From “Sit and Get” to “Move and Prove”: Physically Active Lessons That Raise Achievement

By Victoria Ealy, M.Ed

If movement mainly boosted brain signals, it would still be worth doing. But multiple trials show physically active lessons can also move the needle on achievement.

A cluster-randomized trial of “physically active” math and spelling lessons in elementary schools produced significant gains compared with business-as-usual instruction. The lessons integrated moderate movement into the learning task, not just as a break.

Large, multi-year trials that wove activity across the curriculum have reported similar academic benefits and healthier classroom engagement profiles, reinforcing that academics and activity can—and should—coexist.

A 2025 synthesis comparing physically active lessons vs. short “active breaks” found the former yield stronger math outcomes on average (though results can vary by design and context). The takeaway for teachers: make the movement instructionally central, not a side quest.

How to design high-yield kinesthetic Game-Based Learning (GBL):

• Cognitive load on the move. Require rule-shifting, inhibition (no blurting/moving on the wrong cue), and working-memory (holding a step list while moving through stations). These are executive-function (EF) levers tied to the prefrontal cortex.

• Open-skill elements. Activities that demand rapid decisions in changing environments can strengthen EF; moderate-intensity open-skill exercise has a documented edge for certain EF outcomes.

• Assess right after movement. The acute EF “boost” is time-sensitive—place cognitively demanding tasks immediately after a kinesthetic round.

  
  

Quick classroom plug-ins:

• Vocabulary relay: Teams carry term cards across the room, then without looking back define or use them in context (working memory + inhibition).

• Gallery circuits: Rotate to scenario posters; at each, students physically choose an answer zone (A/B/C) then justify. (Cognitive flexibility + inhibition.)

• Rule-flip rounds: Mid-game, flip a rule (e.g., “even numbers = move backward”) to force set-shifting. (Cognitive flexibility.)

When movement is baked into how content is processed, not just when students get a break, you get both engagement and measurable learning.

Sources:

Mullender-Wijnsma, M. J., Hartman, E., De Greeff, J. W., Bosker, R. J., & Visscher, C. (2016). Physically active math and language lessons improve academic achievement: A cluster-randomised controlled trial. Pediatrics, 137(3), e20152743. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-2743 PubMed

Mullender-Wijnsma, M. J., Hartman, E., De Greeff, J. W., Bosker, R. J., & Visscher, C. (2015). Moderate-to-vigorous physically active academic lessons and time on task in children: A quasi-experiment. BMC Public Health, 15, 639. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1745-y