Increasing physical activity in the classroom can increase the attention levels of students.

The ‘moving towards excellence’ team found that a brief spell of exercise within the classroom could significantly improve children’s ability to pay attention. A series of psychological tests showed that children were better able to ‘stay on task’ if they had received a burst of exercise earlier in the day. The ‘excellence’ team comprise Curriculum Support Physical Education Health and Wellbeing [of Aberdeen City Council Education Department] and researchers from the University of Aberdeen. This ground breaking research is the first of its kind and provides exciting new evidence that suggests exercise is not only beneficial for physical health but might also help young children reach their full academic potential.

The research team is embarking on further research to gain a greater understanding of how exercise influences mental performance. It is anticipated that this research will lead to a much greater appreciation of the role that Physical Education (and physical activity in general) has to play in the wider curriculum. Instead of viewing PE as ‘yet another subject on the syllabus’ this research suggests that it might underpin learning in all subjects. If used appropriately PE is not only a valuable tool for teaching children physical co-ordination but can also have knock-on academic benefits. Physical activity heightens children’s ability to pay attention and is likely to help the children acquire skills such as literacy and numeracy.

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