Vote totals:
Yes:
75%
No:
25%
Neutral:
0%
DEBATE: SPORTS SHOULD BE COMPULSORY FOR CHILDREN UNDER 10.
SPORTS SHOULD BE COMPULSORY FOR CHILDREN UNDER 10.
Exercise is important for a healthy lifestyle.
For many children, the only exercise that they get is in school. It is vital that exercise is promoted at a young age so that good habits can be continued through to adulthood.
Whilst few would argue that exercise, and inculcation as to its value in a healthy lifestyle were not important, if one forces sports and exercise upon a young child, it will not necessarily create either habitual practice or consent. I personally discovered exercise as a healthy, pleasurable pursuit only after teachers had ceased forcing mandatory team exercise and sports upon me – not all children, or adults, have the competitive streak essential for team sport (this is the form, at school, exercise invariably takes).
SPORTS SHOULD BE COMPULSORY FOR CHILDREN UNDER 10.
Making sports compulsory creates resentment.
Many children already hate the compulsory PE lessons and look for any excuse to not do it, if not resorting to truancy. Many more adults will relay horror stories of their PE lessons, the hatred of the teachers and the fact that it "put them off sports for life". The fact is that many people simply do not enjoy sport and any attempts to force them will only make them more resistant to it in later life.
It makes much more sense to introduce children to a wide a range of sports and physical activities as possible so they can possibly find one they enjoy, and not force them to participate in something they dislike.
