Physically active boys perform better in early reading in lower primary school than more sedentary boys, according to a Finnish study published in the journal PLOS-One.
Researchers tracked the activities at recess and before and after school of Finnish students in grades 1-3. Boys with higher levels of recess activity and those who walked or bicycled to and from school had better reading fluency than less active boys.
For girls, results were more mixed. Higher overall physical activity was associated with better reading fluency and arithmetic skills among 1st through 3rd grade girls of parents with a university degree, but the reverse was true of girls with less educated parents.
