Physical activity may help kids do better in school

Did you ever think that physical activity might help kids do better in school? Nowadays scientists whom are interested in researches about kids cannot deny that physical activity is good for kids. What most common people do not know that physical activities not only helps develop muscles and fend off obesity, it also offers opportunities to socialize and learn new skills. Also it is important for teachers to know that it is really important for kids to get time to play and make some activities. Getting kids active is a key component of first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move campaign, which says, "Children need 60 minutes of play everyday to grow up to a healthy weight".

A recent report from the Institute of Medicine asserts that "children who are more active show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed, and perform better on standardized academic tests than children who are less active." and this was close enough to James Sallis, a professor of family and preventive medicine said that " that physically fit kids do better in school".

A study is made in California about 2,000 children at the age of 12 were out of a "healthy fitness zone", they took longer than 12 minutes to run a mile would be outside the zone, scored lower on state standardized tests than those who were more fit. Another similar study was made in which kinds run a back and forth lap in a set time. It was found that they scored higher the math and reading portions. Such evidence does not prove that fitness is the cause of higher test scores. Now the most important question is "Does adding opportunities for physical activity during the school day boosts kids’ capacity to learn? The research on this question is still in its early stages, but the evidence is beginning to suggest that the answer is yes.

A link was found between physical activities and learning, teachers were trained to teach lessons using movement. Ten other schools served as controls; their teachers received no training. 21.8 percent of children who were at risk for obesity moved into the normal range for body mass index; in the control schools, 16.8 percent of at-risk kids moved to normal. Another study was made by: co-author Joseph Donnelly, which surprised the researchers: Scores on a 30-minute standardized test of reading, writing and math were higher in the schools that used active lessons than in the schools that did not. One promising idea, called SPARK, was developed by Sallis. It includes a curriculum of activities, available for a fee, that use simple equipment and are led by parents, who conduct before-school and recess-time activities, and by teachers, who incorporate “brain breaks” during classroom time.

Sports and lessons in dance or karate are other ways kids get physical activity. But Sallis advises parents to check the quality of such organized activities: The kids "should be active at least 50 percent of the time. A lot of programs don’t meet that goal." we should aware all parents and teachers for these new methods to improve our kids' minds and take the best from them to build a better future for the whole world.