Older children actively involved in sports or school clubs are often told by their parents to drop these activities months or even a year before major examinations. But parents should pay heed to research showing that children involved in sports tend to do better in their studies.

WHAT RESEARCH SHOWS

It is well documented that regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence assists in socialisation, school engagement, psychosocial development and academic motivation. It also reduces problem behaviour.

Many studies link sports activity with higher academic achievement. It has been noted that young athletes- school performance markedly improves during the sporting season, and falls away during off-season.

The latest cognitive neuroscience research demonstrates that physical activity actually contributes to important brain development in young children.

For example, a 2005 study on overweight kids at the Medical College of Georgia in the United States found that 40 minutes a day of aerobic exercise improved 'executive function' - the aspect of intelligence that helps us pay attention, plan and resist distractions.

Yet another experiment showed that the brains of physically fit children showed evidence of more extensive processing during each task.

Compared to sedentary kids, fit children had faster reaction times. In a 2002 study by the California Department of Education, reading and mathematics scores were matched with fitness scores of over 900,000 students, aged 11, 13 and 15.

It found that higher achievement was associated with increased levels of fitness for every age group studied. The relationship between academic achievement and fitness was greater in mathematics than in reading, particularly in the fittest individuals.

Students who met minimum fitness levels in three or more physical areas showed the greatest gains in academic achievement at all three ages.

Other research has found that ECAs enhance educational outcomes up to a point, especially if sustained over time.

It is not the ECA participation per se that enhances educational outcomes. It is the fact that the activity provides skills, strengths, networks and support, plus social and personal rewards. This has the effect of increasing a student's identification with the school and aligns him with its values.

Some activities also develop academic skills, or the skills related to motivation or engagement.

For example, getting involved in the school newsletter helps develop planning, time-management, thinking and decision-making skills and also reading and writing proficiency. The robotics club teaches teamwork and maths skills.

Challenging ECAs such as maths clubs can encourage a child to stretch and improve himself.

When challenges are met, the child's confidence surges.

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

Parents should first consider the child's interests and enrol him in activities that they are sure he will enjoy.

If your child is interested in a particular sport, check if it is available at his school or at community centres or sports organisations. Make sure the child has the proper sports equipment, that it fits properly and that it has all the appropriate safety features.
Keep in mind, however, that enrolling your child in an organised sport or ECA involves a commitment on your part. Your child will need appropriate equipment, transportation and support.

Parents should note, however, that if the time put into the ECA by the child is so great that it leaves little time for homework, or the activity is so draining that the child has no energy left for school, this will interfere with his progress.

Obviously, there are exceptions. For example, if your child shows promise of becoming an Olympic athlete, you may want to choose sports over his academics.


This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 07, 2009.

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