Physical Activity, Self-Regulation, and Preschoolers

Early Education and Development recently published research on whether active play during recess was associated with self-regulation and academic achievement in preschoolers.  Fifty one children were assessed on self-regulation, active play, and early academic achievement.

The results indicated the following:

1.  higher active play was associated with better self-regulation, which in turn was associated with higher scores on early reading and math assessments.

2.   higher levels of moderate to vigorous active play were not directly related to emergent literacy or math achievement.

3.   children who performed better on the self regulation task demonstrated higher literacy and math achievement.

You can access the full text article for free at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10409289.2013.780505

Reference:   Derek R. Becker , Megan M. McClelland , Paul Loprinzi & Stewart G. Trost (2014)
Physical Activity, Self-Regulation, and Early Academic Achievement in Preschool Children, Early
Education and Development, 25:1, 56-70, DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2013.780505

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Title: Adventure Skill – Self-Regulation Flash Cards
By: Move with Me

Summary: This 16 Flash Card Set in printable PDF format –
includes health lessons and self-regulation techniques that
combine creative movement, yoga and Brain Gym(R).

Find out more at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/movewithmeselfregulation.html

Extra Physical Activity and Academic Achievement

Research on the impact of physical activity intervention program on academic achievement was published in the Journal of School Health. The study provided 408 twelve year olds with an additional two hours per week of extra play and motion activities. The control groups were three different schools (matched for male/female ratio, average level of income, education and unemployment of parents) who did not receive the extra two hours of physical activity per week.

Academic achievement was tested four years prior to the study and five years later. The results indicated the following:

1. Higher proportions of students in the intervention school achieved the national goals in all 3 subjects compared with the reference schools after initiation of the intervention program.

2. The odds for achieving the national learning goals in the intervention school doubled.

3. The odds for achieving the national learning goals did not change or decreased in the control schools.

The researchers concluded that promoting physical activity in school by means of a curriculum-based intervention program may improve children's educational outcome.

Reference: Lina B. Käll PhD, Michael Nilsson MD, PhD, andThomas Lindén MD, PhD. The Impact of a Physical Activity Intervention Program on Academic Achievement in a Swedish Elementary School Setting. Journal of School Health Volume 84, Issue 8, pages 473–480, August 2014. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12179



Need some easy ideas to squeeze in physical activity and play time?  Check out Roll Some Fun at http://yourtherapysource.com/rollsomefun.html

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Physical Activity and Executive Control in Children

Pediatrics published research on 221 children (7-9 years old) who were randomly assigned to either a 9 month after school physical activity program or a wait list group. Following the intervention various measurements were recorded: changes in maximal oxygen consumption, electrical activity in the brain and behavioral measures (accuracy, reaction time) of executive control.

The intervention was every school day for two hours. Each session included at least 70 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The results indicated the following:
1. fitness improved more among intervention participants from pretest to posttest compared with the wait-list control group.
2. inhibition and cognitive flexibility improved more in the intervention group from pretest to posttest compared with control.
3. only the intervention group increased attentional resources from pretest to posttest during tasks requiring increased inhibition.
4. improvements in brain function on the inhibition task and performance on the flexibility task correlated with intervention attendance.

The researchers concluded that the physical activity intervention enhanced cognitive performance and brain function during tasks requiring greater executive control. These findings demonstrate a causal effect of a physical activity program on executive control.

Reference: Effects of the FITKids Randomized Controlled Trial on Executive Control and Brain Function. Charles H. Hillman, Matthew B. Pontifex, Darla M. Castelli, Naiman A. Khan, Lauren B. Raine, Mark R. Scudder, Eric S. Drollette, Robert D. Moore, Chien-Ting Wu, and Keita Kamijo. Pediatrics peds.2013-3219; published ahead of print September 29, 2014, doi:10.1542/peds.2013-3219

10 Easy Physical Activities to Get the Brain Ready for Testing

Research has shown that there are positive benefits for the brain from physical activity including academic achievement on test scores.  With common core and state tests coming up, here are 10 physical activity suggestions to get the brain ready for testing:

1.  Brisk Walking:  Need something easy and quick?  Line the class up and take a quick, brisk walk, outdoors if able.  Change up speeds, go slow, go fast, go left and go right, throw in some stairs if possible and head back to class to take the test.

2.  Recess:  Would it be possible to have a quick outdoor recess before the tests?  Children are usually more physically active when loose parts are available during recess, therefore be sure to include jump ropes and balls during recess versus just playground equipment,

3.  Chair Aerobics:  If you are tight on space and can not leave the room, turn on some music and do some quick chair aerobics.  March in your seat, do large arm circles and rotate your trunk right and left.  

4.  Dance in Your Seat:  Again, if tight on space, turn on some music but perform the dance moves from a seated position.  Do the macarena sitting in a chair, stomp your feet in sitting to the ChaCha Slide, etc.

