Active Improves Concentration in the Classroom

In the summer of 2015 a researcher from Oxford University worked with pupils from Year 5 at Christ the King Primary School in Reading (UK) to investigate the effect of PE and activity on concentration levels in the classroom.

There is a well known and established link between playtime and subsequent levels of concentration. Briefly, researchers have shown that if children have an active playtime they concentrate better in their next lesson.  When Christ the King were approached to take part in this study they were interested to see if there were any implications for the frequency, the pattern and the nature of both playtimes and PE lessons. If having more play and PE, or more active play and PE, could be shown to help children do better in class then they might change daily routines and methods.

In this study a number of the children were asked to wear electronic devices to measure their activity throughout the day.  The researcher spent two weeks in the classroom observing the children; she watched them working both before and after breaks and PE; she also asked both the children themselves and their teacher about their work.

This was only a small scale study, but the conclusion was clear that PE and activity does have a beneficial effect on concentration.

A bit more more evidence about how activity in learning environments has a positive impact and how EIGER Junior standing desks can play a part.