Elementary Schoolers Research Articles

Task Characteristics Associated with Mathematical Word Problem-Solving Performance Among Elementary School-Aged Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mathematical word problem-solving skills are crucial for students across their lives, yet solving such tasks poses challenges for many. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of mathematical word problems that are associated with students’ performance is important. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of linguistic and numerical task characteristics associated with mathematical word problem-solving performance among elementary school-aged children (Grades 1 to 6). The systematic review was based on five electronic databases and citation searching. Reporting was conducted following The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The findings (K = 69) showed that five of the six investigated linguistic task characteristics (i.e., the position of the unknown, schematic structure, irrelevant information, realistic considerations, and lexical consistency) and one of the two numerical task characteristics (i.e., number of operations) were related (g = 0.39 to 4.26) with elementary school-aged children’s mathematical word problem-solving. However, the findings did not provide support for a general association between a familiar situational narrative or the required operation with mathematical word problem-solving. The findings highlight that elementary school-aged children especially struggle with mathematical word problems requiring realistic considerations or multiple mathematical operations, containing lexical inconsistency, and problems in which the position of the unknown is the first value. This further understanding of elementary schoolers’ word problem-solving performance may guide the design of appropriate and progressive instruction and assessment tools and steer research into the interactions within task characteristics and with individual characteristics.

Does governmental corruption aid or hamper early moral development? Insights from the Dominican Republic and United States contexts.

We tested whether children growing up in the Dominican Republic (D.R.), a context with relatively high governmental corruption levels, would support versus distance themselves from widespread unethical practices like bribery. In Experiment 1 (moral judgments; n = 106), D.R. elementary schoolers and adults evaluated judges who accepted gifts from contestants before or after selecting contest winners and predicted whether bribe-taking judges would be secretive. Like adults, older-but not younger-D.R. elementary schoolers differentially condemned judges who accepted gifts before versus after picking contest winners. Unlike adults, children often predicted that judges would disclose receiving gifts. In Experiment 2 (moral behaviors; n = 44), D.R. elementary schoolers could secretly accept or reject a bribe in exchange for 1st place while judging a drawing contest. All but two children rejected the bribe. Together, these findings stand in contrast with U.S. bribery-related developmental trends (Reyes-Jaquez & Koenig, 2021, 2022) and support this contention: When growing up in a more morally heterogeneous context like the D.R., children eventually assume a critical and differentiated stance toward-and will resist or subvert-some of their culture's unethical practices. Greater exposure to a wide range of unethical transactions might hinder aspects of bribery-related moral development early on, depending on how these aspects are measured (moral judgment vs. behavior). Nevertheless, over time, such exposure may strengthen children's capacity to resist unethical cultural practices, indicated by children's overwhelming rejection of bribes. We discuss the importance of including diverse response modalities (verbal, behavioral) when measuring psychological constructs in non-Western societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigating students’ perceptions of STEM education in private elementary schools in Abu Dhabi

ABSTRACT Background STEM education is recognized as an essential approach for preparing learners to navigate the ongoing technological revolution shaping the world. Acknowledging the critical role of early childhood in cognitive development, STEM education is advocated for implementation from the early years. Method The researcher conducted an empirical study employing a quantitative design to investigate students’ perceptions of STEM education in Abu Dhabi’s private elementary schools. Specifically, the study aims to examine the relationship between students’ perceptions of STEM education and demographic variables, including age, grade level, and gender. A total of 100 students participated in the study by completing a student questionnaire. Findings Data analysis revealed that elementary students across different age groups, grade levels, and genders hold positive perceptions of STEM education and express interest in pursuing STEM careers. Notably, male elementary students exhibited a more favorable perception of STEM education compared to their female counterparts. However, neither grade level nor age group emerged as significant contributors to students’ perceptions of STEM education or their interest in STEM careers among elementary schoolers. Contribution The study’s findings contribute to our understanding of students’ perceptions of STEM education in private elementary schools in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, the study sheds light on significant differences in students’ perspectives concerning demographic variables, thereby informing future research and educational practices.

