It's a common assumption that active bodies make for active brains when it comes to our kids, and now research has found proof that children who take part in regular exercise do in fact perform better academically than those who are not physically active.

Professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University and president of the American College of Sports Medicine, James Pivarnik, found in a recent study of middle-school students that those who had the best results in a range of fitness tests also performed the strongest academically.

Experts have long viewed exercise as a means of enhancing the academic performance of children, through boosting their moods and self-esteem, sharpening concentration, focus and memory, and increasing the flow of blood to the brain. In recent years, a growing amount of research has been conducted in this field to support such a theory.

Results from Professor Pivarnik's study of 317 students in grades six through to eight revealed that the fittest group of students scored almost 30 per cent higher than the least fit set of children in standardized tests. The most unfit of the students scored 13 to 20 per cent lower in their grades in four core classes than all the other children.

In a day and age where kids spend significantly more time engaged in computer games and television than outdoor pursuits, experts say the concern now stretches beyond the childhood obesity epidemic.

"It's not only Johnny's getting fat, and heart disease down the road — all that's true. But it's also that he might not do as well in school," says Professor James Pivarnik.

Certainly this new research gives parents greater reason than ever to encourage their families to get active, not only to enhance the health of their children, but to assist their studies and educational development as a whole.

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