Abstract
The objective of the present study was to increase children’s active play through a 4 week imagery intervention. National guidelines recommend that at least half of children’s daily physical activity should be in active play (CSEP, 2011). Fifty-nine Grade 6 students (Mage = 10.23, SD = .79) were randomized into a control (n = 26) and imagery (n = 33) group. Both groups listened to an automated script of 5 minutes in length 3x/week for the duration of the study. Those in the imagery group listened to the guided imagery scripts, designed to tap into key attributes of active play including perceptions of competence and engaging in the activity with others (Sallis et al., 2000). Those in the control group listened to a short story. It was hypothesized that participants in the imagery intervention group would increase their active play more than participants in the no imagery control group. Children’s activity levels were measured before and after the intervention, using Yamax pedometers. A 2 (group; imagery and control) X 2 (time; pre and post intervention) ANOVA indicated a significant time by group effect (F(1,57) = 4.18, p = .04). Further analysis revealed that pedometer step count remained stable for the imagery group but decreased from pre to post intervention for the control group.These findings provide valuable insight regarding imagery as a strategy to increase, or at the very least, maintain levels of active play. Moreover the results bridge the gap between theory and application of imagery use during active play.Acknowledgments: This research was supported by SSHRC to the first two authors