The relationship between exercise and cognitive function has been of interest at least since the time of the ancient Greeks. Although the link between the mind and the body is still relevant today, it was not until the last 50 years that this relationship has been studied in a scientific manner. Today there are well over 200 studies that have addressed this relationship. To better understand this literature, meta-analyses have been applied to exercise and cognitive functioning studies in general (Etnier et al., 1997) and, more specifically, to children from elementary to high school age (Sibley & Etnier, 2002). The types of cognitive measures examined included tests of perception, academic readiness, IQ, achievement, math, verbal, and memory. Both of these meta-analyses showed significant effect sizes (ES) ranging from 0.25 (n=134 studies, 1,260 ESs) to .32 (n=45 studies, 107 ESs), respectively. In examining moderator variables, Etnier et al. found lager ESs for children than for other age groups. Sibley and Etnier extended the earlier meta-analysis by showing that early elementary and middle school students showed the largest benefits from exercise (ESs=0.40 to 0.48 respectively). These findings suggest that there may be developmental stages during which physical activity has the most impact. This evidence is consistent in showing that regardless of study design, student health, or type of activity, exercise improves the cognitive performance of children. For policy makers who want to achieve optimal academic performance in ?core? subjects in the school curriculum, there is now ample evidence that physical activity offers distinct benefits for cognitive functioning in school-age children.