Step it up! Using the good behavior game to increase physical activity with elementary school students at recess

Galbraith et al. (2017) turned recess into a team walking contest. They split elementary kids into two squads. Each team earned points when every member hit a step goal measured by cheap pedometers.

At the end of recess the class drew raffle tickets. More points meant more tickets and better odds of small prizes. The researchers compared step counts on game days versus normal recess days using an alternating schedule.

Kids took more steps when the Good Behavior Game was on. The team contest plus raffle tickets made walking the fun thing to do.

The study did not report exact numbers, but the step increase was clear enough to call the game a success.

Rotta et al. (2022) and Li et al. (2019) show the idea works beyond recess. They used token boards and lotteries to boost steps in young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The core theme is the same: give clear targets and back them with prizes.

Syriopoulou-Delli et al. (2012) also used an alternating-treatments design in elementary PE. They swapped the game for exergaming stations and still saw big activity gains. Method matches, setting matches, outcome matches — a tidy replication triangle.

McCullen et al. (2025) sound a warning note. Adults walked more during a deposit-contract program, but steps dropped once the contracts ended. The recess game never tested long-term maintenance, so plan follow-up phases if you want lasting change.

You can run this recess game tomorrow. Split the class, clip on pedometers, set a team step goal, and hand out raffle tickets. No extra staff, no tech budget. The same playbook can slide into PE or after-school clubs, and the literature says it stretches to older students with disabilities when you swap teams for individual token or lottery systems. Just remember to plan maintenance or booster games so the steps don’t vanish later.