Exercise and Kids: Preparing the brain to learn

This one hit my mailbox this morning: Exercise Seen as Priming Pump for Students’ Academic Strides

Seven or eight years ago, studies offered mixed results on the question of whether exercise can boost brain function in children and adolescents. Experts are beginning to contend, however, that the case is getting stronger.

“There’s sort of no question about it now,” said Dr. John J. Ratey, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “The exercise itself doesn’t make you smarter, but it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn.”…

I see this in myself. When I’m exercising, I find I focus better. I haven’t studied it, but I probably ought to - I have a hobby that requires intense concentration and decision-making, and I saw immediate improvements in the past two weeks. Thinking back two years to when I was exercising every day, I was participating in this hobby successfully with some of the best participants in the world.

A couple of you know my hobby. I prefer not to get into THAT over here - this is my diet and exercise blog.

Reading on:

With his university colleague Darla M. Castelli, Mr. Hillman assessed the physical-fitness levels of 239 3rd and 5th graders from four Illinois elementary schools. Their findings, published last year in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, show that children who got good marks on two measures of physical fitness—those that gauge aerobic fitness and body-mass index—tended also to have higher scores on state exams in reading and mathematics. That relationship also held true regardless of children’s gender or socieconomic differences….

…Another study published last year, involving 163 overweight children in Augusta, Ga., found, in addition, that the cognitive and academic benefits of exercise seemed to increase with the size of the dose.

For that study, a cross-disciplinary research team randomly assigned children to one of three groups. One group received 20 minutes of physical activity every day after school. Another group got a 40-minute daily workout, and the third group got no special exercise sessions.

After 14 weeks, the children who made the greatest improvement, as measured by both a standardized academic test and a test that measured their level of executive function—thinking processes, in other words, that involve planning, organizing, abstract thought, or self-control—were those who spent 40 minutes a day playing tag and taking part in other active games designed by the researchers. The cognitive and academic gains for the 20-minutes-a-day group were half as large.

“I was frankly bowled over by the results,” said Catherine L. Davis, the lead author of the study, a preliminary version of which was published in December in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. “It’s like a staircase, which is considered strong evidence for causation,” added Ms. Davis, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

So, they’re saying that exercise gets the brain ready to learn. What they didn’t say was that exercise made you smarter. Just like buying a pair of dumbbells doesn’t give you big biceps. It just enables those muscles to becoming stronger through consistent work. Sounds like the same is true for the brain - exercise prepares the brain to process information better.

I’m no scientist, but I think they’re on the right track.

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February 14, 2008 | Filed Under News 

Comments

  • Michael
    i believe aromatherapy could help with your kids's brain growth

    you should check out more on it
  • I agree that I don't see how exercise could NOT help children and how their brains develop and function. Personally I think it is safe to assume exercise would help anyone's brain function better whether you are young or old?
  • Den
    Children are too sensitve, Don't let your exercses to make them worst. It's very important to know if your children able to do these exercises without any consequences
  • I agree that I don’t see how exercise could NOT help children and how their brains develop and function. Personally I think it is safe to assume exercise would help anyone’s brain function better whether you are young or old?
  • Not only do they focus better, Kids who are active will:

    * have stronger muscles and bones
    * have a leaner body because exercise helps control body fat
    * be less likely to become overweight
    * decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
    * possibly lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels
    * have a better outlook on life
  • Thank you very much... I really appreciate your interest in giving the right information for children health.
  • Getting children involved in sports is a great way to keep them healthy.
  • Hi,

    Exercise is the functional style for reducing stress and make your body strength.For kids it is necessary to practice regular exercise for developing their body and mind.

    Regards
    Gopal
  • Cara
    It's great to teach your kids to be active!
  • Florida Cancer Hospital
    Really good article for kids. I don't know exercise's effect on the kids brain. I like this post.
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