Running Head: CLASSROOM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECTS

Physical Activity Effects on Learning Focus in First and Second Grade Classrooms

Janey E. Wahlman

University of Alaska, Southeast

ED626 Spring 2019

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Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the benefits and barriers of implementation of

physical activity breaks in a language immersion first and second grade classroom. While

physical activity (PA) is beneficial, the potential problem or barrier of PA implementation in an

immersion program is the limited time allotted for instruction in each grade level. Physical

activity breaks were implemented twice daily for no longer than 3 minutes per break. A different

physical activity was introduced and implemented daily. Barriers, benefits, perception, and

implementation as they related to the implementation of PA breaks in the classroom were

considered. While barriers existed to include: a lack of adequate classroom space for certain

activities in addition to limited instruction with regards to the activities for safe completion, the

benefits outweighed these considerations. The benefits included increased focus on task (either at

the table during independent work or at carpet during the whole group lesson), no loss of

instruction time, and increased weekly cumulative PA for each child. Perception was positive on

the part of the students involved, the administration, and the support staff that assisted the

classes. My findings supported that physical activity breaks in classrooms serve to increase the

overall PA children receive throughout the week, appeal to multiple learning intelligences,

specifically bodily-kinesthetic learners, and minimize redirection as focus on learning increases.

Because student perception was positive, focus on learning increased, and implementation

proved smooth, physical activity breaks can and should be implemented in classrooms.
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Introduction

While regular participation in physical activity (PA) is essential to the optimal health and

development of most children, less than half of children in the United States meet the

recommendations of engaging in the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA

every day (Dinkel, Schaffer, Snyder, & Min Lee, 2017). To increase PA in a large number of

children, experts have targeted schools as a setting in which to promote PA (Howie, & Pate,

2012). Classroom-based PA generally takes the form of short breaks from academic instruction

where some type of physical activity occurs (Donnelly & Lambourne, 2011). A language

immersion program has limited instruction time thus implementation of physical activity in the

classroom provided benefits while facing barriers at the same time. Were the benefits enough to

outweigh the barriers and additional transition time necessary to implement consistent PA?

Ultimately the benefits of physical activity breaks in the classroom proved effective and

increased both weekly student PA and focus on learning. In addition, the PA activity breaks were

met with positive perception on the part of the students, administration, and parents.

Literature Review

Perceptions

While most efforts to promote PA to school administrators emphasize its health benefits,

these efforts have met with little success, therefore advocates have searched for an alternative

approach to persuade decision makers to include PA in the school day. One such approach has

been to associate PA with academic achievement (Howie & Pate, 2012). Because the primary

goal of school is student academic achievement, it would be important to identify if and how PA

improves academics. Enough evidence needs to be accumulated to support a positive relationship

between PA and academic achievement, especially since PA opportunities are disappearing from
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America’s schools in response to an increasing focus on academics due, in no small part, to

testing and accountability pressures. The disappearance of PA from school settings coupled with

the six to eight hours that children spend in sedentary behaviors (much of it at school) results in

an increased risk for obesity and other chronic health conditions (Dinkel et al., 2017). Less than

half of children in the United States meet the recommendations of engaging in 60 minutes of

moderate-to-vigorous PA every day (Dinkel et al., 2017). Further, researchers have suggested

administrative attitudes and support related to PA may impact teachers’ perceptions of classroom

PA (Dinkel et al., 2017). Despite academic pressure, schools can serve as prime opportunities for

children to increase their daily PA.

Implementation

While the perceived benefits of PA may appear to outweigh the negative aspects,

elementary classroom teachers often perceive barriers to integrating PA in the classroom

(Webster et al., 2017). Supporting teachers to implement physical activity in the classroom could

positively impact their perception of PA. Classroom PA interventions were most effective when

teachers were consistent in their implementation and suggested this is most likely to happen if

building administrators endorsed classroom PA (Dinkel et al., 2017). Additionally, positive

beliefs about one’s own ability, and the ability of other classroom teachers, to positively

influence children through PA are important enablers to PA implementation (Webster et al.,

2017). PA implementation can occur as a break from academic instruction, as a transition

between academic subjects, and for affective reasons (e.g. behavioral, refocusing) (Dinkel et al.,

2017). Teachers identified that regularly scheduling PA in the daily routine was a strategy for its

successful implementation. Teachers felt that it was more difficult to incorporate PA into their
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lessons, but creating movement opportunities such as learning stations and partner work was

another effective way to implement PA.

