Surprising Physical Exercise Benefit! Physically Active Lessons In School Might Help Kids Learn Better, According To Study

Teachers are always trying to find ways to help kids learn and understand better the math and spelling lessons given to them. A new study might have found a surprising and unique way to do so.

CBS News reports that a team of Dutch researchers found that kids in the second and third grades performed better on their exams when their teachers combined physical exercise with their math and spelling lessons compared to the kids who learned lessons in the traditional way. Experts agree that the findings on the physically active lessons are promising.

"The take-home message is that physically active lessons may be a novel way to increase physical activity and improve academic performance at the same time," Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health associate professor Sara Benjamin Neelon told CBS News. However, Benjamin Neelon added that it is not yet known if the results of the study would also work for the schools in the U.S. since the research was done in the Netherlands.

The research involved the recruitment of 24 classes from 12 elementary schools in the Netherlands. Teachers from 12 classes taught their students in the traditional way while the other 12 teachers combined physical exercise with the lessons.

The physically active lessons lasted for 20 to 20 minutes, three times every week. The kids had higher scores on their math and spelling exams after two years of being involved in the physically active lessons.

Lead researcher Marijke Mullender-Wijnsma noted that there are several possible reasons for the link between exercise with lessons and the higher test scores. "We know young children use both sensory and motor activity to learn," Mullender-Wijnsma told CBS News.

Other possible reasons include the increased blood supply to the brain caused by exercise as well as children being fascinated with the freshness and uniqueness of physically active lessons. According to Kids Health, the three elements of fitness are endurance, flexibility and strength. "Parents should encourage their kids to do a variety of activities so that they can work on all three elements," Kids Health advised.