Impact of Active Breaks in the Classroom on Mathematical Performance and Attention in Elementary School Children

Background: The increasing need to face the problem of sedentarism, especially in the COVID-19 era, induced teachers and researchers to find new intervention methodologies in school context. Active breaks (ABs) include brief periods of physical activity as a part of the curriculum. This study aimed to investigate the AB acute responses on attentive skills and mathematical performance and attention in a primary school. Methods: A total of 141 children (aged 9.61 ± 0.82), divided into six classes, participated in this study. Each class was randomly assigned to three groups on the basis of the type of protocol performed during the three ABs scheduled in a school day: fitness (FIT), creativity (CREAT), and control group (CON). At baseline and at the end of interventions, all participants underwent the Stroop Color and Word test (SCWT) and the math test (MATH) to assess the level of attention and mathematical performance, respectively. The degree of enjoyment was evaluated through the modified Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. Results: The factorial ANOVA showed significant differences between the FIT and CON in MATH test (p = 0.023) and SCWT (p = 0.034). CREAT and FIT groups showed higher degree of enjoyment than the CON (both ps < 0.001). Conclusions: This study showed a positive acute impact of AB interventions. FIT positively influenced attentive and math performances more than the CREAT, probably due to the correct work/rest ratio and executive rhythm that allowed children to reach a good level of exertion. This report showed that ABs can be a useful and productive activity to be performed between curricular lessons.

Effect of Physical Exercise Program Based on Active Breaks on Physical Fitness and Vigilance Performance

The scientific literature has shown the beneficial effects of chronic Physical Exercise (PE) on a wide range of tasks that involve high-order functioning. For this reason, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of active breaks on physical fitness and vigilance performance in high school students through eight weeks of physical training. A total of 42 healthy students (age = 16.50 ± 0.59 years; height = 171.08 ± 8.07 cm; weight = 67.10 ± 13.76 kg) from one Andalusian high school (Spain) were assigned for convenience and matched into two groups, a Control Group (CG) and an Active-Break Group (ABG). The ABG performed two active breaks (based on strength and self-loading exercises) during the school day, first at 10:00 a.m. and second at 12:30 p.m. The participants were assessed before and after the training program using the Alpha-Fitness test battery and the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT). Significant differences were observed in the post-training PVT results, compared with the pretraining PVT, showing ABG responding faster than CG. Thus, the presents study demonstrated that eight weeks of physical training affects vigilance performance (compared to CG) and improves the efficiency of vigilance in high school students, contributing to enhancement of quality of education.

Influence of Frequency and Time Implications on Efficacy of Primary School Active Break Programs

Classroom-based physical activity breaks are suggested to positively impact children's attention during their school day. Frequency and time implications are important as decisive factors in structuring primary school active break programs. The purpose of the study was to research the influence of frequency and time implications on efficacy of primary school active break programs. Materials and methods. This academic survey was admitted as the first Algerian pilot research among primary schools. Its appointment aims are to test the effect of frequency and time implications as decisive factors in structuring primary school active break programs. 4 teachers and 5-grade class levels took part in the study. A total of 180 children (100 girls and 80 boys), 45 in each class were involved in the study. The average age of the participants was 10.4±0.61 years old. All participants provided their written consent to attend the study. The ethics committee of Physical Education Institute, University of Abdel Hamid Ibn Badis Mostaganem had also given its approval. All children were divided in four groups. Group 1 (20 boys and 25 girls) had 2 minutes of exercise every 20 minutes of siting. Group 2 (19 boys and 26 girls) had 6 minutes of exercise for every 1-hour of sitting. Group 3 (19 boys and 26 girls) had 9-minute traditional Active Breaks Classroom-Based Physical Activity program integrated within regular day school break periods. Group 4 was a control one with no Active Breaks Classroom-Based Physical Activity program. All teachers, who voluntarily accepted to be engaged in this experience, were asked to apply the video-based physical activity appropriate for their students according to the model and content (time-frequency) and they encouraged their students to replicate their daily base-physical-activity as proposed. Push, pull, squat, standing chair single-leg balance, flexibility, self-myofascial release and static stretching were used as a complimentary physical activity program. Results and discussion. This study focuses on three frequencies and time implications of proposed Active Break Physical Classroom Routine. The test confirmed the benefits of active breaks program in groups. The higher scores than in the control group were recorded in the post-tests. This study explains it by the complementary time practised by experimental groups according to Active Breaks Classroom-Based Physical Activity program. Clear significant inverse correlations were established between the active-standing time involved and classroom inactive time chair sitting. Conclusion. The results of the study confirmed that it is more useful to use the short break program no longer than 5 minutes, frequently repeated with 2 minutes, after every 20 minutes of prolonged static setting. It has to be used as the prominent strategy for structuring the feasible and potential efficacy of primary school Active Break Program. This model is able to decrease sedentary time and increase daily energy expenditure

Active breaks during virtual classrooms in schoolchildren in times of COVID-19 pandemic: A strategy to increase physical activity levels

As a result of the closure of schools to control COVID-19 transmission, the lifestyle of schoolchildren changed, with an increase in excess malnutrition, sedentary behavior, decreased outdoor time and increased screen time. The modification in the execution of classes in their new modalities (on-site or virtual) does not modify the deleterious effects of the sedentary behavior of schoolchildren. Short cumulative active breaks can be an efficient strategy to meet the minimum physical activity recommendations suggested by the WHO for children and adolescents aged 5-17 years.

