Children who take part in organised extracurricular sports activities from a young age have better cognitive skills, including greater concentration, in school, a new study has found.

Canadian researchers looked at almost 1,000 children who had been born in the late 1990s. The children were assessed at two main points - when they were around five years old and in the equivalent of junior infants and again when they were around nine years old and in the equivalent of third or fourth class.

Teachers reported on how the children were doing in school and parents reported on any extracurricular activities undertaken.

The study found that children who were involved with more structured physical activities around the age of five were better able to engage in the classroom by the age of nine. In fact, they displayed better cognitive skills, including better concentration.

According to lead researcher, Prof Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal, by the time the children were around nine years of age, those who played structured sports ‘were identifiably better at following instructions and remaining focused in the classroom'.

"There is something specific to the sporting environment - perhaps the unique sense of belonging to a team, to a special group with a common goal - that appears to help kids understand the importance of respecting the rules and honouring responsibilities," Prof Pagani said.

She added that children who take part in supervised physical activities or team sports may have ‘healthy dispositions and behaviours in emerging adolescence'.

Details of these findings are published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.