Children who engage in organised sports like soccer and artistic sports like dance or gymnastics during childhood and adolescence are more likely to perform better academically, according to a Canadian study published in the journal _Children_.
To examine the impact of sports and physical activity in adolescence to later academic achievement, researchers followed 2,775 children, starting at age 12 and continuing until they reached 20. Boys and girls who participated in sports were more likely to earn a high school diploma. Moreover, girls who participated in organised sports had 8 per cent higher grades overall, and those involved in artistic sports had nearly 23 per cent higher grades. Practising with a coach was also associated with higher chances of graduation for both boys and girls.
“When supervised by an adult and often in teams, sports allow children to develop key skills in various areas—leadership, behaving in a group, prolonged attention—that can be transferred to academic classes,” researchers said.