Active play is a novel approach to addressing low physical activity levels and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in children. This study aimed to determine if a new school-based, ‘Go2Play Active Play’ intervention improved school day physical activity and FMS. This was a pragmatic evaluation conducted in Scotland during 2015–16. Participants (n = 172; mean age = 7 years) were recruited from seven primary schools taking part in the 5-month intervention, plus 24 participants not receiving the intervention were recruited to act as a comparison group.189 participants had physical activity measured using an Actigraph GT3X accelerometer at baseline and again at follow-up 5 months later. A sub-sample of participants from the intervention (n = 102) and comparison (n = 21) groups had their FMS assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2) at baseline and follow-up. Changes in school day physical activity and FMS variables were examined using repeated measures ANOVA. The main effect was ‘group’ on ‘time’ from baseline to follow-up. Results indicated there was a significant interaction for mean counts per minute and percent time in sedentary behavior, light intensity physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (all p < 0.01) for school day physical activity. There was a significant interaction for gross motor quotient (GMQ) score (p = 0.02) and percentile (p = 0.04), locomotor skills score and percentile (both p = 0.02), but no significant interaction for object control skills score (p = 0.1) and percentile (p = 0.3). The Go2Play Active Play intervention may be a promising way of improving physical activity and FMS but this needs to be confirmed in an RCT.

BackgroundChildren’s physical activity levels are low and efforts to improve their physical activity levels have proven difficult. Freely chosen and unstructured physical activity (active play) has the potential to be promoted in a variety of settings and potentially every day of the year in contrast to other physical activity domains, but active play interventions are an under-researched area. Therefore, the primary aim of this systematic review was to determine the effect of active play interventions on children’s physical activity levels, particularly moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA), and fundamental movement skills (FMS).MethodsStudies were included if they were solely or  predominantly active play randomised, or cluster randomised controlled trials that targeted children aged 3–12 years. They had to report on at least one of the following outcomes: objectively measured physical activity, FMS, cognition and weight status. During December 2016, four databases (PE Index, SPORTDiscus, Medline and ERIC) were searched for relevant titles. Duplicates and irrelevant titles and abstracts were removed. The included studies had their quality assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) tool. Suitable studies were combined in a meta-analysis using a random-effect model. A narrative synthesis was conducted for all outcomes.ResultsOf the 4033 records, 91 studies were eligible for full text screening, of which 87 were removed, leaving four studies (representing five papers). The meta-analysis of two studies highlighted there was no significant effect of active play interventions on MVPA. However, the narrative synthesis suggested that active play interventions may increase total volume of physical activity. Only two studies examined the effect of active play interventions on children’s FMS, one study examined effects on weight status and none examined effects on cognition.ConclusionsDue to the small number of eligible studies and their heterogeneity, the review could not draw firm conclusions on the effect of active play interventions on children’s physical activity levels. High-quality active play interventions, targeting different times of the day (school and after school) in different populations and settings, and with a wider range of outcomes, are required to determine the potential of active play.

IntroductionActive play is a novel approach to addressing low physical activity levels and fundamental movement skills (FMS) in childhood and new interventions must be developed and evaluated.AimThis study aimed to determine the feasibility of a 10-week school-based ‘active play’ intervention, and present preliminary findings on four outcomes: physical activity levels, FMS, inhibition, and maths fluency.MethodsThis was a feasibility cluster RCT in which eight schools (one primary three class per school) were paired and randomly allocated to either the 10-week intervention (n = 4) or waiting-list control (n = 4). The active play intervention consisted of a 1-h outdoor physical activity session per week, incorporating 30 min of facilitated games and 30 min of free play. Feasibility measures were gathered using appropriate methods and physical activity was measured using an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer, FMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), inhibition was measured using a Flanker Test and maths fluency was assessed using the One Minute Basic Number Facts Test.ResultsSixty-six percent of eligible children (n = 137) agreed to participate in the research. No schools withdrew from the study and three participants were lost to follow-up. Compliance to the intervention was high—none of the participants missed more than two of the ten scheduled active play sessions. Data lost to follow-up were minimal; most were lost (14%) for school day physical activity. Active play sessions were shorter than planned on average by 10 min, and participants spent a mean of 39.4% (14.2) of the session time in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA). There was preliminary evidence of a small intervention effect on MVPA (d = 0.3), FMS score (d = 0.4), inhibition (fish trial: d = 0.1, arrow trial d = 0.1) and maths fluency (addition: d = 0.3, subtraction: d = 0.1).ConclusionThe active play intervention was feasible and benefitted from a relatively high MVPA content; however, preliminary findings suggest the intervention had a small effect on the outcomes. Having more active play sessions per week and/or extending the duration of the intervention may increase the effects and these should be tested before a future definitive cluster RCT is undertaken.Trial registrationThis trial was registered on the International Standardised Randomised Controlled Trials Number register (ISRCTN) in August 2017 (ISRCTN11607781).

This systematic review synthesised evidence on associations between nature-based early childhood education (ECE) and children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. A search of nine databases was concluded in August 2020. Studies were eligible if: (a) children (2–7 years) attended ECE, (b) ECE integrated nature, and (c) assessed child-level outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened full-text articles and assessed study quality. Synthesis included effect direction, thematic analysis, and results-based convergent synthesis. One thousand three hundred and seventy full-text articles were screened, and 36 (26 quantitative; 9 qualitative; 1 mixed-methods) studies were eligible. Quantitative outcomes were cognitive (n = 11), social and emotional (n = 13), nature connectedness (n = 9), and play (n = 10). Studies included controlled (n = 6)/uncontrolled (n = 6) before-after, and cross-sectional (n = 15) designs. Based on very low certainty of the evidence, there were positive associations between nature-based ECE and self-regulation, social skills, social and emotional development, nature relatedness, awareness of nature, and play interaction. Inconsistent associations were found for attention, attachment, initiative, environmentally responsible behaviour, and play disruption/disconnection. Qualitative studies (n = 10) noted that nature-based ECE afforded opportunities for play, socialising, and creativity. Nature-based ECE may improve some childhood development outcomes, however, high-quality experimental designs describing the dose and quality of nature are needed to explore the hypothesised pathways connecting nature-based ECE to childhood development (Systematic Review Registration: CRD42019152582).