Conceptions of career choice and attainment in Portuguese preschool and elementary-school children

AbstractThe Conceptions of Career Choice and Attainment (CCCA) model has been supporting research on children’s career reasoning, particularly in the USA. This study examines the applicability of the CCCA model to Portuguese preschool and elementary-school children. The CCCA interview was answered by 101 children (38.6% preschoolers, 61.4% elementary schoolers; Mage = 6.68). Results indicated that elementary schoolers present significantly higher levels of career choice and attainment reasoning than preschoolers. Future studies with middle schoolers are needed to keep investigating the model in Portugal. Studies in other countries would also be useful to encourage collaboration in childhood career development research and practice.

The unique contribution of reading motivation to reading comprehension increases from Grades 2 to 4 in Chinese children

BackgroundTo better understand the intricate science of reading development, both cognitive and affective factors must be taken into consideration. This developmental study aims to enrich the literature by exploring how reading motivation – an affective factor – contributes to reading comprehension in Chinese elementary schoolers, beyond well‐accepted cognitive‐based reading skills, such as decoding and vocabulary.MethodsWe used a cross‐sectional design with 420 native Mandarin‐Chinese‐speaking students (Grade 2: N = 95; Grade 3: N = 216; Grade 4: N = 109), with age‐appropriate materials to measure their decoding skills, vocabulary knowledge, reading motivation, and reading comprehension. Three sets of hierarchical regression analyses were run for the three grade samples to examine the unique contributions of reading motivation to reading comprehension while controlling children's demographic profiles, such as age and gender, and two cognitive‐based reading skills.ResultsWe replicated previous findings: children's decoding and vocabulary are robust predictors of reading achievement across Grades 2 to 4. Importantly, reading motivation contributed uniquely to reading comprehension in all three grades and explained an increasing amount of the variances in reading comprehension from Grades 2 to 4. Intrinsic reading motivation was critical in Grade 3, while extrinsic reading motivation became important in Grade 4.ConclusionsTaken together, our findings reveal the complexity of reading development and advance the existing cognitive‐based reading theories by including affective dimensions.

Psychometric properties of the Sinhala perceived stress questionnaire (PSQ8-11) in Sri Lankan primary school children.

Stress influences examination performance among Sri Lankan students. Validated tests are required to evaluate stress levels among elementary students in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire 8-11 (PSQ8-11) was translated into a Sinhala version. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the translated and adapted scale among elementary level school children in Sri Lanka and examine invariance across male and female children. The participants were 1021 students from seven schools. After removing missing values, responses from 693 students (mean age = 9.65 ± 0.478 years, 51.8% male) were analysed for participant characteristics. Cronbach's alpha, Spearman's correlation, and confirmatory factor analysis with measurement invariance models were conducted after adding one item to the original PSQ8-11 version. The Cronbach's alpha value for the 20-item modified PSQ8-11 Sinhala version was.788. The two subscales, psychological stress (Cronbach's alpha = 0.615) and physiological stress (Cronbach's alpha = 0.711), indicated a satisfactory level of internal consistency. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.01; 2-tailed) was reported among each of the subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated a satisfactory goodness-of-fit across the two models by confirming the theoretical constructs of the PSQ8-11 translated version with its two subscales. The two-factor model has better model fit indices compared to the unidimensional model (χ2/df = 1.447, CFI = 0.947, TLI = 0.938, WRMR = 0.028, RMSEA = 0.026, SRMSR = 0.0341, and PCLOSE = 1 of the two-factor model). Measurement variance across gender was supported by the establishment of configural and metric invariances. Acceptable psychometric properties for the PSQ8-11 Sinhala version were observed in elementary schoolers in Sri Lanka.

Parental access to ‘Sexual Conviction Record Check’ sex offender registry in Hong Kong

BackgroundSex offender registry systems aim to prevent child sexual abuse (CSA) by restricting the interaction between convicted offenders and children. Although Hong Kong enacted the Sexual Conviction Record Check (SCRC) policy in 2011, debates regarding legal access to the sex offender registry remain unresolved. ObjectiveThis study examines parental beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of the SCRC policy. It explores if parents' motivation to learn more about SCRC can mediate the relationships between parental support for the SCRC and policy advocacy actions. MethodIn Hong Kong, a social service agency employed a digital randomization method to invite 507 consented parents of elementary schoolers to participate in a phone survey. Human Subjects Protection Board approved using the survey data to analyze the variables related to SCRC and policy advocacy. ResultsThe results demonstrate that parents' beliefs in CSA prevention, attitudes toward home-based sex education, and SCRC knowledge are associated with parental advocacy for SCRC access. Furthermore, parental motivation mediates the relationships between advocacy efforts and (1) beliefs in CSA prevention, (2) home-based sex education, and (3) support of SCRC. ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of establishing a community-professional-government partnership platform to mobilize parents and promote public awareness regarding SCRC access regulations.

