Physical activity and academic performance in primary school: an essential relation

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate the relation between body, physical activity and learning during the age of development. Overcoming the superficial factor often attributed to physical activity and considered secondary to intellectual activity even from the educational institution, it has been highlighted and analyzed the benefit that physical activity brings to the state of health of the individual, as well as the relation to the positive outcomes it has on academic performance in primary school. The course of the study starts from the analysis of the main contributions on the theories of learning originating from behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, following up with an overview of the studies in the neuro-bio-physiological field which has provided significant explanations about the relation between physical activity and cognitive and emotional techniques. The analysis of the selected ten scientific studies, enabled to observe the outcomes on the academic performance of primary school children after the integration of a few extra hours of physical activity in the classroom lessons.