I had a tantrum at the weekend that would have made any two year old proud. I, on the other hand, am not proud of it but I just got to my wit’s end!

Our current family schedule is ridiculous and when I sat down in the only place I thought I could get a moment of peace (the loo), I was promptly shaken from my blissful silence with a “mummy can you find my hairclip?” I lost it… I am the first to admit that this situation of manic minute-counting is largely my own fault. After all, my kids aren’t old enough to enrol themselves in every club under the sun! But still, I do it in some hope that I am enriching my darling children’s lives. I was soothed somewhat when I read about new research, conducted in America, which studied the effect of activity on the mental ability of 221 primary school-aged children.

The study put children from a wide range of backgrounds and abilities into two groups – an activities group and a no-activities group.

After nine months on the trial, and accounting for impacts of social interactions and other variables, the study showed that children who did around one hour of physical activity after school did better on a number of brain tests.

The activity group demonstrated better “attentional inhibition” (focus and concentration) and “cognitive flexibility” (the ability to switch between intellectual tasks while maintaining speed and accuracy).

This study is clearly in a small group of kids so a much larger group would be needed to understand whether regular after-school exercise really does have an impact on brain power.

It would be interesting to ask some clever teenagers what impact they think exercise has had on their cognitive capabilities. There are a few I would ask first… some really clever kids including this year’s Google Science Fair winners Émer Hickey, Ciara Judge and Sophie Healy-Thow. These young ’uns discovered a new way to use bacteria to boost plant growth and reduce the use of pesticides.

Their garden shed experiments could make a huge difference to food crops, particularly in places where food is scarce. Then there is 15-year-old Jack Andraka who invented a series of tests that can detect cancer and they cost only 2p to run! Aidan Dwyer who at the ripe old age of 13 used a mathematical model to create a solar tree that can harness 20 per cent to 50 per cent more energy than standard panels. And Kenneth Shinozuka, 15, who has used smart phones and sensors to easily monitor the movements of people with Alzheimers, thus ensuring carers know when and where a patient has wandered.

Clever kids are truly inspiring and I do feel a sense of comfort knowing that the brightest minds can be found anywhere, from all walks of life and are increasingly being celebrated through prizes like the Google Science Fair.

But it clearly isn’t all about cleverness. Enjoyment and creativity must also have a say.

As for my cherubs, I will continue to be their taxi for as long as they are happy to give things a go and will try to remind myself that life is made by moments, not minutes.

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