The Effects of the Modified LiiNK ® Recess Intervention on Muscular Strength, Neuromuscular Control, and Resilience in Elementary School Children

The LiiNK Project ® is a well-researched recess intervention that integrates four 15 min recess breaks and a 15 min character development lesson daily. Previous literature has demonstrated this intervention is effective at 60 min daily to improve muscular strength (MusS) and neuromuscular control (NC) in elementary-aged children; however, it remains unclear whether similar benefits can be achieved when the intervention is modified to 30 min daily when the children reach fourth and fifth grade. Additionally, the LiiNK intervention has not examined psychological variables with physical assessments. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine MusS, NC, and resilience at two time points in children who engaged in a modified LiiNK recess intervention. Fourth- and fifth-grade children (N = 164) from one school district participated in MusS, NC, and resilience assessments at two time points (September 2024 and January 2025). A two-way MANOVA was used to determine the assessment change score differences by grade and sex. No statistically significant main effects or interactions by grade, F (3, 160) = 1.95, p = 0.077, or sex, F (3, 160) = 1.13, p = 0.347, were found. These findings suggest 30 min of recess daily may be insufficient to produce developmental benefits observed in previous 60 min daily recess interventions.