This study investigated the effect of active rest on perceptual-motor learning. Two groups received different techniques for promoting recovery during an 8-min. rest period between practice on a mirror-drawing task. The two techniques were active rest by reading orally a book unrelated to the experiment and passive rest during which the group sat without moving the body or thinking about the experiment. Significantly fewer number of errors in the mirror drawing occurred for those subjects who used oral reading during rest. The possibility of raising arousal was discussed.