Motion remains a significant technical hurdle in fMRI studies of young children. Our aim was to develop a straightforward and effective method for obtaining and preprocessing resting state data from a high-motion pediatric cohort. This approach combines real-time monitoring of head motion with a preprocessing pipeline that uses volume censoring…

This study examined how embodied learning experiences support students to grasp abstract CT concepts in early primary education. Forty-seven students were recruited from first- and second-grade classrooms. They had five embodied activities that simulated robot programming tasks requiring students to (1) figure out a route from a starting point to…

This study aimed to determine the motor creativity of preschoolers, to develop a music education programme suitable for the interests and needs of children, and to investigate whether music education is effective in motor creativity. A quasi-experimental design was used to test the effect of music education programme on children's motor…

The study aimed to investigate the effect of embodied learning on children's literacy skills and whether the activities were particularly beneficial for children at risk for reading difficulties. We conducted a randomized controlled trial during 4 weeks for grade 1 children (n = 52, age = 7.1). Children were randomly assigned to receive regular…

This article builds on an arts-based pedagogical development project where a kindergarten educator and a somatic dance teacher have created and conducted dance-workshops for kindergarten teachers, aiming at developing bodily professional knowledge through dance. The research is carried out from a post-human perspective (Barad, Karen, "Meeting…

Background: The relation between the human body movements and cognition has been a research hotspot in physical education and health promotion in recent years. This study applied the embodied cognition theory to examine the effects of the Movement Integrity with Intelligent Play (MIIP) program on preschoolers' math performance. Objective: This…

Moving the hands or chewing in the encoding stage enhances memory, because body movement activates the frontal cortex, which is crucial to the memory process. However, how hand movement facilitates word memory in an applied setting and whether it produces long-term effects remain unclear. Grade 1 students studied 15 new words through different…

The overarm throw is a difficult multi-limb task because the overarm throw requires synchronized dexterity of the entire body. Research has determined that the inability to throw hinders children's participation in physical activities. The dynamic systems theory, which describes the interactions and processes that manipulate development, framed…

Basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) are performance dispositions empowering children to participate in the movement culture. For the diagnosis of basic motor competencies, a test instrument consisting of 15 test items for assessing third graders' basic motor competencies was developed (MOBAK-LUX-3) and…

"Embodied trainings" allowing children to move their whole body in space have recently been shown to foster the acquisition of basic numerical competencies (e.g. magnitude understanding, addition performance). Following a brief summary of recent embodied training studies, we integrate the different results into a unified model framework…

It is often assumed when students fidget they are not on task. Two within-subject studies challenge this assumption by testing the effect of allowing fidgeting on three types of thinking: speeded mental math (Study 1), brainstorming and memory (Study 2). Study 1 showed that student's performance on speeded math was no different when performed in a…

It was investigated whether task-related body movements yield beneficial effects on children's learning of two-digit numbers and whether these learning effects are affected by mirror-based self-observation of those movements. Participants were 118 first-graders, who were randomly assigned to two movement conditions and two non-movement control…

This article presents a "child-centered" model of the teaching-learning process--the challenge kindergarten model. The model is an attempt to deal with the limitations of the "child-centered" approach without giving up its benefits. In this model, the teachers enable the children to direct their activities and improve their…

Many classrooms are beginning to substitute standard chairs with therapy balls, which help to improve students' focus and classroom performance, according to teacher and student reports. Researchers conducted an observational study in a classroom at a local elementary school that implemented therapy balls. For each hour-long observation, three…

The aim of this study is to introduce a new platform, called "En Plein", for the kinesthetic practice of phonological skills by preschool children and to examine its feasibility in combination with more traditional teaching methods. The rationale is that the manipulation of structural phonological units is important to train the…