Barriers

According to Dinkel et al. (2017), unless teachers can identify how PA supports

academic standards or content areas, they may resist incorporating it into their lessons. Many

elementary classroom teachers felt they did not have enough time in their day to incorporate PA.

These teachers felt their schedule was already overcrowded, thus the implementation of PA

added stress and was seen as disruptive (Webster et al., 2017). Infrastructure was also seen as

prohibitive to implementation. Some teachers stated that safety was a factor due to classroom

size and available space. It was challenging for teachers to provide activities that did not require

reconfiguration of the classroom yet provided adequate intensity and energy expenditure to

impact fitness (Donnelly & Lambourne, 2011). Most of the Elementary classroom teachers

reported that they had never received in-service professional development for learning to

incorporate PA and while many teachers reported their administrators were supportive of PA, the

could not explicitly describe this support, citing ambiguity about PA policy implementation. It is

important to note that some teachers also reported students’ reluctance to participate as a

potential barrier, however these teachers were more likely to teach upper grade levels (Dinkel et

al., 2017). The reluctance common among older students, as reported by the researchers was

embarrassment, the feeling of being sweaty, or their overall appearance towards their peers.

Finally, almost half of teachers reported classroom management as a barrier to implementation.

Benefits

The classroom is where students spend the majority of their time and this provides a

viable location for interventions designed to increase physical activity (Donnelly & Lambourne,
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2011). According to Carlson et al. (2015), Classroom PA can increase the daily recommended

amount of PA which contributes to decreased risk of obesity and other chronic health conditions.

Classroom PA also appears to be a promising strategy for improving attention in the classroom.

Teachers who implemented classroom physical activity breaks reported fewer students who

lacked effort/motivation (Webster et al., 2017). Teacher implementation of classroom physical

activity breaks was also related to higher student physical activity during school and better on-

task and attentive behavior in the classroom (Carlson et al., 2015). Data supported some

consensus that classroom PA is feasible, important, and can lead to desired student outcomes

(e.g., increased focus, engagement, enjoyment) (Webster et al., 2017, 141). Teachers also

reported that their students really like to be active and value PA. Supporting teachers to

implement physical activity in the classroom could lead teachers to notice the benefits that go

beyond health and, ultimately improve uptake and sustainability of activity breaks.

Promoting classroom physical activity as a tool for improving students’ behavior and

academic performance may be a more effective approach than simply communicating the health

benefits of physical activity, which are not as directly apparent or as relevant to teachers and

administrators as the classroom benefits. Teachers’ perceptions of classroom PA are impacted by

administrative attitudes and support related to PA, in addition to training they’ve received

relating to PA and their resulting confidence as it pertains to PA implementation. Classroom PA

interventions are most effective when teachers are consistent in their implementation, however

certain barriers that impede implementation of classroom PA can include: limited time, lack of

materials or physical space, concerns about classroom control, lack of experience, or negative

attitudes about PA. Finally, the benefits of classroom PA can include an increase in children’s

PA, extended on-task behavior, and favorable academic outcomes (Dinkel et al., 2017).
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Theoretical Framework

The theory of multiple intelligences, developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner,

accounted for a broader range of human potential in children. The theory emerged from recent

cognitive research and documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds

and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways. One of the proposed

eight intelligences, Bodily-kinesthetic, focuses on movement. This particular intelligence

communicates well through physical activity and hands-on activities. Incorporating classroom

physical activity may especially appeal to and assist those students equipped with a Bodily-

kinesthetic intelligence. This isn’t to say that other students not specifically equipped with this

type of intelligence don’t stand to benefit from physical activity in the classroom. Regular

participation in physical activity is essential to the optimal health and development of any child

(Dinkel et al., 2017). Physical activity in the classroom will not only enhance learning

opportunities, it will serve to increase the daily amount of PA getting students closer to meeting

the recommended 60 min of PA each day in an effort to maintain a healthy body weight,

development of healthy bones, muscles, and coordination; reduced levels of anxiety and

depression and improvement in social development (World Health Organization, 2011).

