Brain Games: Exercise Your Body and Your Mind

Skill and drill exercises have always had a place in the education arena, but education arenas need to make more room for another type of skill. During a time when school administrators want to cut exercise programs from students’ schedules, in order to save money or to pack more academic courses into the school day, cognitive research discounts and contradicts this notion. Fortunately Darlington School recognizes that exercise and wellness are vital to education and incorporate it at the Lower, Middle and Upper divisions. 

Brain and body are completely connected – we have always known that. Now there is more and more compelling research to prove it!

Regular exercise:

• Improves attention and concentration
• Improves memory and reading comprehension skills
• Decreases stress and anxiety
• Increases cognitive flexibility
• Increases processing speed
• Improves mood and behavior

Check out these studies if you don’t believe exercise builds your brain and creates opportunities for better academic performance:

• Fred H. Gage and Henriett Van Praag Study, 1999
• Fred H. Gage Study, 2004
• London, Castrechini, 2009

Here are some resources to get more information about research and available programs at school and in the community:

• Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, John Ratey, 2008.
• Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen, 2005
• Hands On: How to Use Brain Gym In The Classroom, I. Cohen, M. Goldsmith, 2003 (based on the work of Paul and Gail Dennison
• Promoting Physical Activity In The Classroom, R. Pangrazi, A. Beighle, D. Pangrazi, 2009. www.braingym.org
• www.pe4life.com

So if you know there’s a chance your test scores could go up by exercising regularly, shouldn’t physical activity be a part of your daily schedule??