Nov 02, 2014 04:10 PM EST By J Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

New research suggests that fun and games could improve the behavior of primary school students in the classroom, according to a recent study.

A researcher from Queens University found that four minutes of physical activity, or a "FUNterval," for Grade 2 and Grade 4 students reduced off-task behaviors like fidgeting or inattentiveness in the classroom.

"While 20 minutes of daily physical activity (DPA) is required in Ontario primary schools, there is a need for innovative and accessible ways for teachers to meet this requirement," Brendon Gurd, lead researcher and professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, said in a statement. "Given the time crunch associated with the current school curriculum we thought that very brief physical activity breaks might be an interesting way to approach DPA. We were particularly interested in what effects a brief exercise bout might have in the classroom setting."

For the study, students were taught a class and were then given an active break, where they would perform a FUNterval, or a non-active break where they would learn about different aspects of healthy living on alternating days for three weeks. After each break, classroom observers recorded instances of off-task behavior. When a four minute FUNterval was completed during a break from class, there was less off-task behavior observed in the 50 minutes following the break than if students completed a non-active break.

The FUNtervals involved actively acting out tasks like "making s'mores" where students would lunge to "collect firewood," "start the fire" by crouching and exploding into a star jump and squatting and jumping to "roast the marshmallows" to make the S'more. Each activity moves through a 20-second storyline of quick, enthusiastic movements followed by 10 seconds of rest for eight intervals.

The findings are detailed in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 

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