6 Strategies to Optimize Learning With Physical Activity

Research strongly indicates that exercise and physical activity helps to boost brain power.  Here are 6 strategies to put that research into motion:

1. Get students moving and physically active.  Inspire students to exercise and be physically active.  School staff can add movement during brain breaks, recess time, during physical education, transition time and during lessons.  Parents can encourage decreased screen time and increased outdoor time at home.
2. Incorporate exercise into learning activities.  When possible, teachers can add in physical activity directly into the lesson.
3. Schedule physical activity during the school day at the best times.  Try increasing physical activity before at test or a challenging class.  Read 10 Easy Ways to Get the Brain Ready for Testing.
4. Educate the school and family on the benefits of physical activity.  This will help everyone understand and encourage children to be physically active inside and outside of school.  Read 5 evidence based reasons how exercise impacts brain power.
5. Start a committee to help increase physical activity in your school or community.  Create and develop a plan to start increasing physical activity throughout the school day and in the community.
6. Teach the students the health benefits of being physically active.  When the students are educated, they will be more internally motivated to exercise.

Reference:  Reference: Marcus Conyers and Donna Wilson. Smart moves: Powering up the brain with physical activity. Phi Delta Kappan May 2015 96: 38-42, doi:10.1177/0031721715583961

Classroom Activity Posters is a download collection of 16 exercise activities, 4 large posters and a brief, simple video demonstration of each exercise.The posters are divided into four groups: posture, alerting, ready to work and focus/balance. All of the exercises are performed in standing. Try these activities prior to starting fine motor activities, for posture breaks, to refocus students attention and for vestibular/ proprioceptive input in the classroom.  Find out more information.

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