Incorporating movement into the classroom is a powerful strategy to enhance student learning, behavior, and overall well-being. Since students spend a significant portion of their days in school, educators can help reduce the sedentary nature of classrooms and ensure that students aged 6 to 17 get the 60 minutes of movement needed daily for health, growth, and development.
Research consistently shows that students benefit from short, structured physical activity breaks throughout the school day. These breaks can range from quick exercises to interactive educational games. Physical activity can also help students manage mental health, stress, and anxiety in non-stigmatizing ways.
Integrating physical activity with academic instruction can work to reinforce academic concepts. Furthermore, studies indicate that increasing time for physical activity in the classroom—even when it replaces instruction—does not hinder and can even enhance academic achievement.
Few schools require regular activity breaks, but teachers can bring movement into the classroom
Schools play a crucial role in shaping lifelong habits, but policies and practices vary widely across districts and states. Only a small percentage of school districts require regular activity breaks, particularly at the middle and high school levels.
Integrating activity takes planning, securing buy-in from school leaders and students, and understanding what safety and activity policies are in place at school. It takes significant effort and support to steer a school culture toward physically active classrooms, but such a shift can start with one educator and one classroom at a time.
These shareable guides—with tools from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Network of Public Health Institutes, as well as previous EdWeek reporting—provide practical strategies and activity ideas to help teachers incorporate movement into their classrooms. By integrating movement into daily instruction, educators can create more engaging and productive learning environments while helping students develop lifelong habits of physical activity.
