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Incorporating Fitness into the Classroom

Maybe you don't teach in a school that has a student fitness center in the gym. Maybe your school doesn't even have a PE teacher, since many school districts have cut physical education requirements. But you still want to find ways to help your students become more physically active, not only because you're concerned about their health, but also because you know that physically active children are better learners.

Experts recommend that elementary school children spend at least thirty minutes a day in physical activity. Increasingly, schools are adopting the use of ten-minute fitness breaks to help students achieve this goal.

Fitness Breaks

Fitness breaks are quick, ten-minute activities that get students up and moving. They are particularly valuable when tension is high or when students' energy begins to wane. They can also be useful as a transition from one subject to another.

Glencoe's Fitness Zone activities, highlighted in this newsletter, can get you started. Energizers, developed by East Carolina State University, are ten-minute, curriculum-themed activities for elementary and middle school classroom teachers to use.

The Maine Nutrition Network has developed the Take Time! program to encourage schools to incorporate ten to twenty minutes of physical activity into the classroom every day. Its Take Time! School Resource Packet offers a wide array of fitness break activities. An evaluation of the program in 2006 found that over three-quarters of teachers participating in the program reported that their students were better able to focus after a fitness break, and 30 percent reported decreased disciplinary problems.

Classroom Management Issues

Learn how to use fitness breaks effectively. If your space is limited, select fitness breaks that do not require large amounts of space, or lead students into the hall or outdoors for the break.

Establish ground rules with the students before each activity: for example, wait for your turn, and don't throw the ball too hard. And use cool-down activities, such as stretching and deep breathing, at the end of each fitness break to allow students to cool down and get ready to return to classwork.

Alter Your Classroom Environment

In addition to fitness breaks, consider how you can change your classroom environment so that students have opportunities throughout the day to get up and move. For example, set up learning stations around the classroom where students must stand to conduct learning activities. Have students working in small groups stand up for discussions rather than sit at their desks.

If possible, use stability balls instead of traditional desk chairs to help students strengthen their core muscle groups while they sit at their desks (you will need to teach proper sitting techniques first). You may also use only a few balls and allow students to earn the right to use them.