Movement in class may keep children on task, but school results are unclear

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   The pooled studies were of primary school children aged 5 to 12. Of the 39 studies reviewed, most were in the USA.

2. 02

   What they did

   Classes added movement to lessons, such as short active breaks or lessons with physical activity. Most of the studies lasted nine weeks or less.

3. 03

   What happened

   Movement in class kept children on task more than other classes did. School results improved in studies that used tools to track short-term progress, but not in studies that used national tests. Thinking skills showed no clear change.

What the review found

1. HelpedFocus

   Across 4 studies, adding movement to class kept children on task more than other classes did.

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 804 people · vs classes that added no movement · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; the studies disagreed a lot; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. HelpedGoals

   Across 4 studies that used tools that track short-term progress, school results improved more than in other classes.

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 627 people · vs classes that added no movement · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; results look too good to be true; the studies disagreed a lot; mixes trials with other kinds of study

3. No differenceGoals

   Across 6 studies that used national tests, classes with movement did no better on school results.

   Pooled analysis of 6 studies with 1,449 people · vs classes that added no movement · ⚠ most studies had serious flaws; the studies disagreed a lot; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source