The research involved 8,550 boys and girls aged between ten and 16 from 26 state schools in Essex. All were tested between 2007 and 2010 on three different things: stamina, handgrip strength and lower-body power. The results showed that a child’s month of birth could make big differences to their levels of fitness, muscle strength and ability to accelerate,  all of which predict how good someone is at sports. November children were the fittest because they had the most stamina and power and were the second strongest. Children born in October were almost as fit – they scored highest for strength and came third for power, with December children close behind.
What did the study find about stamina, handgrip strength and lower-body power of children?
They varied depending on the time of the year during which the child was born They changed significantly between 2007 and 2010 for all children They were different between boys and girls and between different state schools They were similar for children coming from similar family backgrounds