09/09/2026
This is why we move.
Children spend a significant amount of their day being asked to sit.
Sit on the mat.
Sit at the desk.
Sit during group time.
Sit still and listen.
Sit still and learn.
But prolonged, uninterrupted sitting can make it harder for children to maintain attention, working memory, alertness and executive functioning.
Research suggests that brief movement breaks can support children to return to learning more regulated, alert and cognitively available.
This is why, as therapists, we recommend movement breaks.
Not because a child is being disruptive.
Not because we are rewarding them for avoiding their work.
Not because learning can only happen when children are moving.
We recommend them because movement can help prepare the brain and body for learning.
For some children, particularly those with ADHD, sensory differences, reduced postural stability or motor difficulties, sitting still requires an enormous amount of effort. If a child is using so much of their capacity to keep their body upright, quiet and still, they may have less available for listening, remembering instructions, organising their thoughts and completing the task.
This is why classrooms need to adapt.
Movement shouldn’t only be offered once a child has become restless, dysregulated or disengaged. It can be proactively built into the school day through:
• Short whole-class movement breaks
• Opportunities to stand or change position
• Active transitions between tasks
• Flexible seating options
• Learning activities that include movement
• Access to movement without shame or punishment
Stillness is not the same as attention.
Movement is not the opposite of learning.
Sometimes, movement is exactly what allows a child to access learning.
A child shouldn’t have to reach their limit before they’re allowed to move.