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Persian-Speaking Elementary Schoolers in Iran: A Psychometric Study of Child Perception Questionnaire.

Background and Purpose: The study aims to examine the validity and reliability of the impact of 16-item Short-Form Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14-ISF:16) in Persian-speaking elementary schoolers. Methods: From two main cities in Iran, 708 mother-child dyads were enrolled in 2018. Decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) indexes were examined for divergent validity. Two built-in indexes of overall oral health and overall impacted well-being were used for concurrent validity. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with Geomin rotation, Cronbach's α, and Spearman's correlation were executed. Results: The total Cronbach's α was 0.71. EFA indicated CPQ11-14-ISF:11 (α = 0.66) to compose three eligible factors (α = 0.66), including oral problems (α = 0.54), emotional problems (α = 0.66), and social problems (α = 0.41). The concurrent/divergent validity of CPQ11-14-ISF:11 and the subscales was partially confirmed. Conclusions: The use of CPQ11-14-ISF:11 to multidimensionally address dental care for children requires further investigations.

Patterns of problematic teacher–child relationships in upper elementary school

This study focused on (1) whether dimensions of relationship quality (i.e., closeness, conflict, and dependency) jointly form distinct relationship patterns in a normative sample of upper elementary schoolers (N = 1078), (2) the extent to which patterns observed in the normative sample could be found in a problematic sample (N = 241) consisting of children that teachers experienced relationship problems with, and (3) whether children's gender, ethnicity, and behavior problems are related to relationship patterns. Three relationship patterns were found in the normative sample: A supportive pattern (73.2%), a mildly insecure pattern (17.6%), and a dysfunctional pattern (9.2%). Most children from a problematic sample could be assigned to one of these patterns with high certainty, providing evidence for validation of normative patterns in a more problematic sample. The distribution of children over the relationship patterns differed significantly between samples. Boys and children with problem behavior were overrepresented in unfavorable patterns.

Longitudinal Relations Among Executive Function, Theory of Mind, and Japanese Language Skills Achievement in Elementary School: A 4-year Longitudinal Study.

This longitudinal study investigated the roles of elementary schoolers' executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) as predictors in their academic achievements in Japanese language skills (e.g., speaking and listening ability, writing ability, reading ability, and linguistic knowledge) from first through fifth grade. We assessed the EF, ToM, and academic achievements of 85 Japanese elementary schoolers, when they were grade 1 (M = 90.19months) and grade 3 (M = 114.34months). Moreover, academic achievements of same children tested in grade 5 (M = 137.92months). A path analysis revealed that EF abilities in Grades 1 and 3 predicted Japanese language achievement via ToM ability, and EF and ToM in Grade 1 had an indirect effect on achievements in Grades 3 and 5. Further, Japanese language skills achievement in Grade 1 predicted EF ability in Grade 3 and EF predicted achievement in Grade 5. These findings indicate the vital role of elementary schoolers' EF on academic achievement in Japan.

Fostering reading level and story comprehension through MARITES (Marungko Approach Reading Intervention to Elementary Schoolers) with mentor-mentee arrangement

Fostering reading level and story comprehension through MARITES (Marungko Approach Reading Intervention to Elementary Schoolers) with mentor-mentee arrangement

Child Media Use During COVID-19: Associations with Contextual and Social-Emotional Factors.

