You’re ready! You want to offer your students classroom physical activity. Now what? Should you devise new lesson plans and restructure your curriculum? Not necessary! This page compiles available activity ideas for incorporating physical activity in the classroom. Links that offer downloadable, printable materials are noted. (Please also see our Resources page.)
SECTION 1: Free Materials
Fuel Up to Play 60
These pages offer free resources, video tutorials, and downloadable materials to simply and effectively engage students in classroom physical activity with no added planning or equipment required. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a program founded by the National Dairy Council and NFL, in collaboration with USDA, that empowers students to take charge in making small, everyday changes at school. *downloadable
- Home: http://school.fueluptoplay60.com
- Play 60 Challenge: https://www.heart.org/en/professional/educator/nfl-play-60
- Link to video tutorials on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrDeLRAEJG0Y18hyykolPMttCpAg_jdrL
- Direct link to PDF of 135 activity breaks: http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@fc/documents/downloadable/ucm_455767.pdf
BOKS Downloads and Burst Videos
This page, part of the BOKS website (see Programming section of Resources), offers downloadable lessons and activity ideas as well as the link to a YouTube channel for activity videos to help keep kids moving. *downloadable
GoNoodle
This site offers free videos that engage students in activity and resources for classroom physical activity, as well as a free email distribution option that delivers information and materials directly to your inbox. (A free account is required to access videos.) GoNoodle: “Get the wiggles out with free brain breaks for your classroom.”
BrainErgizers
“BrainErgizers are 5 min videos designed to help kids be mindful and keep moving.” To gain access to activities, from the National Association of Physical Literacy, sign up is required.
Fitness Challenge Calendars
This page offers downloadable calendars, by month, with quick and easy daily activities to get kids moving. Each month comes with a progress chart, completion certification, and activity resources. By S&S Blog in partnership with Alliance for a Healthier Generation. *downloadable
Moving Minds
Moving Minds is a for-profit component of Gopher Sport, but this link offers free “BrainPrimers”. By signing up, you can receive a free “sample” of these activity cards. *downloadable
The Moving Minds Blog also offers monthly “activity calendars” that can be downloaded for free. As an example, here is the Outdoor Class Activity Calendar for May 2021. *downloadable
Move-to-Improve Cards
From WeTeachNYC: “This set of printable color flash cards (front and back) is meant to be used with elementary Move-to-Improve activities. Some of the movements include: run, jump, climb, criss-cross jump, ski jump, squat, and forward lunge.” *downloadable
Super Deck: A Multi-Game Fitness Card Deck
These cards, with accompanying directions and activities, were created as a free resource by physical educator Dan DeJager. The purpose is to “play multiple games to get students fit and active.” *downloadable
The Balanced Energy Physical Activity (BEPA) Toolkit 2.0
“BEPA 2.0 is a classroom-based physical activity program aligned to Health and Physical Education standards. BEPA 2.0 can be used in and outside of the classroom and before, during, or after school to increase children’s physical activity time at school.”
Darebee
Darebee.com offers free, printable workout cards with 500 activity break ideas. While not specific to the classroom environment, teachers can select those cards that are applicable. *downloadable
- Website: https://darebee.com/workout-cards.html
- Direct link to PDF: https://darebee.com/pdf/other/darebee-exercise-cards.pdf
BSD Brainboost
This site is the result of a Beaverton (Oregon) School District task force and offers video links and example activities.
Moving Minutes
The LEARN Well initiative of Chicago Public Schools address healthy eating and physical activity. This activity guide is comprised of directions for student activity within the classroom, outdoor space, or gym.
Just Move™ Cards
This link accesses a set of 24 activity cards with photo and directions, one activity per page. *downloadable
ABC for Fitness
This site accesses a free manual for classroom physical activity that includes activity ideas and implementation tips. “The ABC for Fitness™ program shows schools how to restructure physical activity into multiple, brief episodes of activity into classrooms throughout the day without taking away valuable time for classroom instruction.” *downloadable
Active Academics
This site offers free lesson plans, searchable by grade (K-5) and content area, to offer students classroom physical activity. To search, use the drop down menus in the upper, right of the page. “Active Academics® is a resource for classroom teachers to provide practical physical activity ideas that can be integrated into regular classroom content areas.”
