Have you ever heard of the term "golden age"? Children grow up on their own even if you leave them alone. However, if you don't do what they need to do when they're growing up, you might have trouble later on! This time, we'll explain the exercises that are necessary during this growth period.
What is the Golden Age?
The Golden Age refers to the period between the ages of 9 and 12 when children's athletic abilities and skills develop rapidly.
During this period, the development of the nervous system is almost complete, and it is considered a golden age for children to master complex movements in a short period of time , making it the time when motor skills develop the most.
Classification by growth stage
| step | Age guideline | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Golden Age | 5 to 8 years old | A period of rapid nervous system development |
| Golden Age | 9 to 12 years old | This is the time when they are most capable of learning movements, and can quickly imitate what they see. |
| Post-Golden Age | Age 13 and over | This is the period when your physique grows and muscle strength improves. |
〇Will the golden age be wasted?
This is the golden age when children can quickly learn what they see. The reason they can learn movements efficiently during this period is because they have experienced a variety of movements and built a foundation during the pre-golden age. Repeating movements that are biased towards the pre-golden age may result in poor motor learning during the golden age.
What to do at each stage
Pre-Golden Age
1. Gain diverse exercise experience
Rather than specializing in one sport, allowing children to experience a variety of movements will help develop neural circuits.
2. Have lots of successful experiences
The experience of being able to complete even a simple task will lead to self-confidence and motivation.
Golden Age
1.Accurate movement acquisition
・This is an important time to acquire sports skills
2. They are good at visual learning
- The time when you can see and immediately imitate. It is also important to increase the opportunities to see the movements of skilled people.
This is the golden age when you can learn to think and move!
Things to be careful of
This is the time when the development of the nervous system is almost complete, but the degree of bone maturity (bone age) often does not match the actual age. If exercise load is not adjusted according to bone age, the risk of injury increases. In particular, excessive muscle training during this period should be avoided.
The Golden Age's impact on the future
- Experiencing a variety of movements during the golden age will make it easier for them to master specialized sports in junior high and high school.
-Unbalanced exercise (excessively doing one sport) or lack of exercise can cause children to grow up with an immature sense of balance and reaction times.
summary
The golden age is truly the "once-in-a-lifetime period for maximum potential for motor development." How many movements a child is able to experience during this time will have a major impact on the foundation of their athletic ability later in life.
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Author
Ryota Ishii, Physical Therapist at Ikejiri-Ohashi Sera Clinic
Supervision
Dr. Yasushi Sera, Ikejiri-Ohashi Sera Clinic
Ikejiri-Ohashi Sera Clinic
https://sera-clinic.com/