Better motor skills translate to better grades

If you’re wondering what your kids could do to get their grades up, a new study says, getting them moving may be a step in the right direction. However, the type of movement can make all the difference.

In a new study to be published in the June issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, researchers studied the influence of physical fitness on performance. They found that certain factors of physical fitness, including cardiorespiratory capacity (aerobic fitness), muscular strength and motor skills, have specific effects on brain health. In turn, this affects how children perform academically.

Participants in the study included close to 2,040 Spanish children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 18 years. Researchers found that both together and separately aerobic fitness along with motor skills affected performance in school.

Researchers also noted that school performance was more greatly affected by motor ability than aerobic fitness, which indicated that motor skills may be more critical for improvement in school performance.

Those participants who had lower levels of both aerobic fitness and motor skills had lower grades. The study cited that muscular strength did not factor into academic performance.

“Having high levels of cardiorespiratory and motor fitness may, to some extent, reduce the risk of school failure,” said lead study author Irene Esteban-Cornejo, of the Autonomous University in Madrid, in a statement.

The researchers concluded that to improve academic development along with physical fitness, more efforts need to be made to promote and encourage physical activities for children and adolescents that enhance aerobic fitness and motor skills.