Fitness tied to better memorization among children
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 10:34 AM

When children keep fit, they increase their likelihood of warding off potential health problems, such as childhood obesity. What they may not realize is staying in shape could also help them do better in school, according to new research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The researchers behind the study, which was recently published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, worked with 48 children who were either 9 or 10 years old. These participants memorized names and locations on a map. The study subjects also had their fitness assessed, with half of them landing in the top 30 percent for their age group and the others falling into the bottom 30 percent.

After the children were asked to recollect the information they had memorized, it was the fitter subjects who did the best job. These results show how vital physical education is to students' academic progress.

"Reducing or eliminating physical education in schools, as is often done in tight financial times, may not be the best way to ensure educational success among our young people," the authors wrote in the study.

If parents are curious to learn how much physical activity influences their children's cognitive abilities, they can have them take an IQ test for kids. Then, parents can compare the results of this assessment to their kids' physical fitness.