Are Fit Kids Better Learners?

We’ve all been told that a good night’s sleep and a balanced breakfast are essential for making sure our kids are ready to learn on school mornings. But did you know that 10 jumping jacks might help jump-start their brains, too?

Two recent studies build on a growing body of research showing a strong link between heart-pumping activity and increased learning potential in kids. In brain scans of 9- and 10-year-olds, University of Illinois neurologists discovered that fitter kids had healthier “white matter”—which is related to more efficient neural activity— in their brains than less-fit children. Michigan State researchers, meanwhile, have found that a bout of physical activity before school helped kids be more attentive and perform better in math and reading skills.

This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many childhood education specialists: Preschoolers and kindergarteners often start the day outside or with some sort of movement activity, because children seem better able to cope with circle time once they’ve gotten their energy out on the playground. But as kids age and curriculum demands grow, they typically move from bed to bus to desk chairs, where they’re expected to log an hour or more of quiet work until recess or P.E. Given the recent findings, this shift seems pretty arbitrary—and possibly counterproductive. Older kids clearly benefit from “shaking their sillies out,” too.

Many schools have already come to this conclusion. More than 1,000 schools across the U.S. have adopted the BOKS (Build Our Kids’ Success) program. Launched by mom Kathleen Tullie in 2009, it helps communities set up volunteer-led, before-school fitness games, like relay races and obstacle courses. In many towns, it’s allowed schools to make up for P.E. time lost due to budget cuts or academic curriculum constraints. (According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, most elementary school students receive only between 33 and 66 percent of the recommended 150 minutes of P.E. classes per week.)

Other schools offer physical activity before school to accommodate kids who need to be dropped early due to bus or parents’ schedules; and what starts out as a logistical necessity winds up benefitting kids. At the Peter Woodbury Elementary School in New Hampshire, kids are dropped off early, at 7:30 a.m., so the buses can leave to pick up middle schoolers. Because the building isn’t yet open to students, all grades start the day on a playground that’s uniquely designed with nature in mind. “There are 400-some kids out there playing all sorts of ball and adventure games before sitting down to learn, and all are having a blast,” says HHK adviser Curt Hinson, Ph.D, who’s observed the school while touring the country as a recess and P.E. consultant.

The only problem: If you’re like me, the thought of fitting an extra activity into the morning routine is mildly panic-inducing. Every last minute is packed—with breakfast making, shoe finding, shoe re-tying, and nagging, nagging, and more nagging. And yet, I know my high-energy boys would benefit from running-around time before school begins. Their school does open the gym and provide supervision in the hour before school to accommodate early-working parents. I think I’ll try to take advantage of that at least once a week, particularly as the weather gets colder and there are fewer opportunities throughout the day to get the kids outside.

I’ve researched some other ideas to help kids get moving more, both before and during school hours. Here are a few:

1. Take 10 minutes for tag at home. Tag requires no equipment, special skills, or prep time, and can be done practically anywhere. Although it may seem daunting, most of us could probably manage to build 10 extra minutes into our mornings to provide some tag time before or after breakfast—by setting the alarm a bit earlier, and packing lunches, and laying out clothes, shoes, and backpacks the night before. Try this variation if the same-old gets boring. (Older kids might be more game for a mini-jog around the neighborhood with you.)

2. Set up before-school playdates. Even if your school doesn’t have an early morning drop-off program, they may allow kids to play on the playground or in the gym as long as they’re supervised. (Be sure you check with the school beforehand.) Link up with a couple like-minded parents (who can also drive or walk their kids from time to time), and arrive on the early side for a 10-15 minute game of basketball or kickball before the bell rings. For more ideas, check out the BOKS website.

3. Talk to teachers about giving your child’s class “brain breaks.” Many schools already encourage this: stopping lessons in the middle to have children get up from their desks and stretch, do jumping jacks, or even dance for a couple minutes. To give the teacher ideas—and collect a few yourself to use during long homework stretches—check out the Scholastic book, Brain Breaks for the Classroom: Quick and Easy Breathing and Movement Exercises That Help Students Reenergize, Refocus, and Boost Brain Power Anytime of the Day.

4. Learn why you, too, may be clearer headed after that morning game of tag (or a jog or a Soulcycle class.) Read John J. Ratey’s Spark, which digs deep into the latest findings on the exercise-brain connection, in both kids and grown-ups.