New research from Deakin University has found that toddlers and pre-school aged children are less irritable when they are more physically active, suggesting physical activity has a positive impact on wellbeing from the earliest years of life.
Dr Matthew Bourke from the Deakin Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition said children in the study who spent more time physically active and less time using screens were less likely to become upset or have meltdowns.
‘These are the first findings to report on irritability and suggest the way children spend their time can influence how they feel and behave from day to day,’ Dr Bourke said.
The study published in Developmental Psychology looked at 24-hour movement behaviours and irritability in 1,266 children (52% boys) from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.
Their parents completed 24-hour time-use diaries at ages 2 and 4, reporting sleep, physical activity, screen time, non-screen sedentary behaviour, and irritable behaviours.
On days when children were more active than usual, irritability was less common; and when physical activity was chosen over screen use and other sedentary behaviours children spent less time throwing tantrums and getting upset.
‘The longer-term benefits of being physically active and limiting screen time on the physical development of children is well understood,’ Dr Bourke said.
‘These findings suggest there are benefits for a child’s emotional development by increasing physical activity and limiting screen time in the younger years.’
Dr Bourke said it was interesting that the study found not all sedentary behaviours were equal.
‘When a child was sitting quietly but engaged in cognitively active behaviours, such as being read to, listening to music, or colouring and drawing, they were less likely to become irritable than if they were just looking at a screen,’ Dr Bourke said.
‘This suggests that when kids are having quiet time, reaching for a book or crayons instead of a screen may also have positive impacts on their emotional development.
‘There’s growing evidence that mental health conditions can have their origins in children aged five and under, as this is the stage they develop foundational skills in emotion regulation, social functioning, and executive control.
‘Promoting healthy movement and cognitively active behaviours in the early years could alter children’s mental health trajectories and improve functional lifelong outcomes, helping to ease the increasing burden of poor mental health in young Australians,’ Dr Bourke said.
Deakin Media release, 13 August 2026
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