New research suggests that extracurricular sports help kids develop the discipline they need to engage in the classroom.

Researchers at University of Montreal found that children who were specifically involved in team sports at kindergarten scored higher in self-regulation by time they reached fourth-grade.

"We worked with information provided by parents and teachers to compare kindergarteners' activities with their classroom engagement as they grew up," Linda Pagani, who led the study, said in a statement. "By time they reached the fourth grade, kids 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 honoring responsibilities."

For the study, researchers reviewed data on nearly 3,000 children who were born in Quebec between 1997 and 1998.

"Our goal was to answer two questions: firstly, does participation in extracurricular activities in kindergarten predict fourth grade self-discipline, and secondly, do kindergarten self-discipline characteristics predict fourth-grade participation in sports?" Pagani explained. These characteristics encompass things such as classroom engagement, physical aggression, impulsivity and emotional distress.

At kindergarten, when most children in the study were six, teachers filled in questionnaires about their student behavior and parents were interviewed by phone or in person about their home life. The exercise was repeated four years later.

"Children who were involved in sports at kindergarten, or in fact who were involved in any kind of structured activity, were likely to be involved in teams sports by age ten," Pagani said.

However, researchers found that participation in unstructured activities at kindergarten had no bearing on the child's future.

"Across the board, we found that children who had better behavior in the kindergarten class were more likely to be involved in sport by age ten," Pagani said.

The findings are detailed in the American Journal of Health Promotion.