Why Move in the Classroom?

Have you ever heard someone say “physical activity is bad for you”? I’ll take a guess: no.

It is widely accepted that physical activity is paramount for improving both physical and mental health. Moving makes your heart beat faster, which means your cardiovascular functions are strengthening and your circulation is improving. Oxygen reaches key areas of the brain more efficiently, and your body releases “feel-good” chemicals such as endorphins. As a result, you feel less stressed, happier, and maybe even more confident! Being active will help students focus and get the work done, counterbalance fatigue, improve awareness of physical and emotional sensations, diminish behavioral problems, and specifically help your students who have ADHD (Braniff, 2011). Physical activity also helps counterbalance the negative effects of sedentary behaviour. (Lander et al., 2024)

Sadly, more than 80% of youth fail to meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. (Lander et al., 2024)

In recent years, research has also further highlighted how closely physical activity and learning are interconnected. All the health benefits mentioned above are not the only positives of bringing movement into the classroom. Incorporating physical activity into learning can directly support academic performance.

“Physical activity has been positively associated with increased academic-related outcomes, including cognitive skills (e.g., executive functioning, attention, memory, comprehension), attitudes toward learning (e.g., motivation, self-concept, satisfaction, enjoyment), engagement in learning (e.g., on-task time), and academic achievement (e.g., standardized test scores).”

(Lander et al., 2024)

“Girls who get involved in school sports are 92% less likely to use drugs; they are 80% less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy; and their high-school graduation rate is triple that of non-athletes. The importance of school sports is underscored when you consider the fact that girls who do not participate by age ten have only a 10% chance of actively participating in a sport by age twenty-five.”

(Jensen, 2000)

Still not sure whether you should involve movement in your classroom? Stop fooling yourself and read this blog post again! Being active will keep your students healthy, both mentally and physically.

Braniff, Carrie Jean (2011) “The Effects of Movement in the Classroom,” Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research: Vol. 13: Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1089

Lander, N. J., Contardo Ayala, A. M., Mazzoli, E., Lai, S. K., Orr, J., & Salmon, J. (2024). Beyond “brain breaks”: A new model for integrating classroom-based active breaks. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 95(4), 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2024.2308253