The aim of this study was to test associations between (1) contextual factors and types of digital media use and (2) types of digital media use and children's social-emotional and sleep outcomes during COVID-19. In February to March 2021, 303 parents of elementary schoolers participated in this cross-sectional survey gathering information on demographics, child school format, contextual factors, duration of types of digital media use, social-emotional outcomes, and sleep. Multivariable regressions examined associations outlined in the objective, adjusting for school format, only child, race/ethnicity, and parental stress, depressive symptoms, education, and material hardship. Children were aged 5 years to younger than 11 years and spent approximately 4 hours on screen media daily. In multivariable analyses, remote school format; greater material hardship; Black, Indigenous, and people of color child race/ethnicity; lower parenting stress; and parent depressive symptoms were associated with longer duration of various digital media. Longer daily duration of streaming video and video chat were associated with higher prosocial scores, while console games, mobile apps/games, and video-sharing platforms were associated with greater problematic media use (PMU) (defined as interfering with adaptive functioning). More time on mobile apps/games, video-sharing platforms, and video streaming was linked with shorter sleep. Lower parenting stress predicted greater digital media use. Greater digital media use during the pandemic may have enabled parents to focus on other needs. Use of media for social connection predicted greater prosocial behaviors. Engagement-prolonging digital media predicted PMU. Pediatric providers may wish to consider family context when addressing digital media use and encourage socially oriented digital media.

Core Competency Modeling for Elementary Artificial Intelligence Education

본 연구는 인공지능 교육이 공교육에 도입되기 시작하는 초등학교 고학년을 대상으로 인공지능 핵심역량을 모델링함으로써 인공지능 시대의 인재상을 명확히 하고, 인공지능 교육의 방향성 수립에 기초를 제공하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 이를 위하여 전문가 일대일 면담, 포커스 그룹 인터뷰, 델파이 조사 등 의견수렴 및 타당화 과정을 반복적으로 실시하였고, 이러한 과정에서 초등 인공지능 교육의 핵심역량 구성요인을 도출하고 타당성을 검증하였다. 인공지능 교육 핵심역량은 ‘인공지능 이해’ 범주에 15개 역량, ‘인공지능 윤리’ 범주에 8개 역량, ‘인공지능 사회정서’ 범주에 8개 역량이 포함되어 총 3개 범주 31개 역량이 도출되었다. 최종안에 대한 델파이 조사결과, 전체 응답평균 3.66/4점, CVI 평균 0.930, CVR 평균 0.863으로 CVI 최솟값 0.70과, CVR 최솟값 0.455를 상회하는 등 높은 공감대를 획득하였다. 특히, ‘인공지능 이해’ 범주의 ‘AI 인지’와 ‘AI 활용’, ‘인공지능 윤리’ 범주의 ‘AI 윤리 문제인식’, ‘인공지능 사회정서’ 범주의 ‘인간-AI 협업’과 ‘능동적 자기관리’ 역량의 타당도와 중요도가 높게 나타났다. 본 연구는 초등 맥락의 인공지능 교육 핵심역량 모델링을 통해 인공지능 이해 교육을 넘어 인공지능 윤리와 사회정서 교육까지로 시야를 넓히는데 기여하고자 하였으며, 초중등 인공지능 교육의 체계를 마련하는데 기초를 제시하였다. 또한 인공지능 교육에 역량중심 융합교육을 도입할 수 있도록 토대를 마련한 것에 의의를 가진다.The purpose of this study is to clarify the concept of talent for the artificial intelligence era and to provide the foundation for designing the directivity of artificial intelligence education by modeling core competencies for upper grades of elementary school students where artificial intelligence education is initiated in public education. To this end, experts one-to-one interviews, focus group interviews, and Delphi surveys were repeatedly conducted, in which process, core competency components of elementary artificial intelligence education were derived and validated. The core competencies of artificial intelligence education included 15 competencies in the ‘artificial intelligence understanding’ category, 8 competencies in the ‘artificial intelligence ethics’ category, and 8 competencies in the ‘artificial intelligence social emotions’ category, resulting in a total of 31 competencies in 3 categories. As a result of the Delphi survey on the final draft, the overall response average was 3.66/4 points, the CVI average was 0.930, and the CVR average was 0.863, which exceeded the CVI minimum value of 0.70 and the CVR minimum value of 0.455. In particular, the validity and importance of the competencies of 'AI awareness', 'AI utilization' in the 'artificial intelligence understanding' category, ‘AI ethics problem recognition’ in the 'artificial intelligence ethics’ category, and 'human-AI collaboration', 'active self-management' in the 'artificial intelligence social emotions' category were found to be high. This study attempted to contribute to expanding the perspective beyond artificial intelligence principle education to artificial intelligence ethics and social-emotional education through modeling of core competencies for elementary schoolers and presented the basis for the systematic perspective of artificial intelligence education. It is also meaningful to lay the foundation for introducing competency-based convergence education into artificial intelligence education.

