Did you know that Aerobic exercise (20 to 30 minutes of activity that increases your heart-rate) is not just good for your heart, it’s good for your brain? By increasing your heart-rate, you pump more oxygen to your brain, which stimulates brain cell growth in the part of your brain (the hippocampus) that is responsible for learning and memory. Regular aerobic exercise also has an antidepressant-like effect on the brain, which helps to regulate mood and behavior.
In the Foundations classrooms, our students start each day with movement exercises that help prepare their brains for the day’s lessons, and we take occasional “movement breaks” to help keep as much oxygen pumping to their brains as possible. By putting effort into their movement lessons each morning, students increase the effectiveness of their cognitive and academic lessons for the rest of the day.
To further support proper brain development and emotion regulation, I highly recommend that your child engage in daily aerobic activity before or after school for at least 30 minutes per day (brisk walking, jogging, dancing, fitness classes, swimming, etc). Not only will the oxygen boost to their brain be incredibly helpful to their brain development and ability to learn, it can help tremendously with stress and anxiety, as well as lead to better sleep patterns.
If you’d like to learn more about how important exercise is to brain development and your body, you can check out this short 3 minute video: What Happens Inside Your Body When You Exercise
Have a wonderful weekend! : )