5.  Shake it Out:  Stand at your seat,  Call out different body parts and the children have to shake that body part.  Play it like Simon Says or move quickly calling out different body parts to change it up quickly.

6.  Classroom Cardiac Training:  Stand at your seat.  Walk in place for 30 seconds, jog in place for 30 seconds, run in place for 30 seconds, jump in place for 30 seconds and finish with 30 seconds of jumping jacks.

7.  Yoga Poses:  Need to sneak in some movement but keep it calm and quiet?  Try a quick yoga routine of standing poses ie mountain pose, standing crescent pose, warrior pose, chair pose, etc.  Check out Classroom Activity Posters for easy standing exercises.

8.  Animal Actions:  Move like various animals around the room.  Need ideas?  Check out the Monster Movement Transition Cards for a full list of animals A-Z.  

9.  Let the Kids Lead:  Out of ideas?  How about have the students take turns leading the class in some quick wake up exercises?  If the kids can not think of ideas, what if they come up and demonstrate sports they participate in (ie karate, swimming, basketball, etc) and the rest of the class mimics their actions?

10.  Stretch It Out:  Have the class perform some gentle stretching before they are hunched over their tests for hours.  Keep it simple such as 5 Postural Exercises Using a Classroom Chair.

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This electronic document is a  large goal bank for school based occupational and physical therapy that is aligned with the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics common core standards for grades K-2.  Get more information at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/commoncorek2.html

Research: Children Are Significantly Less Fit than Decades Ago

Photo by Chucka_NC on Flicker Creative Commons License

The American Heart Association presented research on 50 studies on running fitness between 1964 and 2010 that involved more than 25 million kids, ages 9 to 17, in 28 countries. Most of the studies measured cardiovascular endurance by how far kids could run in a set time or how long it took to run a set distance. The tests typically lasted five to 15 minutes or covered a half-mile to two miles.

The results indicated the following:

• cardiovascular endurance declined significantly within the 46 years 
• average changes were similar between boys and girls, younger and older kids, and across different regions, although they varied from one country to another
• today's children are about 15% less aerobically fit than children 30 years ago i.e. about 90 seconds slower when doing a timed mile.

Reference: Douglas, C. Kids' Aerobic Fitness Said to Decline Dramatically. Retreived from Runner's World on the web on 11/20/2013 at http://www.runnersworld.com/health/kids-aerobic-fitness-said-to-decline-dramatically.

Get Moving Flashcards - Powerpoint and PDF

Get Moving Flashcards is a collection of 5 physical activity breaks (jogging in place, marching, squats, jumping jacks and trunk twists) randomly placed between flash cards.

Find out more information.

Physical Performance of Children who are Overweight

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on 70 children (5-9 years old) comparing overweight/obese children to healthy weight children with regards to gait, balance, muscle strength, and physical activity.  The results indicated that when compared to peers of healthy weight  the children who were overweight/obese exhibited the following:

• a significantly increased base of support while walking
• decreased one leg stance test 
• decreased vertical jump height 

Reference: Pathare, Neeti PT, PhD; Haskvitz, Esther M. PT, PhD, ATC; Selleck, Marjane PT, DPT, MS, PCS. Comparison of Measures of Physical Performance Among Young Children Who Are Healthy Weight, Overweight, or Obese. Pediatric Physical Therapy: Fall 2013 - Volume 25 - Issue 3 - p 291-296. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e31829846bd 

Physical Activity and ADHD Symptoms

Recent research was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders on a pilot study that looked at 17 children, grades K-3, who exhibited four or more hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms on the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale.  Each child participated in 26 minutes of continuous moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily over eight school weeks.  The effects of response inhibition was the most consistent.  After the program, parents, teachers, and program staff reported that most participants (64% to 71%) exhibited overall improvement.

Reference:  Alan L. Smith, Betsy Hoza, Kate Linnea, Julia D. McQuade,Meghan Tomb, Aaron J. Vaughn,Erin K. Shoulberg,and Holly Hook. Pilot Physical Activity Intervention Reduces Severity of ADHD Symptoms in Young Children Journal of Attention Disorders January 2013 17: 70-82, first published on August 25, 2011 doi:10.1177/1087054711417395

Fit Kids and Higher Test Scores

Yet again, more research to support that children who are fit perform better in school.  The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness has published research on 312, 6th through 8th grade students, from Michigan.  The researchers gathered data on the students body fat, muscular strength, flexibility and endurance. These fitness scores were then compared to their grades and standardized tests. The results indicated that the children who were the most fit had the highest test scores and grades regardless of gender or whether they had gone through puberty.  

Reference:  Michigan State University. Fit Kids Finish First in the Classroom. Retrieved from the web on 12/7/12 at  http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2012/fit-kids-finish-first-in-the-classroom/