Table 2 Effects of reduced sitting time on toddlers’ cognitive development: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Activities to be proposed to educators

 Action time story

Role-playing stories. For example, when telling a story about a horse, every time the children hear the word horse (or the horse character’s name) they have to jump up and pretend to be a horse for 5 s. Repeat this throughout the story. The group can be broken up into smaller groups of frogs, crocodiles, horses etc. Where each group has to stand up at only their prompt. This activity works for Executive Function abilities—working memory—as children have to remember what animal they are and it decreases sedentary behaviour.

 Stand on a dot or a hoop to gather children as a group.

Asking children to stand on a dot or in a hoop would replace sitting on the floor to gather them as a group. This activity would still give the control and structure of gathering and focusing the children, but reducing sitting time. The children can also be gathered and asked to hold hands while waiting for the others to arrive. In doing this children are making their own barrier and focusing their attention on the group.

 Musical painting table

When the children are painting at a standing table, put on some music, after 2 min stop the music and the children have to put down their paintbrushes/pencils and change spots around the table. Then the music starts and they start painting again. The painting can be done on a big sheet of paper on the table, or a sheet on the table, or on individual pieces of paper.

 Apply sunscreen with the toddlers standing

Have all children standing while applying the sunscreen.

 Locating play/learning spaces/areas near the wall

By locating play/learning spaces/areas near the wall and leaving the centre of the room with an open space, children have increased opportunities to move freely from one place to other.

 Standing table

Remove the chairs away from the table so that the children can be standing while painting, doing puzzles or other activities.

 Move pencils/brushes away form the painting table

Place the pencils and brushes in a separate table so that children can move from one table to other to change pencils/brushes.

 Move bins away from the tables during meal times

Place the bins away from the tables during meal times, so that children need to walk to bin after the meals.

 Remove chairs and tables from the outdoor space

Remove all equipment that promotes sitting (chairs and tables) from the outdoor space

 Use a tree in the yard as an easel

Attach paper to the tree and do chalk rubbings of the bark from the tree. Paper would be at standing height.

 Painting along the fence with an old sheet

In warmer days, paint along the fence with an old sheet with the children standing.

 Provide equipment that does not promote sitting (ex. balls)

During outdoors free play provide toddlers with equipment that does not promote sitting (ex. balls).