Energizers for School
This link accesses free manuals of classroom physical activities for elementary school and for middle school where activity is incorporated into academic content. *downloadable
Movement Activities and Games for Elementary Classrooms
These links access a free list of ideas for incorporating movement into the classroom. Each link offers 20 ideas. *downloadable
- Pt 1: http://www.kellybear.com/TeacherArticles/TeacherTip69.html
- Pt 2: http://www.kellybear.com/TeacherArticles/TeacherTip69b.html
SPARK abc’s
“SPARK is a research-based, public health organization dedicated to creating, implementing, and evaluating programs that promote lifelong wellness.” The SPARK program, of which one component is classroom physical activity, is available for purchase, but the site also offers free sample classroom lessons.
Mind and Body
This link access a manual that compiles activities for the elementary classroom. *downloadable
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
A free account is required to access materials, but once signed up, this site offers multiple resources. *downloadable
- Start here to create account: https://www.healthiergeneration.org/resources/physical-activity
- Activity cards: “Physical Activity Cards for All Ages”
- Activity cards: “Physical Activity Task Cards”
- Idea list for upper grades: “Secondary Classroom Physical Activities”
Power Chargers (from Health Powered Kids™)
“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.”
20 Brain Break Clips: Fight the Fidgeting!
This site offers links to (now) 30 music videos appropriate for children. These could be used to add creative movement by allowing students to “dance” to the songs.
Fast Break
“Classroom Physical Activity for K-5 Students: Keep Your Brain in the Game” – This page offers a basketball-oriented strategy to get kids moving in the classroom using provided activity suggestions. *downloadable
Hand Clapping Games for Kids
This site, while not specifically geared toward school or physical activity, offers various clapping games with song and rhyme for children.
Learning to Move and Moving to Learn
This site, by Learning On the Move physical educator Liz Giles-Brown, offers strategies for incorporating movement with learning, including video clips of students connecting movement to math skip counting (Moving Multiples).
School MUVE
This website offers resources and lesson plans for teaching creative dance lessons in school.
Sworkit app for Apple/Android (not specific to classroom)
This circuit training app, a free download, provides a myriad of 30sec activities in 5min durations within categories such as yoga, upper body, lower body, or cardio. There is an option to create a custom program, such that teachers could select only activities conducive to classroom space.
- Basic app: http://www.sworkit.com
- Specific to kids (with children in videos): http://kids.sworkit.com
24 Fitness Exercise Cards
“Display these fitness exercise cards in your classroom to encourage your students to stay healthy and active.” Note: Subscription needed to download.
SECTION 2: Materials for Purchase
AHS™ Classroom Activities Cards
These laminated cards offer 20 developmentally appropriate, 3-5 minute classroom physical activity ideas per set for $24.95. There are two options for each grade range: K-2, 3-4, and 5-6.
The Walking Classroom
This program enables students to “get fresh air and exercise while learning”. Free downloads are available on the website to try the product – podcasts that students listen to – and various program are available for purchase. One kit is $125 with the teaching guide sold separately.
Instant Recess (not specific to classroom)
The Instant Recess materials are available for purchase and offer 10min bouts of physical activity.
Skillastics (not specific to classroom)
Skillastics kits are available for purchase and include materials to offer game-based physical activity to a group of up to 100 students. The kits most conducive to classroom physical activity are Character is Cool, Fitness, and Let’s Move in School. The Let’s Move in School kit has a classroom manual that can be requested with purchase.
FitDeck Exercise Playing Cards (not specific to classroom)
FitDeck cards, retailing through FlagHouse at $17/deck, provide one activity idea per card. Some activities include locomotion, but deck could be customized for classroom. Sample activities can be seen on the site for free.
- https://www.flaghouse.com/Physical-Education/Curriculum/Activity-Based-Learning/FITDECK-Jr-Set.axdJunior
Yoga 4 Classrooms Card Deck
Through this website, you can access six sample cards for free. The full deck, of “67 yoga and mindfulness-based activity cards which include illustrated instructions, discussion points, sub-activities, and educational tie-ins, for a total of more than 200 beneficial classroom practices” is $32.
Ageless Grade for KIDZ!
Ageless Grade, originally for seniors, created a kid-specific program that offers a series of seated movement patterns. The DVD is $25.
PLYOGA Kids
PLYOGA is a combination of plyometrics and yoga. PLYOGA Kids brings this movement to schools, and schools can bring in trainers to conduct professional development or instructors to run a student assembly. There are also free, downloadable posters on the site, such as “Minutes of Movement” to promote an active classroom.
Adventure 2 Learning
For a subscription fee, users can access a variety of video and online resources for facilitating classroom movement. They expand their “philosophy of active learning across a wide range of subjects, from pre-school through high school.” A single user annual pass is $150.
