Does physical activity actually enhance academic achievement?

Aerobic exercise has a highly beneficial effect on children’s cognitive skills and academic performance, according to researchers at Georgia Health Sciences University.

This conclusion was reached based on researchers’ in-depth review of the experimental studies in the field. They examined the findings of the various studies in order to determine if there is an actual cause-effect relationship between physical activity and cognition.

Findings

• Children assigned to a special program of aerobic exercise perform better in tests measuring executive functions (planning, judgment, self-control and allocation of attention and memory), particularly for tasks requiring creative thinking.
• MRI scans confirmed the positive results: children assigned to a regular program of aerobic exercise had increased activity in the regions of the brain dedicated to executive functions (prefrontal cortex).

Recommendations

• Schools have everything to gain from setting aside time for physical activity in their schedules, even at the expense of time spent on academics.
• Schools can offer more physical activity to students in after-school programs than by incorporating short periods of physical activity into class time.

Source: Does Physical Activity Enhance Cognition and Academic Achievement in Children? A Review

Veille Action - March 10, 2014

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