Aprendo Moviéndome: programa de descansos activos para educación primaria

El ámbito educativo es uno de los pilares fundamentales a través del cual el sedentarismo puede ser combatido. En este sentido, la asignatura de Educación Física es considerada como pieza clave para aumentar los niveles de actividad física en los alumnos. Sin embargo, debido a que las propias clases de Educación Física resultan insuficientes para aumentar los niveles de actividad física recomendados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, surgen los descansos activos, cuyo objetivo principal es reducir las conductas sedentarias y la obesidad en los alumnos, por medio de AF estructurada en las aulas. Así pues, el objetivo principal del presente trabajo es presentar un programa de descansos activos para Educación Primaria, titulado Aprendo Moviéndome. Con este programa, se pretende ofrecer un nuevo recurso al profesorado de Educación Primaria a través del cual poder aplicar breves sesiones de actividad física con los alumnos para poder lograr beneficios como la mejora de salud, la atención, el comportamiento o el rendimiento académico, entre otros. El programa Aprendo Moviéndome está compuesto por ocho sesiones de descansos activos de una duración de entre 10 y 12 minutos, diseñados para trabajar en clase o en el patio del colegio durante el horario lectivo por el maestro. Las sesiones han sido diseñadas para trabajar contenidos curriculares pertenecientes al Real Decreto 126/2014 de Educación Primaria. Cada descanso activo está dividido en tres partes: calentamiento, desarrollo y vuelta a la calma. Como prospectiva de investigación se recomienda la aplicación del programa a un contexto real, con el propósito de conocer fortalezas y debilidades del mismo. The educational context is one of the fundamental pillars through which sedentary lifestyle can be reduced. In that sense, Physical Education is considered a key element to increase physical activity levels in children. However, due to the fact that only the PE subject is insufficient to increase the PA levels recommended by the World Health Organization, active breaks emerged. The main objective of active breaks is to reduce sedentary behaviors and obesity in students, through structured physical activity in classrooms. Thus, the main objective of this work is to present an active break program for Primary Education, entitled Aprendo Moviéndome. With this program, it is intended to offer a new resource to primary teachers through which they can apply short physical activity sessions with students, with the purpose to achieve benefits related to health, attention, behavior or academic performance, among others. The Aprendo Moviéndome program is made up of eight sessions between ten and 12 minutes. It has been designed to be conducted in class or in the schoolyard during school hours by the teacher. The sessions have been designed to work on curricular content belonging to Royal Decree 126/2014 of Primary Education. Each session is divided into three parts: warm-up, development, and cool down. As prospective investigation, the application of the program to a real context is recommended, with the purpose of knowing its strengths and weaknesses.

Breaking up classroom sitting time with cognitively engaging physical activity: Behavioural and brain responses

Introduction Classroom-based active breaks are a feasible and effective way to reduce and break up sitting time, and to potentially benefit physical health in school children. However, the effect of active breaks on children’s cognitive functions and brain activity remains unclear. Objective We investigated the impact of an active break intervention on typically developing children’s cognitive functions and brain activity, sitting/standing/stepping, on-task behaviour, and enjoyment. Methods Up to 141 children, aged between 6 and 8 years (46% girls), were included, although about half of them completed two of the assessments (n = 77, working memory; n = 67, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex haemodynamic response). Classrooms from two consenting schools were randomly allocated to a six-week simple or cognitively engaging active break intervention. Classrooms from another school acted as a control group. The main analyses used linear mixed models, clustered at the class level and adjusted for sex and age, to investigate the effects of the interventions on response inhibition, lapses of attention, working memory, event-related brain haemodynamic response (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). The mediating effects of sitting/standing/stepping on cognition/brain activity were also explored. To test intervention fidelity, we investigated differences by group on the change values in children’s sitting, standing, and moving patterns during class/school time using linear mixed models. Generalized linear mixed models clustered at the individual level were used to examine on-task behaviour data. For the intervention groups only, we also assessed children’s perceived enjoyment, physical exertion and mental exertion related to the active breaks and compared the results using independent t-tests. Results There was a significantly greater positive change in the proportion of deoxygenated haemoglobin in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of children assigned to cognitively engaging active breaks compared to the control group (B = 1.53 × 10−07, 95% CI [0.17 × 10−07, 2.90 × 10−07]), which under the same cognitive performance is suggestive of improved neural efficiency. Mixed models showed no significant effects on response inhibition, lapses of attention, working memory. The mediation analysis revealed that the active breaks positively affected response inhibition via a change in sitting and standing time. The sitting, standing, and moving patterns and on-task behaviour were positively affected by the active breaks at end of trial, but not at mid-trial. Children in both intervention groups showed similarly high levels of enjoyment of active breaks. Conclusion Cognitively engaging active breaks may improve brain efficiency in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the neural substrate of executive functions, as well as response inhibition, via effects partially mediated by the change in sitting/stepping time. Active breaks can effectively reduce sitting and increase standing/stepping and improve on-task behaviour, but the regular implementation of these activities might require time for teachers to become familiar with. Further research is needed to confirm what type of active break best facilitates cognition.