“If my daughter’s smartwatch tells her to move… why doesn’t her classroom?”

Movement matters, especially for students with ADHD. My own daughter gets regular prompts from her smartwatch to stand, stretch and reset. Yet in school she’s expected to sit still for long periods, often without the opportunity for the movement her body is literally signalling it needs.

UK research is increasingly clear: movement is not a distraction, it’s a regulator. Booth et al. (2023) found that school-based physical-activity sessions improved executive functioning in children with ADHD symptoms. A systematic review by Li et al. (2021) also showed moderate to large effects of regular exercise on attention, working memory and inhibition in ADHD children and adolescents.

The takeaway is simple: movement is not optional for many neurodivergent learners, it’s part of how they think, focus and stay regulated.

Instead of seeing fidgeting, standing or stretching as “non-compliant,” we can reframe movement as an evidence-based support strategy. Short bursts of physical activity, flexible seating, movement breaks between tasks and opportunities to reset the body all contribute to better cognitive outcomes.

This is something I want to see reflected across classrooms and policies: a shift from expecting stillness to understanding that movement is part of learning.

For educators, parents and anyone working with neurodivergent young people how can we design learning spaces that honour the body as much as the mind?

References (APA 7)

Booth, J. N., Kershaw, M., & Crawford, M. (2023). Evaluation of a pilot physical activity intervention for children with ADHD symptoms. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs.

Li, X., Zhang, Y., Zhao, J., & Chang, Y. (2021). Effects of chronic physical exercise on executive functions in children and adolescents with ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 133.

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