Influences of Playfulness on Smartphone Dependency among Upper Grades of Korean Elementary Schoolers.

A paucity of research has addressed the relationship between each psychological construct of playfulness and smartphone dependency, and the purpose of this research is to understand how each psychological construct of playfulness, including physical animation, social engagement, mental spontaneity, emotional fluidity, and humorous perspective playfulness, influences smartphone dependency of the upper grades of elementary schoolers. For this purpose, a total of 278 questionnaires was analyzed for descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The correlation analysis showed that respondents’ age positively and parents’ education levels negatively correlates to smartphone dependency. The multiple regression analyses showed that physical animation playfulness and emotional fluidity playfulness negatively and social engagement playfulness positively influence smartphone dependency of the respondents. The findings indicate that to reduce smartphone dependency among elementary schoolers, physical animation and emotional fluidity playfulness need to be promoted. The findings also suggest that each component of playfulness has distinctive advantages and disadvantages of developmental processes in childhood, and more future research endeavors need to be directed to understand the role of playfulness in children’s behaviors and cognitive processes.

Book review: Elementary schoolers, meet media literacy: How teachers can bring economics, media, and marketing to life

Book review: Elementary schoolers, meet media literacy: How teachers can bring economics, media, and marketing to life

Gender Differences in Friendship Values: Intensification at Adolescence

Friendships can provide a critical buffer against stress for youth, but the extent to which they serve this role depends on whether they provide resources that youth value most. These valued provisions may differ for girls and boys and across stages of development. This study examined whether gender differences in friendship values intensify across the adolescent transition, specifically from elementary to junior high school. Youth (73 elementary schoolers; 80 junior high schoolers; Mage = 11.40 years; SDage = 1.55) completed a novel friendship values measure assessing how much youth valued psychological provisions (intimacy, support) and recreational provisions (companionship, enjoyment) in their friendships. Consistent with predictions, results revealed that junior high school girls place higher value on psychological provisions, whereas junior high school boys place higher value on recreational provisions, differences that were less apparent during elementary school. These gender differences in friendship values may have trade-offs for adolescent socioemotional development.

COVID-19 school and kindergarten closure relates to children's social relationships: a longitudinal study in Japan

The COVID-19 pandemic has led children to experience school closures. Although increasing evidence suggests that such intense social quarantine influences children’s social relationships with others, longitudinal studies are limited. Using longitudinal data collected during (T1) and after (T2) intensive school closure and home confinement, this study investigated the impacts of social quarantine on children’s social relationships. Japanese parents of children aged 0–9 years (n = 425) completed an online questionnaire that examined children’s socio-emotional behavior and perceived proximity to parents or others. The results demonstrated that social quarantine was not significantly related to children’s socio-emotional behavior across all age groups. However, changes in children’s perceived proximity varied depending on certain age-related factors: elementary schoolers’ perceived closeness to parents significantly decreased after the reopening of schools, whereas that to others, such as peers, increased. Such effects were not observed in infants and preschoolers. The follow-up survey 9-month after the reopening of schools (T3; n = 130) did not detect significant differences in both children’s socio-emotional behavior and perceived proximity from that after the intense quarantine. These findings suggest that school closure and home confinement may have influenced children’s social development differently across their age, and its effects were larger in perceived closeness rather than social behavior.

On the Move or Barely Moving? Age-Related Changes in Physical Activity, Sedentary, and Sleep Behaviors by Weekday/Weekend Following Pandemic Control Policies.

