Want to know more? This list of books and downloadable articles can inform teachers about physical activity in students, providing background, supportive evidence, tips, and strategies for implementation.
SECTION 1: Downloadable Articles and Presentations
Active Education: Growing Evidence on Physical Activity and Academic Performance (Jan 2015)
- From Active Living Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance
- From Active Living Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Download issue brief (Fall 2007)
- Link to issue brief (Sum 2009)
The Association between School-based Physical Activity, including Physical Education, and Academic Performance (Apr 2010)
This extensive review provides an overview of current research pertaining to the relationship between school-based physical activity and indicators of academic performance.
- From Division of Adolescent and School Health – U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Building a Culture of Health Through Safe and Healthy Elementary School Recess (Feb 2017)
- From Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Classroom Physical Activity Ideas and Tips (n.d.)
- From Springboard to Active Schools
Considerations for Classroom Physical Activity during COVID-19 (Oct 2020)
- From Springboard to Active Schools
Do Short Physical Activity Breaks in the Classroom Work? (Feb 2013)
- From Active Living Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity to School (May 2013)
This report is the presentation of findings and recommendations from a committee of experts who assessed the status of school-based physical activity, the effect of physical activity in students, and how schools can aid in increasing students’ activity levels.
- From Institute of Medicine and National Academies Press
Health and Academic Achievement (n.d.)
This eight-page report provides a concise overview to support “Healthy Kids. Successful Students. Stronger Communities.” Bullet points of evidence linking health to academics are presented, along with core messages to share to stakeholder groups and ways to take action.
- From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Increasing Physical Activity Through Recess (Jan 2012)
- From Active Living Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Integrate Classroom Physical Activity in Schools: A Guide for Putting Strategies Into Practice (Nov 2018)
“This guide is a companion document to Strategies for Classroom Physical Activity in Schools” – see below…
- From Springboard to Active Schools and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Integrate Classroom Physical Activity in Schools (Oct 2019)
“The purpose of this article is to explain the health and academic benefits of classroom physical activity, describe strategies and resources to help schools integrate classroom physical activity throughout the school day, and highlight the possible role of physical educators in supporting the implementation of classroom physical activity strategies.”
- From SHAPE America
Keeping Children Healthy: Recommendations for Promoting Physical Education and Physical Activity in Schools (Dec 2015)
- From American Cancer Society
Partnering with Schools to Implement Physical Activity Interventions (March/April 2018)
“Physical activity plays a key role in the development of children’s sensory system and brain functions that create neural connections necessary for learning, memory and coordination, and, consequently, academic performance. Children who regularly engage in physical activity perform better in tasks that include motor control, problem solving, and attention. … The purpose of this Clinical Applications column is to provide health and fitness professionals with strategies to partner with schools to achieve their mission of developing healthy children.”
- Article by Drs. King and Terson de Paleville
Physically Active Classrooms (Jan 2020)
This page offers a succinct read of the evidence to support inclusion of physical activity within the classroom. (Alternate pages are available for active recess and other relevant health topics.)
- From the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps website and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Promoting Physical Activity through School: Policy Brief (May 2022)
As per the World Health Organization, this 15 page document “describes the importance of integrating physical activity into primary and secondary schools so that all children and young people can be physically active on a regular basis, which will contribute to preventing the increasing public health problem of childhood obesity. This policy brief supports school policy-makers, planners, and potentially school principals and describes how the school environment can be used to develop, implement and evaluate whole-of-school strategies that promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour among children and young people.”
