Project overview
The Joy of moving program in Australia pilot research
The Joy of moving program in Australia is proudly supported by Ferrero. The local research program is based on the ideologies of Ferrero’s global Joy of moving program, an innovative play-based methodology that was first created by Foro Italico University in Rome. The methodology aims to help children develop key skills in four major areas; physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive functions and life skills.
So far, the global Joy of moving project has inspired more than 60 million children in 34 countries to get active in ways that help them grow. It has been widely validated as an educational model in physical activity with innovative features.
The Joy of moving program in Australia places a specific focus on how movement can support children’s emotional development.
Led by Professor Nicole Rinehart and Dr Nicole Papadopoulos, our research in primary schools has assessed the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of using psychoeducation about emotion regulation through movement breaks. In the first pilot randomised-controlled trial and PhD study, almost 250 teachers at mainstream and specialist schools in Victoria used the program’s Mood Breaker resources to bring movement and mental health activities to their classrooms.
The research aimed to introduce movement as a helpful tool to regulate children’s emotions. You can find out more about the impact of this research here.
A Living Lab to scale the Joy of moving program in Australia
Following the trials in specialist and mainstream schools, we're now taking the Joy of moving program in Australia from paper to practice through our philanthropic partnership with Ferrero under the Monash Change It. For Future Generations philanthropic campaign.
A Living Lab was established at the Faculty of Education at Monash University in 2022 to bring key stakeholders together to support the scale of the Joy of moving program in Australia. This phase has also involved co-design of the Mood Breaker resources and professional learning course with children, caregivers, educators, and allied health professionals. Further feedback was sought from education, disability and health experts, government partners, and marketing and communication specialists.
The Living Lab informed the development of an online platform and professional learning course that puts our work directly in the hands of teachers and students. The professional learning course supports teachers to build an understanding of emotional development in primary school aged children, and how to use movement breaks to support emotion regulation in the classroom. The online Mood Breaker resources enable primary school aged children to learn about the science of the connection between movement and emotions in practical and accessible ways. The Mood Breaker storybooks were reviewed and edited by award-winning children’s author, Coral Vass. Illustrations on the Mood Breaker storybooks and movement cards were done by designer and illustrator, Mary Rose Avent.
In the wake of worldwide lockdowns, ensuring physical activity and mental wellbeing in children has never been more critical. The Joy of moving program in Australia addresses this by helping children to regulate their feelings using movement.
Join our Joy of moving in Australia research program
Teachers are invited to work with researchers to make meaningful changes to teaching practices for student wellbeing by joining the Joy of moving program in Australia research. Enrol in the professional learning course to get involved!
