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Objective To determine how the dual‐task nature of incorporating physical activity with instructional activities immediately impacts acuity of the approximate number system and on‐task behavior in preschoolers. Methods Using a randomized within‐participants repeated‐measures crossover design, 51 children completed an approximate number system task before and after either 20‐min of physically active instruction corresponding to 38% heart rate reserve (HRR; light‐to‐moderate intensity) or conventional sedentary instruction at corresponding to 21% HRR (very light intensity). Results Findings revealed that preschool‐aged children exhibited similar learning and greater on‐task behavior following a single bout of physically active instruction relative to conventional sedentary instruction. Overall, preschoolers accrued 931.3 ± 8.2 more steps and an additional 9 minutes at or above light‐intensity activity during the physically active instruction. Conclusion Accordingly, these findings suggest that the dual‐task nature of physically active learning does not compromise learning, reduces the need for redirecting off‐task behavior, and ultimately allows children to avoid sedentary behavior in educational contexts.

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This study investigated one-semester outdoor education program impact on adolescents’ perceived self-authorship—the ability to form our identity independently from the expectations of external individuals and the capacity to invent our beliefs, identity, and relationships (Baxter Magolda, 1998; Kegan, 1982)—as measured by the Self-Authorship Questionnaire (SAQ). Participants ( n = 26) included students from 10th- and 12th-grade one-semester outdoor education programs. Analysis of paired t tests of the intervention phase showed gains in three of four SAQ dimensions (situational coping, interpersonal leadership, and self-efficacy) as well as in overall SAQ scores. There were no observable differences in overall SAQ within grade level based on gender or between grade levels. The instructor and outdoor experiences were perceived to influence self-authorship. These findings contribute to the research examining the benefits of one-semester outdoor education programs and have implications for educators aiming to enhance participants’ self-authorship based on desirable outdoor education programming identified by students.