It’s a topic I often get asked about: learning through movement. Picture a classroom where children spend nine minutes doing jumping jacks, lunges, and star jumps – and their school performance and brain activity improve as a result. It sounds almost too good to be true. That’s precisely what Drollette and colleagues set out to test. They brought 25 children (aged 9–12) into the lab on three occasions: once for a high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) session, once for moderate cycling, and once to sit still. After each session, the children completed a flanker task while researchers recorded their brain activity with EEG. In two of the sessions, the children also took a reading test.
What did the researchers find?
After the short HIIE session, the so-called error-related negativity (ERN) was smaller, which the researchers interpret as more efficient error processing. The children also scored higher on word recognition, and almost higher on decoding. On other measures (silent reading and mathematics), nothing changed.
Why we should be cautious
That may sound promising, but we need to be cautious. The study involved only 25 children from one region in the US, and many from the original sample were excluded because they had too few valid trials. The positive effects were small and very selective: limited to word recognition and not seen in most other areas. And because the academic test followed only two conditions (HIIE and rest), we don’t know if moderate cycling would have shown similar results.
The ERN adds another complication. Some studies link a smaller amplitude to greater efficiency, others to the opposite. Even the authors admit the evidence points in both directions. So it’s far too early to treat this as a solid explanation for the cognitive benefits of exercise.
So, is it useless research?
Not at all. Short, realistic bouts of exercise may well have positive effects, and schools should take that idea seriously. But the leap from a controlled lab study with EEG caps to the everyday reality of a noisy classroom is a big one. We need larger studies in real classrooms, covering a wider range of learning outcomes.
The bottom line
Exercise is healthy, also at school. But whether nine minutes of jumping makes children better readers – or smarter – remains an open question.
Abstract of the study:
While short bouts of exercise are known to improve cognitive and academic performance in children, the underlying neural mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear. This study evaluates the effects of short (9-min) acute bouts of exercise (high intensity interval exercise, HIIE; moderate-intensity cycling) on error-related negativity (ERN), and academic achievement. School-aged children (n =25; ages 9–12) participated in a within-subjects, crossover design, completing one of three conditions (HIIE, moderate-intensity cycling, and seated rest) on three separate days. ERN was measured using electroencephalography (EEG) during a flanker task. Academic achievement tests were completed following only HIIE and seated rest. HIIE significantly reduced ERN amplitude compared to both cycling and seated rest conditions, suggesting improved neural efficiency in error processing. Children also exhibited improved word recognition fluency following HIIE, with a positive trend observed for decoding fluency. These findings suggest that HIIE sessions can enhance neural markers of error processing and academic performance in children. Further research is necessary to explore the long-term effects and potential for broader cognitive improvements resulting from regular integration of HIIE interventions for children.