A festive movement to keep school children active

The run up to Christmas is a busy time for schools; there are plays to rehearse for, discos to plan and other festivities to factor in, as well as the usual school life. PE can be a difficult subject to keep children motivated with, especially with the unpredictable weather in play. To combat this, Davies Sports is this year sponsoring a fantastic initiative called Active Advent. Organised and hosted by imoves, a digital platform that delivers active learning and wellbeing through movement, Active Advent is FREE to join and gaining popularity in schools across the country.

The initiative offers short videos with follow-along movement routines that teachers play to their classes throughout the day. They offer a short energy break and can revive waning attention spans. Active Advent also offers a healthy dose of Christmas joy in the lead up to the festivities. Thanks to Davies Sports, this year participating schools can win weekly prizes for joining, with 3 x disco lights with speakers and 3 x yoga boards up for grabs. Find out more here.

We spoke to Imogen Buxton-Pickles, Founder and Director of imoves, about her reasons for setting up Active Advent and its effect on participating schools.

How a little festive movement became a national tradition: the story behind Active Advent

“It all started with a simple thought: how do we keep children moving, focused, and relatively well-behaved in December? That little idea has now become a joyful, national tradition here at imoves.

We all know the familiar classroom challenge December brings: Kids are tired, excitement levels are through the roof, and their attention spans are… well, they’re basically packed and ready for Christmas.

Back in 2018, we asked a simple question: What if we could actually use all that incredible excitement to keep children engaged and learning?

That lightbulb moment gave birth to Active Advent. It’s a series of short, follow-along classroom videos designed to help teachers keep movement, focus, and joy alive and kicking right through to the holidays. The problem is, hitting that target of 30 active minutes a day in December feels nigh on impossible. Activity levels almost always dip when rehearsals, assessments, and bad weather take over.

We wanted to create something that was fun, free, and completely stress-free. Something that would help teachers bring those daily activity minutes back in a way that truly felt like a celebration, not just another thing on the to-do list.

In our first year, only a few hundred schools joined in. Fast forward seven years, and now 1000s of teachers and children have taken part each December! That’s a lot of children moving together every single day as they count down to Christmas.

Each school day, they open a new Active Blast, short, high-energy videos packed with festive music, dance, fitness, and mindfulness. It’s like opening a movement-filled advent calendar, and the results have been incredible.

The teachers response to Active Advent movement in the classroom

Teachers consistently tell us Active Advent is one of the few initiatives that’s genuinely easy and effective:

"We made use of imoves in the countdown to Christmas at school. I have a reception class and the children really enjoyed the choice of music. The sessions were short and easy to log onto.

It was a fun, accessible and easy resource to use. Thank you!"

– Gemma Barry

"Really enjoying taking part in Active Advent! My class beg to do it every day and it’s a fantastic way to keep them active, especially during winter!"

– Maisey Hannah

Active Advent is a powerful reminder that movement doesn’t have to stop just because the Christmas rehearsals begin. With a little bit of creativity and a lot of festive spirit, we can keep children’s bodies and minds energised right up to that final bell.

Join us this December and help us keep the joy of movement alive!”

Why do short bursts of movement work well for school children?

• Movement boosts concentration and memory skills

• Children have better engagement in class after a short burst of physical activity

• Schools report calmer transitions between classes

• Short bursts of movement decreases behavioural issues in class

To find out more about Active Advent visit our dedicated page www.daviessports.co.uk/imoves

Author: Imogen Buxton-Pickles Founder and Director at imoves

At imoves, our core mission has always been to make movement a normal, easy part of every school day, not just in PE, but in the classroom, in corridors, and everywhere else.