- From World Health Organization, Science and Technology in childhood Obesity Policy, and Let’s Be Active
Reaching the Goal of 60 Minutes of Physical Activity for Children (Feb 2013)
- From Active Living Research and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
School Health Guidelines to Promote Health Eating and Physical Activity (Sept 2011)
- From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Strategies for Classroom Physical Activity in Schools (Nov 2018)
As a companion to this document, see Integrate Classroom Physical Activity in Schools: A Guide for Putting Strategies Into Practice – linked above…
- From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Time to Play: Recognizing the Benefits of Recess (Spring 2017)
- Article by Drs. Ramstetter and Murray
SECTION 2: Books
Action-Packed Classrooms, K-5: Using Movement to Educate and Invigorate Learners (2009)
- by Cathie Summerford (Link)
- “Focusing on using movement and music to energize young students and boost their learning, this research-based book offers strategies for basic energizers, clear objectives for standards-aligned instruction, and a student/teacher/principal agreement to commit to active learning.” – Amazon
Brain Breaks for the Classroom: Quick and Easy Breathing and Movement Activities That Help Students Reenergize, Refocus, and Boost Brain Power-Anytime of the Day! (2009)
- by Michelle Gay (Link)
- “40 fun exercises help students take a quick break and return to their work refreshed and ready to learn. Each exercise is designed to get more oxygen and energy to students’ brains, improve their focus, and calm their nervous systems. The result: increased motivation, cooperation, and learning in the classroom. Includes a full-color poster with five easy moves all kids can do when they need a ‘brain break’! For use with Grades K–5.” – Amazon
Brain Gym: Teacher’s Edition (2010)
- by Paul E. Dennison and Gail E. Dennison (Link)
- “This is a stand-alone book for parents, teachers and learners who want in-depth descriptions and variations for the 26 Brain Gym activities.” – Amazon
Energizing Brain Breaks (2009)
- by David U. Sladkey (Link)
Energizing Brain Breaks 2 (2011)
- by Scott Miller (Link)
The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement (2010)
- by Traci Lengel and Mike Kuczala (Link)
- “Research shows that regular physical activity helps children perform better in school. This inspiring book illustrates how to integrate movement within classroom instruction, ranging from short activity breaks to curriculum-enhancing games.” – Amazon
Learning on Your Feet: Incorporating Physical Activity into the K-8 Classroom (2016)
- by Brad Johnson and Melody Jones (Link)
- “In this much-needed book, you’ll learn how incorporating physical activity into the classroom can improve students’ engagement, achievement, and overall wellness. Students typically spend most of the day sitting at their desks, and many don’t have recess or PE, yet research shows that regular exercise helps stimulate brain function and improve skills such as reading, critical thinking, organization, and focus.” – Amazon
Moving INTO the Classroom (2018)
- edited by Stacia Miller and Suzanne Lindt (Link)
- This textbook focuses on research in movement integration and the benefits of physical activity to the child’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. It includes research on and suggestions for integrating movement into English-language arts, mathematics, science and social studies for lower and upper elementary students. Though the textbook is specifically aimed at elementary-level teachers, secondary teachers and pre-service teachers can modify the activities to fit their lessons as well. – Springer
- by Rhonda L. Clements and Sharon L. Schneider (Link)
- “The earlier that children develop a love for physical activity, the better able they are to acquire the healthy habits that will serve them well throughout their lives. Moving With Words & Actions is designed to help them develop that critical physical literacy. Moving With Words & Actions offers early childhood and physical education teachers more than 70 lesson plans that can be used immediately or can be used as models for creating additional lessons.”
- FREE downloadable samples lessons – click here
- by Jill Johnstone and Molly Ramon (Link)
- “…blueprint for improving perceptual-motor skills—the skills that require young learners to use their brains and their bodies together to accomplish tasks. When kids improve these skills, they not only improve their coordination and increase their body awareness but they also enhance their intellectual skills and gain a more positive self-image.” – Human Kinetics
Physical Activity and Educational Achievement: Insights from Exercise Neuroscience (2018)
- edited by Romain Meeusen, Sabine Schaefer, Phillip Tomporowski, and Richard Bailey (Link)
- “A growing body of research evidence suggests that physical activity can have a positive effect on educational achievement. This book examines a range of processes associated with physical activity that are of relevance to those working in education – including cognition, learning, memory, attention, mood, stress and mental health symptoms – and draws on the latest insights from exercise neuroscience to help explain the evidence.” – Amazon
Physical Activity and Health Promotion in the Early Years (2018)
- edited by Hannah Brewer and Mary Renck Jalongo (Link)
- “This book…provides a theoretical base explaining why physical activity is important, and offers practical strategies for increasing health and well-being in early childhood settings. It takes ancient wisdom on the mind and body connection, applies it to the youngest children, and supports it with current empirical and international evidence—all with an eye toward improving wellness across the lifespan. The many topics discussed in the book include children’s motor skills, movement, interaction, physical literacy, the use of video games, dog ownership, developmental delays, as well as strategies to improve physical activities in the classroom and broader contexts.”
Spark: the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008)
- by John J. Ratey (Link)
- “Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.” – Amazon
Teaching with the Brain in Mind (2005) – chap. 9: Movement and Learning
- by Eric Jensen (Link)
- “…[this] best-seller is loaded with ideas for how to improve student achievement and create a more effective classroom by applying brain research to your teaching. [It] translates the latest scientific findings into effective instructional strategies…” – Amazon
The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching and Learning (2010)
- by OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, & Bruce Mau Design (Link)
- “Created by an international team of architects and designers concerned about our failing education system, [this book] explores the critical link between the school environment and how children learn…” – Amazon
