Exercise may boost kids' vocabulary growth
New study suggests exercise can boost kids' vocabulary growth

Date:
July 28, 2021
Source:
University of Delaware
Summary:
Swimming a few laps likely won't turn your child into the next Katie
Ledecky or Michael Phelps, but it just might help them become the
next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. A recent study suggests aerobic
exercise, such as swimming, can boost kids' vocabulary growth.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Swimming a few laps likely won't turn your child into the next Katie
Ledecky or Michael Phelps, but it just might help them become the next
J.K. Rowling or Stephen King.


==========================================================================
A recent study by University of Delaware researchers suggests exercise
can boost kids' vocabulary growth. The article, published in the Journal
of Speech Language and Hearing Research, details one of the first studies
on the effect of exercise on vocabulary learning in children.

Children ages 6 to 12 were taught new words before doing one of three
things - - swimming, taking part in CrossFit exercises or completing a
coloring sheet.

The children who swam were 13% more accurate in follow up tests of the vocabulary words.

It makes sense to the lead researcher, Maddy Pruitt, herself a former
college swimmer who now regularly takes CrossFit classes. "Motor movement
helps in encoding new words," she said, explaining that exercise is known
to increase levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein Pruitt describes as the "Miracle-Gro of the brain." Why then, did swimming
make a difference while CrossFit did not? Pruitt attributes it to the
amount of energy each exercise demands of the brain.

Swimming is an activity the kids could complete without much thought or instruction. It was more automatic, while the CrossFit exercises were
new to them. The children needed to learn the moves, which required
mental energy.

Pruitt conducted the research as part of her Master's Capstone Project
and graduated in 2020. She now works as a speech language pathologist
at an elementary school in South Carolina, where she puts her findings
into practice.

"My sessions are very rarely at a table," she said. "I'll take my kids
out to the playground or we'll take a walk around the school." Pruitt's adviser and coauthor Giovanna Morini is building on the findings in her
lab. Morini, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication
Sciences and Disorders, said most research into exercise examines it
from the angle of a healthy lifestyle, not much enters the domain of
language acquisition. She said she sees this as a rich line of inquiry
and has another student running a similar experiment now with toddlers.

"We were so excited about this study because it applies to
clinicians, caregivers and educators who can put it into
practice," Morini said. "It's simple stuff, nothing out
of the ordinary. But it could really help boost the outcomes." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Delaware. Original
written by Andrea Boyle Tippett. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Madison Pruitt, Giovanna Morini. Examining the Role of Physical
Activity
on Word Learning in School-Aged Children. Journal of Speech,
Language, and Hearing Research, 2021; 64 (5): 1712 DOI:
10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00359 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210728105611.htm

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