Game on, grades up? Effects of a teacher- and pupil-informed physical activity break on executive function and behaviour in children

Physical activity (PA) breaks, separate from recess or physical education, provide opportunities for schools to increase children’s PA. However, their effectiveness on executive function (EF), perceptual and behavioural responses remain unclear, and challenges integrating PA breaks into the school day persist. In this 3-week, repeated measures study, 120 children (Years 2–6, 6–11 years old) from one UK primary school completed three conditions: playground games (designed with input from pupils and teachers), usual practice (The Daily Mile), and sedentary control. EF, arousal, affect, effort, and enjoyment were measured before, immediately after, and 45-min post-condition. Children’s evaluations and teacher-rated class behaviour were also assessed. There were no significant differences between conditions for EF (p > 0.05). However, in the playground games condition, children reported higher pre-activity arousal, greater exertion during activity, and more positive affect overall compared to usual practice and control (p’s < 0.05). Children rated the playground games break as more enjoyable, but less feasible to implement, than usual practice (p’s < 0.05). Teacher-rated class behaviour did not differ across conditions (p’s > 0.05). Findings suggest that novel, participant-orientated PA breaks of different type and duration can match traditional routines in cognitive and behavioural outcomes while enhancing enjoyment and engagement.