The Effects of Diverse Exercise on Cognition and Mental Health of Children Aged 5–6 Years: A Controlled Trial

Abstract

The rate of learning and cognitive development is at its highest level in preschool-aged children, making this stage a critical period. Exercise has received increasing attention for its beneficial physical and mental health effects on the development of preschool children. This study investigated the effects of diverse exercise on the cognition of preschool children. Two classes were randomly selected from kindergarten classes of children aged 5–6 years, and designated as the experimental and control classes. Each class contained 20 children (10 boys and 10 girls) according to the kindergarten class system. The experimental class completed exercises according to the designed curriculum, while control class carried out exercises according to the regular teaching plan, for a study period of 12 weeks. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) and the Mental Health Questionnaire for Children were used to assess outcomes, both at the beginning and end of study. After 12 weeks, the experimental class has improved in the “Object Assembly,” “Block Design,” “Picture Completion,” and “Coding” (14.70 ± 2.14, p < 0.01; 14.54 ± 1.56, p < 0.01; 9.62 ± 2.06, p < 0.05; 15.92 ± 2.72, p < 0.05) in performance test, and showed improvements in the “Movement,” “Cognitive Ability,” “Sociality” and “Living Habits” (5.65 ± 0.59, p < 0.01; 11.20 ± 1.91, p < 0.05; 9.05 ± 1.72, p < 0.05; 7.10 ± 1.45, p < 0.05) in mental health outcomes. Diverse exercise has a significantly beneficial role in promoting the cognitive development of children aged 5–6 years, as well as a beneficial, albeit insignificant, role in their mental health.

The Development of Endurance Through Prolonged Running and Its Effect on the Attention of 9-10-Year-Olds

“…Such results may indicate that physical culture and physical exercises have a positive effect on some mental processes. This assumption is confirmed by the studies of many authors who have determined the positive dynamics of mental processes under the influence of the physical activity of schoolchildren [30,31,35,36].…”

“…A simple solution to a motor problem: how to move correctly, quickly, and accurately, how to correct a mistake -is a chain of mental operations, including observation, generalization, and decision-making. According to the authors, physical exercises not only increase the functional capabilities of the body, and the level of physical fitness of a person, but also help in the development of mental personality traits [30,31]. The hypothesis of the study is the assumption that the integration of prolonged running into the process of physical education at school in children aged 9-10 years will have a positive impact on the level of endurance development and a positive impact on the attention indicators of schoolchildren.…”

Relations between the levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity, BMI, dietary habits, cognitive functions and attention problems in 8 to 9 years old pupils: network analysis (PACH Study)

“…In addition previous studies have reported that doing sports promotes cognitive and emotional development, as well as increases cognitive performance, as children tend to be more motivated and self-controlled [ 9 , 47 , 48 ]. Nevertheless, BMI score is similar in both groups, BMI node is not linked with cognitive and motor domain in OPTIMAL-MVPA, representing “stability” of children who reach 300 min of recommended MVPA on weekdays.…”

An ecological dynamics perspective on designing urban nature environments for wellbeing and health-enhancing physical activity

“…Importantly, this unmanicured characteristic of the natural environments diversifies the actions a visitor can perform, often suppressed by the presumed notions of how to behave in a conventional, organized, safe, human-made setting such as most UNE. This diversity of affordances induces variability in body sub-system work, which has been connected to better health, cognitive functioning ( 40 , 41 ) and motor performance ( 42 , 43 ). Wellbeing is thus derived from the positive feelings of successfully engaging in action possibilities close to one's own capacities and skills, the right level of challenge ( 24 ), that is, that they themselves can change the environment and change their relation to its features ( 5 ).…”