Implementing Classroom-Based Physical Activity

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (2008) recently published a position statement encouraging school officials to provide physical activity (PA) to students before, during and after school hours. In addition, school wellness policies, which address PA and nutrition, have been mandated by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265, 2004) for all schools with a federally-funded school meals program. Classroom-based PA is one area in which children can accumulate valuable amounts of physical activity throughout the school day. Likewise, PA provides an alternative context in which teachers can introduce academic content. The purposes of this proposal are: (1) to summarize literature pertaining to PA conducted in the classroom; and (2) to present practical suggestions for implementing classroom-based PA within the overall comprehensive school PA program. Classroom-based PA provides beneficial amounts of PA for children (Erwin et al., in review) and can occur in the classroom without compromising learning (Ahamed et al., 2007). In addition, a handful of studies have revealed not only a positive relationship with PA and specific facilitators of learning such as on-task behavior (Mahar et al., 2006) and concentration (Caterino & Polak, 1999), but research indicates a trend toward PA and increased academic achievement in children (Coe et al., 2006; Sallis et al., 1999). A variety of resources exist for implementing classroom-based PA throughout the school day, including Active and Healthy SchoolsTM activity break cards, Energizers, and Take 10!®. These resources provide an excellent starting point for teachers and are flexible enough to be modified to meet the needs of specific classrooms. Other strategies include preparing a word movement collection, creating space in the classroom, selecting the appropriate times to implement classroom-based PA, and organizing laminated task cards that are easily accessible. One place to begin when developing activities for the class is the educational standards. Creating movement activities based on a specific academic area may help students remember the concepts. It is important to teach future elementary teachers the importance of physical activity in the classroom. This can be emphasized in their physical education preparation course during their teacher training. In addition, in-services are valuable for practicing teachers in the field, and support from physical educators is warranted. In conclusion, classroom-based PA can be a meaningful way to increase children's overall PA levels and reinforce academic content in school.