0 Keeping children fully engaged in the classroom is no easy feat, but a new technique incorporating high-intensity interval training may be the answer to every teacher's prayers. Canadian researchers at Queen's University found that four is the magic number. Just four minutes to hold a child's attention span in the classroom. They published their findings in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
Just four minutes of physical activity was shown to significantly reduce fidgeting and inattentiveness for grade 2 and 4 students. The brief "FUNtervals" give the child an opportunity to release all of their pent up energy into highly-focused and applicable activities, such as collecting firewood, starting a fire or simply exploding into exercise with squats and jumps.
For three weeks, researchers compared a classroom with incorporated FUNtervals to a classroom without breaks, and observed how many times a child became distracted or fidgeted during their lessons. In just 50 minutes the results were obvious. Children given a break with quick, enthusiastic movements directed toward a common goal were able to learn with better attention and effectiveness. The FUNtervals were easily conducted in small spaces without the need to budget for expensive exercise equipment, making it completely applicable for any classroom setting.
There's no excuse for school systems not to try this research-based approach to help kids focus and learn more effectively.
