they are forced to make actionable decisions and encouraged to showcase their leadership style. This helps them naturally develop the leadership skills they will use as they grow and develop.
● Resilience — In any sport, there are wins and losses. Children who participate in sports learn to deal with disappointment, cope with loss and to work hard until they succeed.
● Collaboration — Many sports require children to work together as a team, which allows them to organically develop collaborative skills that they can use both on and off the field.
● Courage — It can be intimidating for children to put themselves out there and play the sport they love while knowing that their parents, teammates and spectators are watching. By facing these moments, children develop the courage they need to lead in the future.
Discover the Sports Programme at GIIS Singapore
At GIIS, all our students are encouraged to participate in various sporting activities as part of their extracurricular/co-curricular or PE (physical education) lessons. Sports are also focussed on as an individual gem in our 9GEMS educational framework.
We are proud of our extensive sports programme, which includes access to state-of-the-art sports facilities and exclusive resources that help students succeed in their chosen sports.
Both our East Coast and Punggol campuses feature:
● Several sports programmes that are taught by best-in-class sports instructors. Our sports curriculum includes hands-on learning opportunities that teach students the fundamentals of the individual sport as well as the skills they need to compete successfully.
● A wide range of extracurricular activities. When your child is a student at GIIS, they will have the opportunity to pursue the sports that interest them most. By offering a wide range of extracurricular sports and other activities, we ensure that all children can discover a sport or activity that suits their personal style. Some of the sports that are available at GIIS include cricket, badminton, football, table tennis, tennis, karate and taekwondo.
● A Gold Squad Accelerator Programme. Students who show promise in their sports programme may be handpicked to participate in this programme, in which they will receive training from best-in-class instructors at no extra cost.
Hear what one of our students, an accomplished national cricketer, says about GIIS and its sporting programmes:
Pranav Sudharshan, a Grade 12 student at GIIS recounts his journey from starting to play cricket at age 5 and joining the GIIS school team in Grade 3 to playing at the national and international levels in his secondary school years.
Says Pranav, “I joined GIIS in Kindergarten and started playing cricket at the Singapore Cricket Academy from the age of 5. After rejoining GIIS at the East coast campus in Grade 1 after a year in UAE, I continued in the East Coast campus until Grade 10 and got several opportunities over the years to develop my skills and play competitively in school and against other teams.
I was selected in the school team in Grade 3 and after playing in numerous cricket matches, I became the school team captain and eventually played in national and international cricket matches. I was selected to the Singapore U-16 national team when I was 13, and later to the U-19 national cricket team, which was a huge honour for me and my family.
I felt nurtured at GIIS and studying in the school has helped me develop my personality and character thoroughly over the years. Cricket has been a lifeline for me, and I wish to continue playing this amazing sport for a long time. This has been made very easy due to the constant support from my parents, family and coaches.”
The GIIS Difference
At GIIS, our sports programme complements our robust academic foundation. At every stage of education, we offer a choice of international curricula, including the IB PYP (Primary Years Programme) for primary students, the Cambridge CLSP, IGCSE and the IB DP for secondary students, along with the Indian CBSE curriculum for Grades 1 to 12. We also offer the Global Montessori Programme for our early learners from age 2.5+.
Our commitment to a well-rounded, holistic education is proven by our excellent results and outstanding school average scores. Over the last 15 years, in our IGCSE programme, we have had more than 130 toppers with A* scores in all 8 subjects, and in our IBDP programme, we have had 70 World Toppers (45/45) and Near Perfect Scorers (44/45) in the IB examinations. Our CBSE students have also done brilliantly through the years — students have had top scores of above 98% in every cohort.
For more information about the incredible educational experience that your child could enjoy at GIIS, contact us today or set up a one-on-one appointment with a GIIS admissions counsellor.
Jerald Jeganathan
Mr. Jerald Jeganathan is the Head of Physical Education at GIIS SMART campus, is passionate about coaching students and has been with the school since 2007. He has more than 25 years of experience as a PE instructor and has played, trained and coached students in badminton, football, tennis, basketball, volleyball, hockey and track and field events. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Science and a Bachelor of Physical Education degree. Mr. Jeganthan is a NIS-Certified Basketball Coach, a US Professional Tennis Registry certified tennis coach and is Level 3 Coaching certified in the Singapore Sports council.
