If your children are not doing so well in school and you want them to improve their grades, it might be a good idea to encourage them to exercise more. This is what a new study has found that adds evidence on how physical activity can help children’s intellectual development. Keep reading and discover why the exercise gets, once again, an excellent grade.
Many parents worry about their children’s grades and are happy when they see them reading for fun or doing math homework. Of course, it is very good for children to study and develop their knowledge, especially at this time when they receive so many stimuli that it often makes it difficult for them to keep studying for a long time.
But have you ever wondered how much time your children spend sitting in front of a screen and how much time exercising or playing outdoors doing some kind of physical activity? Possibly the answer is that the first situation is the one that occupies most of the day, and you know what? Not only can this increase your children’s risks of high blood pressure or childhood obesity (with all the health complications that can bring) but it can also affect their grades.
A new study by researchers at Creighton University and Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska, adds to this hypothesis. The study has found that elementary and high school students who do not get enough exercise are more likely to fail (not pass, fail) math and reading tests.
To arrive at these results, which will be published in the next issue of the Journal of Pediatrics , the specialists evaluated data from elementary and high school students in Lincoln and compared their fitness levels and test scores.
Thus, they determined that those who were aerobically fit were 2.4 times more likely to pass math tests, and more than twice as likely to pass reading tests, than those who were not.
For its part, body mass index (a measure of the body based on height and weight) proved to be an important indicator of general health, but had no significant effect on test scores.
Although this study does not prove that lack of exercise is the cause of low grades, these findings add to others reaching similar conclusions and may be especially significant for parents and in educational institutions where theoretical learning is prioritized about physical exercise. In fact, in some school districts in the United States, physical education classes have been suspended to devote more time to reading, writing and arithmetic. Does this also happen at your children’s school?
In addition, exercise helps fight insomnia and it has been proven that sleeping better also helps improve grades in school .
Does it seem little to you? In fact, these are just some of the advantages of leading a healthy and active lifestyle, as exercise also has countless health benefits for children and adults. Whether at home or at school, go ahead and encourage your children to exercise more !
