Nutrition & Physical Activity Help Your Kids Learn

Schools' priority is to make sure students achieve academic success. Attendance, academic standards, instructional minutes and test scores get a lot of attention, but what every educator and parent needs to remember that we need to also pay attention to the many factors that impact learning. Students that are well-nourished and who receive adequate amounts of physical activity do better in school. Evidence based research is showing a direct link between nutrition, physical activity and academic success. 

Did you know that…

·       Students who ate a school breakfast had a general increase in math grades and reading scores, increased attention, reduced nurse visits and improved behaviors. 

·       Children who start their day without breakfast pay less attention in the late morning, have a negative attitude toward schoolwork, and attain less in class. 

·       Participation in the School Breakfast Program was associated with greater improvements on standardized test scores and lower rates of tardiness and absenteeism. 

·       Iron deficiency anemia leads to shortened attention span, irritability, fatigue, and difficulty with concentration.

·       Consequently, anemic children tend to do poorly on vocabulary, reading and other tests.

·       Children who suffer from poor nutrition during the brain’s most formative years score much lower on tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and general knowledge. 

·       Even moderate under-nutrition (inadequate or sub-optimal nutrient intake) can have lasting effects and compromise cognitive development and school performance. 

·       A reduction of 240 minutes per week in class time academics to enable increased physical activity led to consistently higher mathematics scores. 

·       Physical activity is consistently related to higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of anxiety and stress. 

·       Intense physical activity programs have positive effects on academic achievement including increases concentration; improved mathematics; reading and writing test scores; and reduced disruptive behavior. 

·       Aerobic conditioning may help to improve memory.

·       Exercise many strengthen particular areas of the brain and oxygen intake during exercise may enhance greater connections between neurons. 

This information and more can be found on the Action for Healthy Kids website @ www.actionforhealthykids.org

Making sure students are well-nourished and that they receive adequate opportunities to be physically active is crucial to preparing them for tests and overall academic success.