«Mr Holtz, are our children getting too little exercise these days?»

Mr Holtz, does exercise make you smart?

Basically, it can be said that exercise stimulates blood circulation. The level of alertness in children who exercise is higher. However, there is little empirical data. We have found a slight correlation: a small part of cognition, around ten per cent, can be explained by movement and motor skills. Individuality also plays a major role. Some children need to move a lot, others less.

It is said that children move less and less once they start school. Is that true?

No. Research shows something else: children between the ages of eight and nine have the greatest need for movement. That's why they often find sitting for 45 minutes at school very difficult.

What about somersaults, jumping jacks and the like? Do more and more children really have problems with this?

This has not been proven. This impression is not consistent with our data.

Can coordination and balance be trained?

Yes and no. What I always tell my parents is that if I've never balanced over a tree trunk before, I don't do it very well the first time. But when I do it again, I do better, but still not extremely well. You can practise it, but only within your biological potential. Motor skills have their own programme. So whether a child can do a somersault has to do with its own inner programme. The Swiss paediatrician Remo Largo said: "No child learns to crawl because you crawl in front of them. What's more, there is huge variability. There is no clear boundary as to when a child has to do what exactly in terms of motor skills.

Let me give you an example: a child doesn't like gymnastics and is chosen last in gymnastics. Is that a cause for concern?

You can get through life without motor skills. Children develop amazing strategies. These need to be analysed. One clue is the child's behaviour in kindergarten or on the playground. What does the child do during the break? Does it play with other children? With the girls or with the boys?

Can you give an example?

I remember a boy who hid behind a bush during the break and ate his snack there. He didn't dare play with the others on the playground because he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up. As a result, he not only missed out on social contact, but was also unable to practise or realise his motor skills. So this child needed our support. But the question is: how much does a child define themselves through sport? Does it have other talents or strengths? Parents should then emphasise these. Perhaps the child comes last in gymnastics, but is great at maths. Then that's not so bad. Not all children define themselves through sport.

What advice do you have for parents?

Helping children with their strengths and accepting their weaknesses instead of trying to fix them. Experience shows that a child who has positive experiences in areas other than gymnastics, for example, will also be more confident in these areas - in other words, they will be courageous in areas where they may not yet be quite as good.

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