https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3079-4417
Abstract
Physical activity programs during the school day prevent students from being sedentary. One of the environments where students spend the most time during the school day is the classroom. The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for how students can participate in physical activity during the school day in the classroom environment.
Physical activity (PA) programs during the school day prevent students from being sedentary. One of the environments where students spend the most time during the school day is the classroom. In addition to the positive effects of PA on students’ academic performance and social–emotional development, classroom environments also reveal positive results in terms of health (Erwin et al., Citation2022). The purpose of this “Teaching Tip” is to provide information and suggestions related to how students can participate in PA during the school day in the classroom environment and how they can have an active school day.
Classroom and Physical Activity
Deliberate planning and instruction of brief opportunities for PA in the classroom can be a powerful agent for increasing children’s PA levels. Even though there are cognitive (de Greeff et al., Citation2018), mental (Wassenaar et al., Citation2019), and physical health benefits (Infantes-Paniagua et al., Citation2021) of increasing children’s PA levels, providing PA opportunities embedded into the curriculum has been an idea that has been sidelined in recent years. However, an innovative approach known as the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (Erwin et al., Citation2022) provides a framework for creating supportive school and classroom environments. The concept of PA in classrooms has received more attention from educators and parents in recent years, because there is a greater emphasis on boosting both student well-being and academic outcomes. Physical activity in the classroom not only helps students develop healthy behavioral habits but also positively supports their well-being, cognitive development, and academic performance (Brusseau & Hannon, Citation2015).
School administrators and teachers need to make some preparations before implementing PA in the classroom, including (a) increasing awareness of the benefits of participating in PA in the classroom, (b) creating safe classroom environments that support PA, and (c) designing and prescribing PA programs according to the fitness levels and maturation of students in the classroom (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention & SHAPE America – Society of Health & Physical Edicators, 2018). In addition, necessary equipment that can be used safely within the confines of the classroom environment should be used to stimulate creativity and engagement.
Inclusion of physical activitiy breaks during class time is thought to motivate students and increase concentration during the lesson (Martin & Murtagh, Citation2017). At the same time, PA in the classroom environment is thought to positively impact students’ learning (Erwin et al., Citation2022). Therefore, educators often focus on students’ academic achievement as a reason to include PA in the classroom. In addition, it has been observed that students’ heart rates increase during PA in the classroom environment, which can reduce sedentary behavior (Martin & Murtagh, Citation2017; Norris et al., Citation2020).
Moreover, PA can improve students’ emotional state by keeping their stress and anxiety levels at an optimum level. In this way, students are able to express themselves more easily and interact with their peers, thus supporting the development of their social awareness and relationship-building skills (Worrell et al., Citation2020). Therefore, it is important for teachers and school administrators to support and plan for PA in the classroom, because it can contribute to the holistic development of students (see ).
Figure 1. Holistic development of the student
Teaching Strategies
Brain Breaks
Brief PA breaks, also known as “brain energizers” or “brain breaks,” take place at regular intervals throughout the school day in the classroom environment and support children to recharge and refocus their mind and body. In addition, brain breaks facilitate children having fun, focusing, and learning, leading to increased learning engagement and optimizing classroom time (Thushanthi et al., Citation2015). shows some examples of brain breaks that can be used in the classroom environment.
Table 1. Physical Activity in the Classroom: Brain Breaks
Fitness Breaks
Fitness breaks in the classroom environment help reduce children’s inactivity. In addition, they offer the opportunity to move the musculoskeletal system through physical activity (Eather, Citation2014) and support the development of students’ muscular fitness. shows some examples of fitness breaks that can be used in the classroom environment. shows examples of physical activities that can be done in the classroom.
Table 2. Physical Activity in the Classroom: Fitness Breaks
Table 3. Physical Activity in the Classroom
Conclusion
Physical activity in the classroom is important for students to meet their physical activity needs. It is seen as an important tool for students to be healthy and adopt a healthy lifestyle. In addition, it is well known that it makes significant contributions to the development of students’ academic achievement, social–emotional and mental development, and communication skills.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
Authors would like to thank Qatar National Library (QNL) for open access funding of this article.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Hüseyin Ünlü
Hüseyin Ünlü is a professor and Selin Şimşek is a PhD student in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Aksaray University in Aksaray, Türkiye.
Selin Şimşek
Hüseyin Ünlü is a professor and Selin Şimşek is a PhD student in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Aksaray University in Aksaray, Türkiye.
Bijen Filiz
Bijen Filiz is an associate professor in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Afyon Kocatepe University in Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye.
Ferman Konukman
Ferman Konukman ([email protected]) is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education at Qatar University in Doha, Qatar.
Andrew Sortwell
Andrew Sortwell is an adjunct lecturer in the School of Health Sciences and Physiotherapy at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Sydney, Australia.
References
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