Integrating movement with academics in elementary school classrooms is not only feasible, but it

helps students to focus on learning, and enables them to increase overall PA levels (Kibbe et al.,

2011).

Research Questions

As the overall amount of physical activity children engage in is replaced by more

sedentary behavior, increasing PA in the classroom, where children spend the majority of their

waking hours not only seems logical, but necessary. Classroom PA not only stands to increase a
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child’s daily amount of PA, but to benefit the child cognitively by increasing focus during

instruction. Time devoted to instruction is extremely important and the implementation of PA in

the classroom uses some of this instruction time. An immersion setting leaves limited time for

academic instruction due to the half day scheduling devoted to each language. Attempting to

squeeze in a literacy block in addition to mathematics is difficult at best. PA breaks in the

classroom require transition time and due the physical nature of PA breaks, children are likely

disquieted by that activity thus resuming classroom instruction could be more difficult. In a

program already limited by time constraints, is it feasible to allot an additional time to PA

intervention? Does implementation of physical activity (PA) in the classroom help students focus

on learning or will instruction time be lost with the implementation of PA in classroom?

Research Design/Method

In this study on the benefits and barriers of classroom physical activity (PA), I took a

qualitative inquiry approach examining a real-world situation, without manipulating it.

I took a participator researcher’s position in this research (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) through an

action research design that was both historical and observational (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).

Participants

Participants were first and second grade students from a German Immersion School in

South Central Alaska. The school day was divided with half the day taught in English and the

other half in German. The schedule was such that I taught 2nd grade students in the morning and

1st grade students in the afternoon. My interventions maximized consistent implementation of

classroom physical activity breaks throughout the week in the morning and the afternoon.

Participants were chosen because the majority of children in the United States attend

school where they spend between 6-8 hours, and much of that time is sedentary. The elementary
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school setting provided an ideal environment to improve PA levels of children which in turn

could increase focus on learning. Focus on learning in the classroom was likely to result in

certain positive class behaviors such as: active listening during whole group lessons at the carpet

and on task during independent seat work. Active listening at the carpet was identifiable by the

following attributes: eyes on the speaker and sitting in a permitted position (crisscross, mountain,

or mermaid). On task behavior during independent seat work was identifiable by quietly working

on and completing the assigned task. Current literature supported the link that PA enhanced a

child’s ability to focus on learning; however little structured activity time was incorporated into

elementary classrooms (Kibbe et al., 2011). Research also showed that PA had overall positive

benefits on classroom behavior and children seemed to like it. In addition to these benefits, PA

contributed to a healthy lifestyle. My students were a sample of convenience.

Procedures

I implemented daily classroom PA breaks (Monday-Friday) in both the first and second

grade classes at regularly scheduled intervals. See schedule below:

A. 2nd Grade:

i. 8:45 AM – Monday-Friday

ii. 9:35 AM – Monday-Friday

B. 1st Grade:

i. 12:25 PM – Monday-Friday

ii. 1:15 PM – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday

In order to effectively and consistently implement classroom PA, I used the following set

of coaching tips from the American Heart Association:

1. Expect that all students participate to the best of their ability.

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2. Use start/stop signals with the timer (beep to begin, beep to end).

3. Use appropriate music when possible.

4. Show my own enthusiasm for physical activity: this includes participating cheerfully

5. Keep the classroom safe-have students keep a safe distance from furniture and classmates

6. Be persistent (some students may not engage at first)

This set of coaching tips served as a guide to incorporate classroom PA breaks for the first time.

I reviewed the expectations with students prior to implementing the first PA break.

Within 10 minutes of the conclusion of each PA break I wrote observations on the data

collector graphic organizer attached (Appendix A) to a clip board and recorded the length of the

PA break. Under the “benefits” section on the data collector I made the following observation

notes: 1. Focus on learning 2. Classroom behavior and 3. Gauge of classroom enjoyment using

the thumbs up/side/down mechanism. Under the heading entitled “barriers” I recorded

instruction time lost (if any) due to redirection directly following the PA break. I noted students

who were off task (or not focused on learning) utilizing tally marks. Finally, I noted non-

participants during the PA break utilizing tally marks.

At lunch I used the observations to compile field notes for the second-grade class and at

the end of the day I do the same for the first grade on the daily data collector graphic organizer.

