Students are in the classroom for around 5 hours a day, which means they spend a lot of their time sat down and sedentary. As health experts have proven time and time again, it’s important for children to remain active throughout the day, for both their mental and physical well-being.
This brings us to the topic of our blog today; the benefits of movement breaks in the classroom. We’ll be discussing all the different reasons why movement breaks are vital and how they can actually make learning easier for both the teachers and their students! So, without further ado, let’s get into it:
Getting Physical Exercise
One of the main benefits of movement breaks in the classroom is that they can provide kids with some physical exercise! Just standing up and moving around a little bit every hour can be highly beneficial to children. According to the University of Michigan, moving for 3 minutes every hour is all that’s required to feel your best. Considering how detrimental being stationary for long periods of time is for our health, this makes movement breaks all the more essential.
Better Memory & Learning
Did you know that being active doesn’t just help your body but also your brain? Movement helps to increase the amount of blood and oxygen heading toward your brain, in turn providing a much-needed boost to the hippocampus, which we use for memory and learning. So, if your pupils are struggling to grasp a concept or retain information, then a movement break could be exactly what they need to kickstart their brains and gear them up for learning that day! In the long term, staying active will really benefit their brain health, too.
Mindfulness Time
Another reason why movement breaks in the classroom are fantastic is because they give everyone some time for mindfulness. Brains need rest just as much as bodies do. Mindfulness is the brain’s equivalent of having a quick lie down; they allow us to switch off, relax and put aside what we’re doing for a moment of quiet. After a couple hours of learning, your students will need exactly that! Teachers can choose from a plethora of movement break activities that encourage mindfulness, such as meditation and yoga.
Improving Mental Health
Movement breaks are a fantastic way to promote good mental health in the classroom. It’s well-researched that mindfulness is a great tool for reducing stress and anxiety as it helps to calm our minds and ground us in the moment. As movement breaks often involve being mindful, they can be highly beneficial for students struggling with anxiety. Beyond that though, movement breaks can also help to improve children’s moods and their ability to manage stress. As we mentioned before, physical activity gets fresh blood and oxygen pumping through the brain. This results in the enhanced production of endorphins - the hormone responsible for relieving stress and making you feel good! So you can see why physical activity is so vital for students!
Helping Attention & Focus
Research has shown that people are only able to concentrate on a specific task for 15-20 minutes, tops. As most school lessons last between 30-60 minutes, this means that students will probably drift off at some point and stop absorbing the information they’re being taught. A movement break can really help to rejuvenate children and get them back in the zone for learning. Not only do they allow our minds to rest and reset, but they also get some fresh blood and oxygen pumping around the brain, helping to dispel any grogginess the kids might be feeling. Teachers should see a notable difference in their students’ focus levels after a movement break!
These are some of the main benefits of movement breaks in the classroom. But don’t just take our word for it! Try incorporating movement breaks into your weekly lessons and see for yourself how they can help to prep your students’ brains for learning, promote mental and physical well-being, and improve attention span.
If you’re looking for inspiration for movement breaks in your classroom, then make sure to browse Hey Kanga’s catalogue of activities. We have everything from yoga and mindfulness videos to brain breaks and wake-and-shake routines. Even if you aren’t an experienced PE teacher, we can offer you the tools to help nurture your students into happy, active kids!
