If your child began to study better after he began to play sports regularly and with pleasure, this is not an accident. Researchers from the UK explained how it works and confirmed the importance of physical activity for the development of children. Even if it's just active outdoor games with friends.
Education students at the University of Cambridge used the results of a national cohort study of English people born between 2000 and 2002. They analyzed data on academic achievement, emotional resilience, social well-being and physical activity of more than 4,000 participants collected at ages 7, 11 and 14, including numerous test results and teacher surveys in the study.
The statistical analysis was carried out in several stages, and first of all, young scientists assessed the relationship between physical activity and self-control. In general, all schoolchildren who attended sports sections had fewer behavioral problems, they were less likely to experience mood swings and emotional outbursts.
The authors of the study also confirmed the indirect relationship of physical activity with academic success, and the nature of this influence differed in different age groups. So, in younger schoolchildren who regularly went in for physical education and sports, academic performance was more influenced by control over their emotions, while from the age of 11, the connection with improved behavior becomes stronger.
When scientists adjusted the data taking into account the socio-economic factor, that is, the standard of living of schoolchildren, this relationship became weaker. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds who play sports turned out to have more problems with emotional regulation and behavior than their more affluent peers. The authors of the study also noted that such students have much fewer opportunities to visit sports sections and clubs. However, this group of children performed better in school compared to other students from low-income families.
Scientists believe that these results clearly demonstrate how physical activity in early childhood contributes to the development of qualities such as patience responsibility for one's actions, ability to work in a team. «Even the opportunity to run outside with friends is of great importance for the development of the child,» the authors of the study emphasized.