Reason skills, something crucial to life and success that many adults are poor at. Good parenting should lead to children with outstanding reasoning skills. How do we get there? Through lifestyle factors and a well-disciplined childhood.
In a study conducted by the University of Eastern Finland, researchers found certain activities during childhood improved children’s reasoning skills.
The study analyzed data from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children study of 397 elementary school children. They examined the effects of a two-year diet and physical activity intervention on cognition including looking at dietary factors, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors.
Dietary-wise, they found that a healthy diet low in red meat lead to improved reasoning skills.
For activities, researchers found time spent more on reading and organized sports also promoted reasoning skills. What made kids worse? Excessive time spent on computers and unsupervised leisure activities.
“In the lives of growing children, diet and physical activity intervention is just one factor influencing lifestyle and reasoning skills. Based on our study, investing in a healthy diet and encouraging children to read are beneficial for the development of reasoning skills among children. Additionally, engaging in organized sports appears to support reasoning skills,” said lead author, Eero Haapala.
Raising children to become well adapted adults is neither luck nor someone else’s responsibility. It relies solely on good quality, disciplined parenting. While many parents think parenting is plopping your kid in front of a screen and letting them eat whatever they want and hope for the best is parenting, research shows otherwise. You must discipline your kids to be readers and be active in sports. Children needs structure, not this “do whatever you want” kind of parenting.
The study was published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
S Naveed et al, Effects of 2‐year dietary and physical activity intervention on cognition in children—a nonrandomized controlled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2023. DOI: 10.1111/sms.14464
