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Gym class can boost other grades
The Vancouver Sun (Fri 29 Feb 2008 Source: Reuters) writes on a new U.S. study which suggests spending time in gym class can actually help to boost elementary school children's grades rather. Government researchers found girls who spent more time in gym class showed a higher average performance in math and reading than girls who got little to no physical education. The study is reported in the American Journal of Public Health. To study the question, the reseacrhers used data from a nationally representative sample of 5,316 children who entered kindergarten in 1998 and were followed through fifth grade. Teachers reported the number of minutes per week the students spent in PE, and the children took standard tests to measure their math and reading skills.
Overall, the study found, time spent in gym class had no effect on boys' math and reading performance. On the other hand, girls who spent an average of one to five hours in gym class each week performed better on the academic tests than did girls who spent 35 minutes or less in PE each week. Besides improving children's fitness, physical education may help boost their self-esteem, ease stress and help develop their social skills and ability to think and reason.
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