Add physical activity to the school day via PA breaks, extra PA sessions, more intense PE lessons, or PA integrated into academic lessons¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 9 claims (1 for, 7 mixed, 1 against) · 4 studies (3 quant-synthesis, 1 review), q2–q3 · 1 of 4 report an effect size · 8 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review concludes that several types of school-based PA can be recommended to be added to the school day, and that this "may enhance children's mathematics performance or has no negative effects on performance". Recommended forms include physically active mathematics lessons integrating PA into academic learning goals, short PA breaks during lessons, extra or more intense PE lessons, and bursts of activity before mathematics testing. The review found no clear evidence that any one type is more effective than the others.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Interventions must include baseline measurements and control conditions, as only such studies were accepted in the review

Constraints¶

• Increasing traditional PE lesson quantity alone did not seem to positively affect mathematics learning, whereas more intense PE lessons did
• Large-scale multicomponent interventions in Scandinavian contexts showed no significant positive effects, possibly because school days there already include regular breaks and PE

Target Learners¶

• Children aged 4–16 in school or preschool settings

Target Learning Goals¶

• Mathematics performance, including arithmetic fluency, number skills and geometry

Claims¶

• Across 29 controlled studies, positive overall effects of school-based PA on mathematics performance appear in 45% of studies and neutral effects in 52%, with only one negative subgroup result [~W]
• Whether PA itself causes the positive mathematics effects remains unclear, with engagement, attention from adults and innovative teaching proposed as alternative explanations [~W]
• Intervention effect sizes on mathematics are negatively associated with participants' age and intervention duration, while intervention type does not explain heterogeneity [~W]
• Children with lower baseline achievement, lower IQ or lower school engagement may benefit more from school-based PA interventions, though evidence is mixed [~W]
• Large-scale Scandinavian multicomponent PA interventions showed no significant positive effects on mathematics performance, raising a possible upper-limit question [-W]
• Acute PA before mathematics testing shows mixed effects: 10- and 20-min exercise breaks raised math scores but 5-min breaks did not, and pre-test PA sessions helped in two of four studies [~W]
• Evidence for effects of acute bouts of physical activity on children's attention is weak and inconclusive [~W]
• Type of PA may moderate acute effects: coordinative exercises outperformed a normal PE lesson of the same intensity [~W]
• Classroom physical activity increases children's on-task behaviour, with no consistent gain on attention or other cognitive tests [+M]

Related Strategies¶

• Deliver classroom-based physical activity with an academic focus to potentially support both academic performance and overall physical activity levels
• Physical Activity & Recess
• Regular Physical Education (PE) Classes
• Mini Classroom Exercise Breaks
• Implement acute physical activity breaks of at least 10 minutes at moderate intensity with behavior change techniques
• Classroom Physical Activity Integration

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Sneck S., Viholainen H., Syväoja H., Kankaapää A., Hakonen H., Poikkeus A.-M., Tammelin T. (2019). Effects of school-based physical activity on mathematics performance in children: a systematic review. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-019-0866-6