My observations determined that focus on learning (e.g. active listening at the carpet, on task

independent work) improved after implementing regularly scheduled intervals of physical

activity in the classroom and that classroom behavior improved and/or stayed the same following

each PA break. I also wanted to gauge whether students liked classroom PA and how many were

actively involved. Finally, in my observation notes, I measured possible barriers to

implementation and how it disrupted the learning environment: 1. Loss of instruction time
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(couldn’t complete scheduled academic activities) 2. Off-task behavior post physical activity

(duration of time off-task, and time it took to refocus). These barriers were measured in minutes

and noted on the data collector graphic organizer. Finally, I calculated cumulative PA time over

the course of the week to determine a weekly average of gained PA.

I used a different physical activity listed on the American Heart Association for every

scheduled break (the breaks were repeated for 1st grade in the afternoon). A different activity was

scheduled for every day of the three-week intervention period (the same activity per day for both

1st and 2nd grade sufficed). For example, I adhered to the following schedule for the first week:

Monday – Chair Aerobics, Tuesday – High Knee Drill, Wednesday – Dip-Into It, Thursday –

Shake a Move. I noted the name of the activity next to “name” on the data collector. Heart.org

was an accessible resource with many ideas such that classroom teachers wouldn’t have to

reinvent the wheel, rather a readily available list of ideas to implement classroom PA. I first

introduced the PA break during the classroom meeting time in order to adequately explain and

demonstrate the activity for safe execution. I used a class alarm for the four daily scheduled PA

breaks to be consistent in my implementation. When the alarm sounded, the class got into ready

position, and waited for either the timer to start or the rep count to begin. Children stopped when

the timer beeped or the rep count concluded. The teacher resumed instruction/academic activity

as scheduled.

Analysis

Internal validity in this study was accomplished through triangulation, the analysis of

multiple sources of qualitative data (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). A narrative analysis of field

notes, observations, and tabulated data was conducted. I compiled all the observations, field
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notes, and tabulated data from the data collector from the three weeks of intervention for

analysis.

Results

The purpose of this study determined if implementation of physical activity (PA) in the

classroom helped students focus on learning and if instruction time would be lost with such

implementation in a language immersion program already limited by time constraints. I designed

my interventions to maximize consistent implementation of classroom physical activity breaks in

my first and second grade classes throughout the week in the morning and the afternoon. A new

daily activity was introduced and demonstrated at the beginning of each of the two classes (in the

morning and in the afternoon). The physical activity breaks were indicated by the alarm sound

whereby students stopped what they were doing, got into ready position, and were encouraged to

participate for the pre-determined length of time and/or repetitions. Observations were compiled

on a graphic organizer designed to track the following: Benefits (Focus on Learning, Classroom

Behavior, Enjoyment Gauge), Barriers (Instruction Time Lost, Off Task, Non-Participants).

From these observations I compiled field notes focused on the primary benefits and barriers of

PA in addition to cumulative PA and lost instruction time. Students participated in these daily

breaks with the purpose of determining if these breaks could increase student focus on learning.

Perception

Students were initially receptive to the idea of different daily activity breaks based on

evidence recorded from observations noted within 10 minutes of physical activity completion.

Upon entrance in the classroom students regularly looked on the board adjacent to the schedule

to read the new activity in anticipation. After the first week, several students talked about

favorite activity breaks and new breaks they would like to try, taken from data recorded in the
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Enjoyment Gauge section of my observations. Information taken from the Benefits section of my

field notes indicated that some students groaned about the physical intensity or strength required

from the plank activities (side and regular), chair dips, and squats. One such comment elicited

from a student during Side Plank was “I don’t think I can hold it anymore,” but seemed

genuinely satisfied when they persisted and held it until the time was up. The overall perception

of physical activity breaks over the three-week data collection period was favorable from the

perspective of the students as evidenced in the Enjoyment Gauge section of observations with a

maximum of three students indicating they didn’t prefer an activity by giving a thumbs down

signal.

One purpose of the study was to track the loss of instruction time due to physical activity

breaks. The initial introduction of each activity typically took 1-2 minutes, 3 minutes at the most,

as recorded in the length section of the Data Collector graphic organizer. Once the alarm

sounded to indicate the transition to ready position for each break, no additional time was lost

due to the initial introduction and instruction of the physical activity. Certain times the alarm

sounded at what I considered “inopportune” times, however children were able to make the

transition to and from the physical activity break with minimal distraction and time lost in that

transition as evidenced in the Instruction Time Lost section of the observation thus my overall

perception of the breaks became increasingly positive as I saw that my students were able to

transition with minimal disruption and focus on learning increased.

