Research shows that exercise—whether team sports, individual sports, or even just goofing off outside—makes us more creative and more attentive when we come back to our desks. It can also help us imprint learning into our muscle memory, much like repetitive sports training. In a 2014 study from the University of North Texas, researchers found that aerobic activity among kids led to higher scores on reading and math tests. Scientists at the University of Illinois, using MRI data to measure brain size, found that physically active nine- and ten-year-olds had larger hippocampi than their sedentary peers and scored higher on memory tests. And in an ongoing study, Northeastern University psychology professor Charles Hillman has found evidence that children who run and play for 70 minutes a day exhibit better cognitive skills than those who don’t.
Why is exercise key to cognition? “There are many different mechanisms,” Hillman says. “We don’t understand them all, but one of the basic ones is that in response to cardiovascular exercise, there’s an increase in blood flow. Blood carries oxygen, which feeds the brain tissue. Another is that neuro-protecting molecules increase during exercise, and these are related, among other things, to memory.” The bottom line is movement—even a single bout of moderate physical exercise improves brain function. Says Hillman, “If you asked me to design a perfect school day, it would have 45-minute lessons, with ten- to 15-minute recesses in between so they can gain the benefits of outside activity.”
Just how much movement do kids need? In a report issued in November by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, kids ages six to 17 are advised to get one hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day. This is is unchanged from the previous report, but what’s new is the recommendation for even younger children: Preschoolers ages three to five should be “active throughout the day.” Team sports and organized activities are great physical outlets, but unscripted or solo free-play is also important. When they’re not responding to outward stimuli and instructions from their coaches or friends, kids are better able to tune in to their own imaginations. And according to recent studies, daydreaming is both a marker of intelligence and a conduit to greater creativity.
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