Fit Preschoolers and Brain Fitness
Study finds stronger memory and problem-solving skills among more active preschoolers.
Encourage restless kids to run, jump and play. Not only is it good for their bodies, it’s also good for their minds. Active pre-school children demonstrate better working memory, less distractibility and more cognitive flexibility to adapt to new rules, when compared with sedentary peers. A study by researchers from the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) in Pamplona, Spain, of 241 male and female preschoolers between three and five years measured muscular strength, speed and agility and aerobic fitness together with tests of executive functions of the brain. The findings showed a direct inverse relationship between sedentary behavior and executive function. Activity volume, rather than intensity, correlated with cognitive benefits.
Study authors note that overall physical fitness supports cognitive abilities rather than isolated fitness components such as cardiorespiratory fitness or muscular strength.
The study is available in Pediatric Research.
References
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-025-03946-w#article-info
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
