An exciting new study came out this week that is sure to
add fuel to the debate about cutting physical education
from schools. Study after study shows the cognitive
benefits of physical activity in school age kids. The new
research adds to previous findings in a well-controlled
experimental design.
Researchers from the Medical College of Georgia worked with
nearly 200 sedentary and overweight kids between the ages
of 7 and 11 years old. They divided the kids up into three
groups, including a control group that did no physical
activity after school, a group that did 20 minutes of
vigorous activity after school and another that did 40
minutes of activity. Each of the activity groups worked out
5 days a week for three months.
The kids wore heart monitors to track their activity levels
while they played running games like tag, relay races, jump
rope, etc. All the kids took cognitive tests for math,
reading and executive function (planning, organizing,
focusing and impulse control) before they started the
program and at its completion.
In the end, the kids in the 40-minute exercise group showed
significant improvement on cognitive tests, those in the
20-minute group showed about half the improvement and those
in the sedentary group showed no improvement at all. Brain
scans supported the results, showing increased activity in
brain regions involved in executive function in the
activity group kids.
In addition, the kids in both exercise groups showed some
improvement in math skills but no groups showed improvement
in reading skills. These results are all consistent with
other studies done in adults. Previous studies have shown
increased grey matter in exercising older adults and
increased performance on cognitive tests.
Yet we stand by and allow cutting of PE programs from our
schools due to budget constraints. Isn’t improvement
on test scores one of the major areas that schools are
focusing on today? If daily physical activity improves test
scores, shouldn’t we make it a priority for kids to
get that?
In fact a Canadian study showed just that. Those
researchers split kids into two groups; half took PE once a
day and the other half received extra classroom
instruction. Again, the PE group outperformed the non-PE
group on tests, even in subjects where the non-PE group was
getting extra instruction.
One problem is that 20 years ago, when many of
today’s parents were kids, we were able to get plenty
of unstructured activity after school all by ourselves.
Today kids’ time is sucked up by an abundance of
homework, free access to TV and video games and generally
busy schedules. Plus, they just don’t have the
freedom to run around the neighborhood like we used to.
Last year the American Academy of Pediatricians released a
statement encouraging more ‘free and unstructured
play’ in kids. Not only does this get kids the
physical activity that they need but it allows them to
employ their imagination and build their creativity levels
and social skills as well.
If we won’t pay for more PE programs in schools, then
we have to do something else. We should all strive to get
our kids huffing and puffing on a regular basis in
activities not always dictated by parents or
over-structured sports coaches (of which I’m one).
We have to get them excited about physical activity again
by bringing back the fun in it all. We should be begging
them to come in before it gets too dark, not begging them
to get out and away from the TV.
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