It was important that I participated fully in the breaks and welcomed the breaks with

enthusiasm because my students first weighed my overall outlook and approach to physical

activity breaks before establishing their own. There was one particular time that I was clearly

annoyed by the interruption of the alarm and it was noticeable how my own annoyance affected
CLASSROOM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECTS 14

the student’s perception of that particular activity. I didn’t realize how thoroughly I would enjoy

participating in physical activity breaks alongside my students and how physically demanding

certain activities were: I was breathing just as hard or nursing sore muscles right along with my

students. As a teacher it became apparent that I might need those physical activity breaks just as

much as my students.

Implementation

The implementation of regularly scheduled PA breaks was relatively simple. I introduced

the activity and but initially did not demonstrate the activity, I saved the demonstration part for

the first scheduled break. By the second week I found that it made the most sense to demonstrate

the activity when I introduced it during the schedule review, thus when it was time for the first

activity break students automatically went into ready position. My original thought with waiting

to demonstrate the activity until the first scheduled break was to minimize disruption in our

routine, instead I found demonstrating the activity initially made for a smoother transition, thus

minimized disruption; when the alarm sounded students automatically got into ready position to

begin the activity. Implementation with explanation of proper technique was necessary so

children were participating in the scheduled activity breaks safely.

Benefits

The benefits ranged from minimal to maximal in terms of classroom behavior and focus

on learning. Classroom behavior and focus on learning improved after completion of the breaks

as evidenced in both the observations and the field notes. This was most evident by the absence

of reminders necessary for students to be on-task or quiet. Overall students were generally

excited and motivated to participate in the physical activity breaks. Once the alarm sounded

students would get into ready position for the activity (break 2 during week 1; break 1 during
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week 2). The majority of students participated in the activity correctly often with no prior

practice doing that particular activity other than my brief explanation. Most students took the PA

breaks seriously and commented they could feel the particular body parts targeted during the

break, that their heart was pumping, they were breathing hard, or that it was a good workout. The

cumulative daily PA breaks were approximately 4-6 minutes totaling 20-30 minutes over the

course of the week. Because the PA breaks often caused students to tire, they more easily settled

into their learning routine once again, essentially resting, but focused on learning, whether that

was in whole group at the carpet or independent seat work. Students not only got excited about

the physical activity breaks but a sense of camaraderie began to build amongst our class in a way

I hadn’t previously experienced in class. One way this was evident from the data collected was

the manner in which they encouraged one another to complete the activity for the length of time

required. I took on the role of a coach and the students became teammates.

Barriers

Initially the physical activity breaks were met with silly behavior during the first

implementation; just as any new routine is started, students must become accustomed to it and

buy into it to some degree. It was necessary that students realized that the physical activity

breaks would be required and implemented on a long-term basis. For an activity to become a

routine, repetition is a key component to success. Because the physical activity changed daily

one clear barrier that existed was the time required for adequate explanation for proper student

participation. Adequate explanation of each physical activity was necessary such that children

did not get hurt and there were clear on the expectations of students and their participation during

the activity. With certain activities, such as “high knees”, some students did not participate in the

activity as shown, instead they ran around the room which was undesired behavior because it
CLASSROOM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECTS 16

was unsafe for all of the students: for those not participating correctly and for the remainder of

the students. The lack of adequate classroom space also created a barrier. This lack of space was

more prohibitive with certain floor activities such as planks, push-ups and burpees. Another

barrier was lack of proper footwear. It was difficult for students to participate in certain activities

due to lack of adequate footwear and we did not take time to change into PE shoes for the

activity, however a couple of students could not participate fully in certain activities due to

footwear. Students were generally very positive about the implementation itself or welcomed the

first PA break, however, many would groan when it came to the 2nd (even though the transition

time was quicker) either because the break itself was physically taxing or they didn’t prefer it.

This negative approach was not consistent amongst activities or students rather it surfaced

among a few students during various activities.

