When parents enroll their children in a sporting activity, they hope that they will learn skills that will make them stronger and smarter. Sports require young people to follow rules, control their wants and needs, and behave well. Through interaction with their peers and supportive coaches, they learn to persevere and grow in difficult situations.
But could physical activity also help them to do better academically, not only in school but also at university and beyond? A new Canadian study shows that this is indeed the case. The study, conducted by a team led by Linda PaganiProfessor of Psychoeducation at the University of Montreal, was published this month in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise The researchers analyzed data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, which is coordinated and managed by the Quebec Statistics Office, to examine the relationships between long-term physical activity during the elementary school years and later indicators of academic success.
The team followed 746 girls and 721 boys born in 1997 or 1998 to find out if there are any links between playing a sport between the ages of 6 and 10 and later academic success up to the age of 17. And for both sexes, this was shown to be the case. “We found that playing a sport from kindergarten to fourth grade has a positive influence up to the end of secondary school, even when other factors are taken into account,” emphasizes Linda Pagani.
Children who exercised regularly achieved better grades and were less likely to drop out of school in the last year of secondary school compared to those who did little or no sport. They also placed more importance on their academic performance and had higher aspirations for further studies at Cégep or university.
“Childhood is a critical period in a young person’s development,” explains Linda Pagani, “and parents want their children’s free time to be used wisely. However, until this study, despite significant investment by parents and communities, there was no convincing evidence that sport among adolescents significantly contributes to their academic success.”
“We now know that through their participation in organized sport, young people develop a positive self-image and learn social skills that convey the importance of teamwork, taking responsibility and maintaining relationships – which ultimately translates into better school engagement in early adulthood,” she concludes.
