Short movement breaks have been shown to support wellbeing in classrooms. Australian teachers can now access new resources to help them get started.
A team of Monash psychologists and researchers designed the Joy of moving program in Australia.
In 2018 and 2019, we piloted a new program with 24 Australian specialist and mainstream schools, and nearly 250 teachers. More than 3,500 students participated in a series of short classroom breaks that connected movement with emotions.
And best of all, the teachers said the program made a real difference in their classrooms.
A mainstream school teacher said: “…the students were engaged and developed many active strategies to stay happy, calm and positive.”
A specialist school teacher said: “We thank everyone involved with this program for thinking of this and making a difference to these kids and for their lives.”
Rolling out the program across Australia
In a nutshell, the model we developed was based on a cognitive-behavioural approach. The brief sessions were fun and play-based, and could be tailored by teachers for their classrooms.
It had two core ideas:
- Any movement is good movement,
- Movement helps us feel good.
Below are some of the resources we developed in our pilot. We are now working with schools to co-design more resources based on our initial research findings.
Try out the program in your classroom
The program works best for Prep-Grade 2. Here are the key elements to help you trial the program in your classroom.
Recognise that movement helps with emotional regulation
Physical activity is a recognised way to promote self-regulation and reduce symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
This is because when we move, our brain fires up. Areas of the brain responsible for motor development are active.
These same areas activated by movement are also responsible for social, cognitive and emotional development.
This means that when children engage in movement, aspects of their social, emotional and cognitive functioning (including emotional and behavioural regulation) can also be improved.
Areas of functioning
Introduce 10-minute activity breaks in the classroom
The purpose of our activity breaks is twofold – they provide a chance to talk about challenging, everyday emotions, as well as a way to manage those emotions through movement.
1. Use our resources to open a conversation about challenging, everyday emotions
Joy of Moving in Australia has developed a series of stories that take 2-3 minutes to read. They are designed to help students understand how emotions feel in their body, and how moving can help them feel better.
Each of the stories covers a different emotion such as feeling bored, angry, worried, sad, annoyed and disappointed. For each feeling, we offer physical activity as a strategy to help regulate that emotion.
Sample stories:
2. Get your class moving
Introduce a fun movement activity in your classroom that gets everyone moving. Our activity cards offer different types of movement to help students move for fun, fitness, focus or to be with friends. They target particular responses including feeling calm, confident, connected and cheerful.
However, any movement is good movement, so teachers and students are encouraged to try or create their own movement activities. These activities should take about 8 minutes.
Sample activity cards:
Make breaks a consistent part of your school day
Engaging in movement breaks daily allows children to experience first-hand the benefits of movement for their wellbeing. You are encouraged to tailor the movement breaks depending on what is most suitable for your class at the time.
For example, your class may be feeling restless from sitting down for a long period of time, so a ‘cheerful’ activity may be helpful to re-energise them. Alternatively, your class may be noisy and fidgety, so a ‘calm’ activity may be helpful to settle and refocus students.
Join our Living Lab
The research team behind the Joy of moving program in Australia has created a Living Lab that sits within the Krongold Clinic at Monash Education. It is generously supported by Ferrero and is based on the ideologies of their global program.
In 2023, we will be working with families, primary school teachers from mainstream and specialist schools, educational leaders, government and other stakeholders.
We will draw from the research conducted so far and co-create a new – and free – online platform that will help roll out the program nationally.
We would love you to be a part of this. Let us know how you used these resources, and if you want to be more involved, you can register your interest either via email allplay@monash.edu or join our research registry.
The Joy of moving program in Australia is based on the global Ferrero Joy of moving methodology, developed in partnership with Associate Professor Caterina Pesce and her team at Rome University’s ‘Foro Italico’, MIUR of the Piedmont Region and the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).
References
Understanding the Benefits of Brief Classroom-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Primary School-Aged Children’s Enjoyment and Subjective Wellbeing: A Systematic Review.
Papadopoulos, N., Mantilla, A., Bussey, K., Emonson, C., Olive, L., McGillivray, J., Pesce, C., Lewis, S., Rinehart, N. (2022).
Journal of School Health, 92(9), 916-932
The feasibility and acceptability of a classroom-based physical activity program for children attending specialist schools: a mixed-methods pilot study.
Emonson, C., Papadopoulos, N., Rinehart, N., Mantilla, A., Fuelscher, I., Boddy, L., Pesce, C., & McGillivray, J. (2022).
BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1–19.
A Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship between Motivation for Physical Activity and Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Children Aged 8–12 years: The Role of Autonomous Motivation.
Farmer, E., Papadopoulos, N., Emonson, C., Fuelscher, I., Pesce, C., McGillivray, J., Hyde, C., Olive, L., & Rinehart, N. (2020).
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15), 5584.
Class Time Physical Activity Programs for Primary School Aged Children at Specialist Schools: A Systematic Mapping Review.
Emonson, C., McGillivray, J., Kothe, E.J., Rinehart, N., Papadopoulos, N. (2019).
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 5140.