Discussion

The results of the implementation of physical activity in the classroom gave me a clear

indication that physical activity should be incorporated in the classroom setting on a daily basis.

The inclusion of physical activity in the classroom increased the overall physical activity

children received throughout the week contributing to better health. In addition, physical activity

clearly contributed to a student’s ability to focus which led to more time on task during

independent seat work and increased active listening during whole group lessons at the carpet.

Theory

The findings of the study replicated information identified in the theoretical review,

specifically that physical activity in the classroom not only enhanced learning opportunities, it

served to increase the daily amount of PA ultimately getting students closer to meeting the

recommended 60 min of PA each day. In addition, the theory of multiple intelligences states that
CLASSROOM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECTS 17

students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and

understand in different ways. One of these intelligences, Bodily-kinesthetic, focuses on

movement and communicates well through physical activity and hands-on activities, thus

incorporating classroom physical activity may especially appeal to and assist those students

equipped with a Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. This study highlighted the importance of

physical activity as it related not only to those students who may possess a Bodily-kinesthetic

intelligence, but to all students as it clearly demonstrated the benefits that resulted from

classroom PA. Among these benefits were increased focus on learning which results in less

disruptive behavior. The less disruptive behavior minimized the need for reminders to stay on

task thereby salvaging instructional time.

Strengths and Limitations

The intervention period included four daily PA breaks, two per class, which afforded

consistency of data during a relatively short intervention time of three weeks. The two daily

breaks not only increased the amount of overall daily PA, but it better prepared the students for

the activity the second time around which led to increased confidence and proficiency during the

activity. Another strength of the research included the enthusiasm from both the teacher and the

students regarding the intervention. While PA didn’t initially appeal to every student, most

students participated regularly by the end of the intervention period. Parent perception was

positive and supportive from the beginning when the initial advisement letter was sent out. The

perception on the part of the administration was also positive with the school Principal visiting

the classroom during PA breaks to observe and participate. The PA breaks even gained interest

amongst the support staff and witnessed the Teaching Assistants participating with the class

toward the end of data collection period.

CLASSROOM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECTS 18

The limitations included a lack of ample time to make adequate notes on the graphic

organizer prepared for the data collection. While I had plenty of material to record my results

and write my corresponding data analysis, I found that I could have included even more detailed

notes in my narrative to augment my analysis. Other limitations of the study included the

inability to complete certain types of physical activity safely due to limited classroom space.

Even in the midst of certain activities I considered whether they were being safely executed.

Conclusion

My key findings point to the evident benefits of physical activity in the classroom which

include but are not limited to: increased student focus on learning at the carpet during whole

group lessons and while in their seats during independent work and less disruptive behavior

which minimized redirection and potential loss of instruction time. In addition to the

aforementioned benefits, students exhibited enthusiasm and enjoyment throughout the

intervention. The weekly accumulation of physical activity averaged 25 minutes and while that

equates to merely 5 min/day it helps children meet the 60 minutes of recommended amount of

PA per day.

The research conducted impacts my future practice to the extent that I will now include

regularly scheduled PA breaks in my classes. Even though my initial concerns that PA breaks

would minimize teaching time due to student disruption as a result of added transitions were

allayed, in the future I would choose one or two physical activity breaks per week to do daily.

While the daily variety of PA breaks kept the students interested, the explanation of each activity

and its proper execution was time consuming. However, if this intervention were to continue, all

of the activities could be learned within a few weeks and rotated such that the ease of transition

would become natural as students practiced and memorized the various sets of activities. As with
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any new routine, taking the time necessary to model and implement the routine is imperative.

Going forward I would also consider the safety of each activity with regards to the available

physical space and decide accordingly which activities I continued to implement. With regards

to the implementation of physical activity in the classroom, it would behoove other educators to

consider the importance it plays in the overall health and well-being of a child in addition to

other benefits such as increased focus on learning and minimized disruptive behavior.

Regular physical activity breaks should find their way into every classroom as the

benefits outweigh any existing barriers. Students are more focused on learning, disruptive

behavior is minimized, enthusiasm is evident, and overall weekly PA is increased. While some

time must be allotted to the explanation of the activities, the time spent in both explanation and

the activity itself pays dividends as students need little to no redirection post PA break, thus

instruction time is preserved.

CLASSROOM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECTS 20

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Appendix A