Here’s one more reason–and a very convincing one–why parents should make their kids put down their electronic devices and get their kids moving. The research also has implications for schools and their government-sponsored obsession with data and standardized test scores that have put recess and physical education on the back burner and tech in the forefront.

You see, back on April 24, 34 international researchers gathered together for the “Copenhagen Consensus Conference 2016: Children, Youth, and Physical Activity in School and during Leisure Time.” Their goal:  “to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity and youth.”

One of the conclusions they came to was that, “Physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness are beneficial to brain structure, brain function, and cognition in children and youth.”

Talk about a wake-up call! After all, cognition is our ability to acquire knowledge and understanding via thought, experience, and the senses, and now we’re being told unequivocally that exercise has a big impact on our brains.  No computer, smartphone,  or tablet can come close to providing such benefits.

Moreover, based on their findings, those 24 experts confidently suggested that, “A single session of moderate physical activity has an acute benefit to brain function, cognition, and scholastic performance in children and youth.”

That’s right: Just one…

Bottom line: Want to up academic performance? Start by unplugging kids both at home and school and get them moving whenever and wherever you can, be it gym or pool, field or playground, sidewalk or driveway. Simply walking, jogging, jumping rope, or doing jumping jacks will do the trick, little or no equipment necessary.