Active and passive offline breaks differentially impact the consolidation of procedural motor memories in children and adults

Post-learning breaks, lasting from 5 to 30 minutes, transiently enhance procedural motor memory performance in adults. However, the impact of activity type (active vs. passive) during the offline break on sequential motor performance remains poorly investigated in children. This study examined the impact of active vs. passive short post-learning breaks on procedural motor memory in 116 healthy participants (58 children, aged 9.03 ± 1.19; 58 adults, aged 22.89 ± 1.77 years). Participants practiced a Finger Tapping Task, reproducing a 5-element sequence as fast and accurately as possible. The task included two sessions (S1 & S2) separated by either a Short (30 min) or Long (4 h) break, the first 30 minutes included either a Quiet (remaining still) or an Active (engaging in daily activities) condition. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant Session×Age group×Break duration and Session×Break type interaction effects (ps < .05). Post-hoc analyses indicated Session effects in adults after both Break types, but only after Short Break duration (S1