Physical activity in schools is not just about keeping children active – it can also play a crucial role in supporting their learning and overall well-being. Many schools, especially in Western countries, have embraced outdoor learning as a way to combine movement with academic subjects, creating more engaging, meaningful, and interactive learning experiences.

A recent investigation from the MOVEOUT study¹ published in Scientific Reports show that Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) can be a major contributor to students’ physical activity during school hours². The randomized MOVEOUT study was conducted with around 350 students aged 9-14 years across 13 schools and investigated the Scandinavian practice of udeskole – a form of school-based outdoor education where teaching takes place outside school buildings, often in nature and green spaces³. This approach integrates outdoor and indoor learning, creating a dynamic educational environment. What makes it unique is that movement becomes a natural part of the teaching when it takes place outdoors⁴.

Students who participated in EOtC showed a 20.4% increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during school-time. This effect was investigated over the course of an entire school year, where EOtC was implemented for an average of four hours per week.

The study found that during school weeks students engaged in over 2.5 more hours of EOtC compared to their peers in traditional (control) classrooms. The intervention group engaged in 4 hours of EOtC per week on average, whereas their peers in the control group, who had limited exposure to EOtC, averaged less than an hour and a half per week. Additionally, physical activity of light intensity increased by 9.1%, while sedentary time decreased by 7.1% during school-time among students who participated in EOtC.

The findings also highlight that EOtC encourages more activities like walking and running, while also reducing sedentary behavior during school hours.

The benefits of EOtC extend beyond just movement. Previous research indicates that EOtC can improve school motivation, social well-being, and even academic language performance⁵. Importantly, there is no evidence suggesting that EOtC negatively affects students’ academic learning and development. These outcomes will also be investigated as part of the MOVEOUT study.

The results of the newly published study align with previous research on the impact of EOtC on physical activity with even greater rigor and robustness. The current study thus serves as a confirmatory follow-up to the TEACHOUT study⁶, which among students aged 9-12 years, investigated implementation of 1-2 days of EOtC per week over the course of a school year. The TEACHOUT study found that MVPA was higher on a weekly basis among boys⁷, while physical activity of light intensity was higher among both boys and girls on days with EOtC compared to regular school days without physical education⁸. These effects were particularly strong when teaching and learning took place in nature and green environments⁹.

Both the MOVEOUT and the TEACHOUT study were founded on Danish case studies that explored various EOtC settings, including urban and green spaces, and compared them to traditional indoor classroom settings. These studies highlighted the importance of integrating movement into the school day, not just through structured physical education classes but also through outdoor learning initiatives^10,11.

To maximize the benefits of EOtC, including movement potentials during lessons taking place outside the classroom, schools should prioritize movement-friendly learning environments and explore how initiatives like EOtC can complement other physical activity initiatives and strategies, such as outdoor play during recess. Additionally, supporting schools in integrating EOtC into their practice and providing teacher training and professional development can help teachers feel confident and competent in implementing EOtC.

To enhance opportunities for an active school day outdoors, future research should specifically investigate the implementation challenges of EOtC – particularly among teachers who are less inclined toward outdoor settings – and identify which activities are most effective in promoting movement across various outdoor learning environments.

The study was conducted in collaboration with several Danish research institutions, including the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention – Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital; Department of Prevention, Health Promotion and Community Care – Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen; Program on Outdoor Pedagogy – VIA University College; Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics – University of Southern Denmark; and Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports and Department of Geoscience and Natural Resource Management – University of Copenhagen.

The study was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Authors

Mads Bølling is researcher at the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention; and external associate professor at VIA University College.

Peter Elsborg is a researcher and team leader at the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention; and external associate professor at University of Copenhagen.

Lærke Mygind is a researcher at the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention and the Intersectoral Prevention Laboratory.

Charlotte Demant Klinker is senior researcher and research group leader at the Department of Prevention, Health Promotion and Community Care at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen.

Glen Nielsen is associate professor at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sport, University of Copenhagen.

Peter Bentsen is director at the Center for Clinical Research and Prevention; and affiliated professor at the University of Copenhagen.

References

1. Bølling M, Mygind L, Elsborg P, et al. Efficacy and mechanisms of an education outside the classroom intervention on pupils’ health and education: the MOVEOUT study protocol. BMC Public Health. Published online 2023. doi:10.1186/s12889-023-16618-3
2. Elsborg P, Mygind L, Bølling M, et al. Efficacy of education outside the classroom to increase adolescent physical activity. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):28213.
3. Barfod K, Bølling M, Mygind L, Elsborg P, Ejbye-Ernst N, Bentsen P. Reaping fruits of labour: Revisiting Education Outside the Classroom provision in Denmark upon policy and research interventions. Urban For Urban Green. 2021;60:127044. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127044
4. Bentsen P, Bølling M, Mygind L, Schneller MB, Stevenson MP, Mygind E. Greening education: outdoor learning in natural settings as an “add-in” holistic school-based health promotion approach for children and young people. In: Physical Activity in Natural Settings: Green Exercise and Blue Mind. Routledge; 2019.
5. Remmen KB, Iversen E. A scoping review of research on school-based outdoor education in the Nordic countries. J Adventure Educ Outdoor Learn. 2022;0(0):1-19. doi:10.1080/14729679.2022.2027796
6. Nielsen G, Mygind E, Bølling M, et al. A quasi-experimental cross-disciplinary evaluation of the impacts of education outside the classroom on pupils’ physical activity, well-being and learning: the TEACHOUT study protocol. BMC Public Health. 2016;16(1). doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3780-8
7. Schneller MB, Duncan S, Schipperijn J, Nielsen G, Mygind E, Bentsen P. Are children participating in a quasi-experimental education outside the classroom intervention more physically active? BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):523. doi:http://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4430-5
8. Schneller MB, Schipperijn J, Nielsen G, Bentsen P. Children’s physical activity during a segmented school week: results from a quasi-experimental education outside the classroom intervention. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14:80. doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0534-7
9. Bølling M, Mygind E, Mygind L, Bentsen P, Elsborg P. The association between education outside the classroom and physical activity: Differences attributable to the type of space? Children. 2021;8(6):486.
10. Mygind E. A comparison between children’s physical activity levels at school and learning in an outdoor environment. J Adventure Educ Outdoor Learn. 2007;7(2):161-176. doi:10.1080/14729670701717580
11. Mygind E. Physical Activity during Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom. Health Behav Policy Rev. 2016;3(5):455-467.

Photo by Mads Bølling, Project ‘Udeskole that moves’.