Be Active Kids doesn't emphasize academic benefits of exercise. But research suggests getting children moving also boosts learning, said California physical education specialist Cathie Summerford. In it, she cites studies linking physical activity to improved memory, recall and overall cognitive functioning. The bottom line is kids are not moving enough. People in general are not moving enough.
Research shows activities like crawling help develop the inner ear that affects balance.
Movements that cross the center line of the body, such as bouncing a ball between your right and left hand, build neural pathways that wire the brain for future learning, she said. But what they care about is how is it going to affect the standardized test scores. In fact, anyone who still thinks kids are getting their physical-activity needs met in school, hasn't been in school in a long time. North Carolina requires only one semester of physical education and one semester of health to graduate, and a state education official doesn't see that changing anytime soon. Traditionally people just assumed kids knew how to be healthy and physically active.