School students spend a lot of time learning, and inevitably sitting. Getting your students moving is vital to keeping them engaged and motivated throughout the school day, and ensuring they get the most of their educational experience.
As a teacher, you play a pivotal role in creating a classroom that supports staying active. To help you in the process, here are 5 ways to add movement into your classroom.
1. Start off the day with a movement activity
When your students flock into the classroom ready for a day of learning, do a movement activity with them before they sit down.
Beginning each day with a bit of movement will help ready them for the day ahead and set them on a positive path. By switching up the activity each day, it will also be something students can look forward to.
2. Make movement breaks a priority
Regular movement breaks during the school day can re-energise students and help them stay focused. For this reason, it’s important to incorporate a handful throughout the day, whenever it makes sense for you.
Movement breaks (or movement snacks as we like to call them) will not only help your students stay on task, but it will also be a welcome break between their lessons; and again, something they can look forward to when they head to school.
3. Invest in a standing area
While technically not movement, standing rather than sitting has a lot of benefits.
Sitting has a higher rate of fatigue than standing, which means simply standing up can boost your energy, as well as increase your focus and attention.
This said, we recommend setting up a standing area at the back of the classroom with high tables to encourage students to stand during lessons.
4. Move while reading
Are reading lessons a part of your teaching plan? An easy way to integrate movement into this activity is getting your students to act out different letters i.e. jump for a full stop, clap for a capital letter etc. as they make their way through the sentences.
This will get them moving while learning, which is a win-win!
5. Provide active equipment
When the recess and lunch bell rings, make sure there’s plenty of active equipment for your students to pick up and play with. Giving them a variety of options to choose from will increase the likelihood of them finding something they’ll enjoy and want to try out.
Encouraging your students to move during their breaks will ensure they feel refreshed and rejuvenated before they return to class. It will also give them the opportunity to connect with their classmates, which is always a good thing.
Conclusion
Movement is important, even in the classroom. Integrating movement in small ways throughout the school day can make a big impact on your student’s physical, mental and social wellbeing, and thus feeling their best in and out of the classroom.
For more movement tips and tricks head over to our Teachers Resource Centre.