This study examined pre-pandemic (2017-early March 2020) to early-pandemic (Spring 2020) changes in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), and sedentary behavior/sleep (SS), by weekday/weekend, and age (preschool, elementary, middle school). We re-enrolled children from two pre-pandemic obesity prevention trials and examined differences in accelerometer-measured PA from pre-pandemic to early-pandemic across age groups using linear mixed models. Children (n = 75) were 51% multiple race/ethnicities, 29% preschool, 28% elementary, 43% middle school, 65% suburban, 21% rural, and 13% urban. Pre-pandemic to early-pandemic changes in weekday MVPA (p = 0.006), LPA (p = 0.018), and SS (p = 0.003) differed by age. On weekdays, middle schoolers’ MVPA decreased 15.36 min/day (p = 0.002) and SS increased 94.36 min/day (p < 0.001) with non-significant changes among preschoolers and elementary schoolers. Compared to elementary schoolers, middle schoolers’ changes in weekday MVPA (b = −16.34, p = 0.036) and SS (b = 63.28, p = 0.039) significantly differed. Declines in weekday MVPA and increases in SS among middle schoolers suggest that, compared with younger children, middle schoolers are dependent on school and recreational facilities for PA, and in their absence engage in more sedentary activities and sleep.

Adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines among Japanese elementary and junior high school students

Abstract Background For optimal health benefits, the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (aged 5-17 years) recommend an achievement of ≥ 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), &amp;lt;2 h of recreational screen time (ST), and 9-11 h for 5-13 years or 8-10 h for 14-17 years of sleep time (SLT) each day. There is little evidence showing the proportion of the recommendation in Japan, so we need to investigate. The aim of this study thus was to reveal the compliance to the recommendation with a large sample of Japanese elementary and junior high school children. Methods This study included 2408 students enrolled in fifth grade (aged 10-11 years) in 31 elementary schools, and 4360 students enrolled in eighth grade (aged 13-14 years) in 30 junior high schools. Each behaviour was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. To analyze the differences in adherence to the recommendation between the school-aged group, we conducted a chi-analysis. Results Overall, only 4% of participants complied with all three recommendations, and 20% of the students did not comply with any of the recommendations (χ2=1390.87;p&amp;lt;.001). Compared with MVPA and ST, SLT had a trend to be likely to achieve the recommendation in each school-age group. Elementary school students had a higher percentage of non-adherence to all recommendations (39%) than junior high school students (10.3%). The adherence to the recommendation of the ST &amp; SLT simultaneously had no differences in each age group (11.5% for elementary schoolers and 12.7% for junior high schoolers). However, adherence to the recommendation of MVPA only, ST only, and MVPA &amp; ST were higher in elementary schoolers, and the adherence to the recommendation of SLT only and MVPA &amp; SLT were higher in junior high schoolers. Conclusions The proportion of adherence to at least one of the three recommendations is better in junior high school students than elementary school students in Okinawa, Japan. Key messages Health behaviour required improvement may differ by age group. It is necessary for particularly elementary school children in Okinawa to take proper countermeasures to improve the movement behaviours.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary schoolers' physical activity, sleep, screen time and diet: A quasi-experimental interrupted time series study.

SummaryBackgroundCOVID‐19 school closures pose a threat to children's wellbeing, but no COVID‐19‐related studies have assessed children's behaviours over multiple years .ObjectiveTo examine children's obesogenic behaviours during spring and summer of the COVID‐19 pandemic compared to previous data collected from the same children during the same calendar period in the 2 years prior.MethodsPhysical activity and sleep data were collected via Fitbit Charge‐2 in 231 children (7–12 years) over 6 weeks during spring and summer over 3 years. Parents reported their child's screen time and dietary intake via a survey on 2–3 random days/week.ResultsChildren's behaviours worsened at a greater rate following the pandemic onset compared to pre‐pandemic trends. During pandemic spring, sedentary behaviour increased (+79 min; 95% CI = 60.6, 97.1) and MVPA decreased (−10 min, 95% CI = −18.2, −1.1) compared to change in previous springs (2018–2019). Sleep timing shifted later (+124 min; 95% CI = 112.9, 135.5). Screen time (+97 min, 95% CI = 79.0, 115.4) and dietary intake increased (healthy: +0.3 foods, 95% CI = 0.2, 0.5; unhealthy: +1.2 foods, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.5). Similar patterns were observed during summer.ConclusionsCompared to pre‐pandemic measures, children's PA, sedentary behaviour, sleep, screen time, and diet were adversely altered during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This may ultimately exacerbate childhood obesity.