When parents sign up their children for sports activities, they hope to see them develop skills that will make them stronger and smarter. In sports, young people must follow rules, control their desires and needs, and behave appropriately. In the company of their peers and supportive coaches, they learn to persevere and thrive in the face of challenges.
But could playing sports also help them achieve better academic success, not just in school, but also in university and beyond? A new Canadian study shows that it can. The research, led by
Linda Pagani, a professor of psychoeducation at the University of Montreal, is published this month in the journal
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
The researchers analyzed data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, coordinated and hosted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, to examine the relationships between long-term sports participation during elementary school years and later indicators of academic success.
The team followed 746 girls and 721 boys born in 1997 or 1998 to see if there were links between engaging in sports between ages 6 and 10 and subsequent academic achievement up to age 17. And for both genders, this was indeed the case. "We found that participation in sports from kindergarten to fourth grade had a positive effect, beyond other factors, through to the end of high school," emphasizes Linda Pagani.
Children who regularly played sports were more likely to achieve higher grades and were less likely to drop out of high school compared to those who did little or no sports. They also placed greater importance on their academic performance and had higher aspirations for continuing their education in college and university.
"Childhood is a critical time in a young person's development," explains Pagani, "and parents want their children's free time to be well spent. However, until this study, despite the substantial investment by parents and communities, there was no strong evidence that sports among young people contributed significantly to their academic success."
"We now know that participating in organized sports helps young people develop a positive self-image and acquire social skills that instill the importance of teamwork, taking responsibility, and building and maintaining relationships—and this translates into better academic engagement as they enter adulthood," she concludes.