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Alexis Panepinto

TFP 201

Mrs. Darden

28 October 2019

Movement in the Classroom: Transitions

Imagine it is the year 2050. The use of mobilized chairs are used for daily functioning.

Electronic screens are attached to the chairs for accessibility at one’s fingertips which creates no

physical exercise. Unfortunately, this imaginative situation could turn into a reality quickly.

Physical activity is crucial and critical for human beings especially for young children as they are

developing. If movement can be incorporated into transitions during the school day to increase

blood flow, focus, and memory skills, it would reduce obesity rates in children.

Transitions in the classroom sparked my interest because there was a lack of movement

during my field experiences. Many students simply moved from place to place around the

classroom and I also observed that there were no break times allotted for physical activity

throughout the day. I choose this topic specifically due to the rise in obesity for young children.

There is a lack of movement and exercise not only in school, but also at home.

Transitions are used to calm children down as well as improving their focus/engagement.

Effective transitions help to build positive connections and correct misbehavior. The most

important thing that transitions should accomplish is the ability for students to move. Movement

decreases the chances and risks of getting diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. According to Marwa

Abdelbary’s article “Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom”, she states,

“But studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive

processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still”
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(para. 2). Being active leads to better blood flow to the brain and body as it is essential for

learning and physical health. Abdelbary’s article makes the point that physical activity is

necessary because a recent 2015-2016 survey from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention mentioned that 13.7% of children and adolescents are affected by obesity (para. 1).

The CDC also included research that stated that 13.9% of 2-5 year old’s, 18.4% of 6-11 year

old’s, and 20.6% of 12-19 year old’s have been identified as being obese (para. 1). Compared to

the United States, SCDHEC’s article, “Nutrition”, mentioned that “South Carolina is number 24

in the country for their obesity rates and indicate that 1 out of 3 children in the state are obese”

(para. 1). Movement in the classroom can easily be incorporated into daily transition routines.

Playing music, crawling like a specific animal, participating in physical exercises such as

jumping jacks, or using a tool such as GoNoodle will allow students to physically get moving

during breaks throughout the school day. The South Carolina Department of Education’s report,

“School Health and Fitness Act Compliance” explained that the Student Health and Fitness Act

2005 requires that elementary students engage in thirty minutes of physical activity daily as well

as one hundred and fifty minutes combined for PE/physical activity for grades K-5 (para. 3).

Transitions relate to the current South Carolina Education system because they are

present in each classroom and school in the state. Students constantly move from specials to

math RIT groups to changing classes and from subject to subject. However, students are not

receiving the allotted physical activity time. The South Carolina Education system can

comfortably add “Brain Breaks” to each class schedule’s transition times. Brain Breaks makes

movement and physical activity in the classroom fun and engaging. In the Teaching Channel’s

video, “Brain Break: Move and Focus”, the teacher, Tita Ugalda, gives students the opportunity

to stop what they are doing and move around to increase the oxygen that is going to the brain
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(00:00:00 - 00:01:48). Transitions can be viewed in school today as students move from one

grade level to the next as well moving throughout the classroom. When movement occurs in the

classroom during different times of the day, students are more likely to have better relationships

with their peers, parents, and teachers. They are also more motivated to learn, achieve higher

academic performance, and obtain better attitudes.

As a South Carolina educator, I want to decrease the percentage of children who are

obese. I will work closely with school personnel to have materials available that are needed for

effective movement transitions. I truly believe that I will be an advocate for my student’s health.

I have personally experienced sitting in a classroom for seven hours straight and had a hard time

staying focused. As a pre-service teacher, I can now see the effects that sitting has on children

which is why movement breaks need to be implemented. I am constantly moving in class to look

at student’s work and to help them. I am going to work with my students to become globally

aware of not only movement in the classroom, but other education topics by pointing out issues

that arise, watching/reading current events that occur in the United States/the world, and

informing my class on why certain topics such as bullying, behavior issues, and testing are

important.

Movement in daily transitions can decrease the percentage of children becoming

overweight. Obesity is a nationwide problem that can be changed if teachers advocate for their

student’s health. Brain breaks, stretches, dances, and GoNoodle are all ways to integrate moving

between transitions. This increases blood flow, better focus, and memory skills. Obesity in a

child’s life can be decreased with a teacher who promotes effective moving transitions daily.
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Works Cited

Abdelbary, Marwa. “Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom.” Teacher

Teacher, 15 Apr. 2019, https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/08/08/learning-in-

motion-bring-movement-back-to.html.

“Brain Break: Move & Focus.” Teaching Channel, 27

July 2018, https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/brain-break-classroom-transition-nea.

“Childhood Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html.

“SCDHEC.” Nutrition, https://scdhec.gov/health/nutrition-obesity-physical-health.

“South Carolina Department of Education.” School Health and Fitness Act Compliance - South

Carolina Department of Education , https://ed.sc.gov/data/reports/legislative/legislative-

reports/annual-reports/school-health-and-fitness-act-compliance/.