Body & brain: active brain break games for kids

Body and brain work together whenever we move and think at once — playing tag with changing rules, a game of Simon Says, or remembering the steps of a dance.

In Move & Think your child stands up, with the device on a table, and plays three mini-games: Freeze & Go, Opposite Moves and Copy the Dance. It is the active break in every Daily Mix. Clear some space and keep a grown-up nearby.

What the research says

Schmidt and colleagues (2015) compared children’s activity sessions and found that games which were both active and mentally challenging helped switching and attention more than plain exercise did. Diamond and Ling (2016) similarly point to activities that combine movement with thinking.

Hillman and colleagues (2014) found in a school-year trial that a daily after-school physical activity programme improved some executive function tasks. The effects are modest, which is why this area is labelled “Some evidence” — and moving is good for children anyway.

Sources:

• Schmidt et al. (2015), Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology: cognitively engaging activity vs aerobic exercise
• Hillman et al. (2014), Pediatrics: the FITKids randomized controlled trial
• Diamond & Ling (2016), Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience: what improves executive functions

Try it at home, off-screen

• Play tag where the chaser changes the rule every round.
• Hopscotch: say a number fact on every square.
• Dance, and become a statue whenever someone claps twice.