Action for Healthy Kids is offering several upcoming webinars of interest. See their site for these virtual learning opportunities, including one next Wednesday, Sept. 9 about classroom physical activity!
Update (Jan. 2017): The Action for Health Kids webinar series is on-going, so continue to check the site for upcoming topics. Past webinars are available via archive.
School’s out for the summer! If you’re like me, you’re ready for some time where you don’t even THINK about lesson plans or curriculum or teaching methods. But, inevitably, my mind always returned to those thoughts as the summer progressed. Summer, when you have oodles of free time (at least compared to the school year), may be an excellent opportunity to learn more about classroom physical activity. In preparation for the 2015-2016 academic year, take some time to discover how classroom physical activity can impact your students, your teaching, and your classroom environment. And then take some time to think about how you can make physical activity in the classroom work for you!
Read some background information. Check out our research page and look into some of the readings!
Free online training module: PBS Learning Media offers “Increasing Physical Activity in Schools: PD for Elementary Teachers” – a professional development module designed to offer tools to increase school-based physical activity.
Use our implementation page to get tips and tricks on adding or increasing physical activity in your own classroom. This page offers an action plan template and sample to get you started!
Health Powered Kids™, created by Allina Health, is a “free online resource designed to empower children and teens to make good choices about being active, eating well and balancing their lives.” One component of this website, which requires teachers to register for a free account to access materials, is Power Chargers. “Power Chargers are a collection of short exercises designed to give kids a quick activity break throughout the day. Choose from two, five or 10+ minute Power Chargers, depending on the time and space available.”
See our Materials page for links and more ideas on how to incorporate physical activity into your classroom!
Norris et al. (2015) recently conducted a systematic review of classroom physical activity. Findings indicate that classroom physical activity increases student physical activity levels and significantly improves or does not hinder educational outcomes with all results either positive or neutral. This review calls for further research to gain a more complete understanding of the impact of classroom physical activity impact.
Naylor et al. (2015) systematically reviewed implementation of school-based physical activity interventions. While studies varied in their assessment of implementation strategies and outcomes, the most influential factor to implementation success was time.
Burrows et al. (2014) determined that scheduled physical activity is associated with better academic performance. In this sample, about 80% of students exercised for less than two hours per week. Students who reported more than four hours per week of exercise were significantly more likely to perform about the 50th percentile in standardized academic achievement tests.
Katz, Mulder, and Pronk (2014) used worksite wellness Sit-Stand results as a method of improving student behavior and learning.
Chaput, Carson, Gray, and Tremblay (2014) proposed the importance of all movement behaviors in a 24 hour period for overall health of children.
See our Research Page for full abstracts.
This post “Find the Perfect Brain Breaks for Your Class” offers targeted classroom physical activity ideas for different circumstances, like before a test or in that lethargic afternoon time period. Check it out here: http://blog.gonoodle.com/2014/08/find-the-perfect-brain-breaks-for-your-class/
Engaging students in movement in the classroom can be as simple as playing a song and allowing students to dance. As with any classroom physical activity, parameters may need to be set to ensure safety. But with instructions to stay in your own space bubble and in control of your body, free dance is a fun, easy way to get students moving! Having a playlist of songs means classroom physical activity opportunities are available at the click of a button.
Movie soundtracks: Children’s movies are filled with kid-friendly music. From old to new, think of your (and your students) favorite animated film and get the CD for your classroom.
Compilations: Compilation CDs are a great way to get a variety of music on one CD!
KIDZ BOP: This set of CDs, currently 27 in all, are “today’s biggest hits, sung by kids for kids” and the songs have been rewritten so lyrics are appropriate for kids. Access website
Content-based music: Songs help students learn and remember academic content.
Schoolhouse Rock: Do you remember this from your own childhood?! Originally a television show, these animated musical short films taught children about everything from grammar to math to history. Disney acquired rights to the show and has made Schoolhouse Rock available to a new generation (link). Original Schoolhouse Rock CDs are also available on Amazon (link).
Other: Health Songs for Kids (link)
While it can be assumed that classroom physical activity is physical activity in the classroom, it is important to make the distinction between this and physical education. Classroom physical activity is movement in the general education classroom facilitated by the classroom teacher. It can be categorized into three general areas:
When incorporating physical activity into your classroom, consider how each type of activity may best suit your classroom, your students, and your teaching methods.
Note: Classroom physical activity should not be used as either reward or punishment! Rather, it is simply part of the learning process.
