The SHAPE fitness assessment
results for 2014-2015:
 Only 19% of Georgia
students were able to achieve
the Healthy Fitness Zone
(HFZ) for all five
FitnessGram® assessments1
 24% of Georgia students
were unable to achieve the
HFZ for any of the
FitnessGram® assessments1
The CDC recommends children
get at least 60 minutes of
physical activity every day. 2
Schools can achieve this goal by
promoting a Comprehensive
School Physical Activity
Program (CSPAP), which
includes:
 Classroom integration
 Recess/Physical activity
breaks outside the
classroom
 Before and after school
activity
 Quality physical education
 Staff engagement
 Family/community
engagement
Traditional playground equipment may no longer be
age-appropriate for middle school students and may
have no appeal for them. Yet, typically they don’t
have access to other equipment options.
Given the widely accepted benefits of physical
activity, school boards and middle school
administrators are encouraged to consider
developing outdoor physical activity areas to
encourage an increased level of physical activity for
their students, such as stenciled four-square grids or
walking trails.
“Older students also need time for relaxation and play. Middle school kids need to
have unwinding and reflecting time just as adults do."
-Susan Meyer, principal of Meads Mill Middle School
Before/After school physical activity fulfills an important role in
students’ learning and social development

 Improves academic scores
(reading, math, spelling and
composite)
 Improves classroom behavior
 Increases concentration
 Increases time on task
 Reduces risk of depression
 Improves cardiovascular fitness
and muscular strength
 Reduces likelihood for
developing many diseases
3

4-6
4-6
4-6
3
3

The benefits of periodic breaks in the academic day to optimize cognitive processing applies
equally to adolescents as it does to younger children.3
Through unstructured physical activity, like children would experience during recess, adolescents
learn valuable communication skills, including negotiation, cooperation, sharing and problem
solving as well as coping skills, such as perseverance and self-control.3
When students have physical activity opportunities before lunch, more time is taken for lunch and
less food is wasted. In addition, teachers and researchers noted an improvement in the student
behavior at meal time, which carried into the classroom in the afternoon. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the US Department of Agriculture support the concept of scheduling
recess before lunch as part of a school’s wellness policy.10
3
© 2016 HealthMPowers All rights reserved. |www.healthmpowers.org
Sometimes the questions are complicated
1.
McGuire, T. (2012). Annual Fitness
Assessment Program Report. Georgia
Department of Education.
Accessed on 12/4/2013
2.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. State Indicator
Report on Physical Activity, 2010.
Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of
Health and
Human Services, 2010.
3.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. (2010). Association between
school-based physical activity, including
physical education, and academic performance.
Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services; 2010.
4.
Pellegrini AD, Davis PD. (1993).
Relations between children’s playground
and classroom behaviour. British Journal of
Educational Psychology. 63(1):88–95.
5.
Beighle, Aaron. (2012). Increasing
Physical Activity Through Recess.
Research Brief. Robert Johnson
Foundation: Active Living Research
Retrieved 9/28/13 from
www.activelivingresearch.org
6.
Jarrett OS, Maxwell DM, Dickerson C,
Hoge P, Davies G, Yetley A. (1998).
Impact of recess on classroom behavior:
Group effects and individual differences.
Journal of Educational Research. 92(2):121–
126.
7.
National Association for Sport and
Physical Education & American Heart
Association. (2012). 2012 Shape of the
Nation Report: Status of Physical
Education in the USA. Reston, VA:
American Alliance for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance.
8.
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2013).
The Crucial Role of Recess in School.
Pediatrics. 131 (1) 183–188.
9.
Jarrett OS, Maxwell DM, Dickerson C,
Hoge P, Davies G, Yetley A. (1998).
Impact of recess on classroom behavior:
Group effects and individual differences.
Journal of Educational Research.
92(2):121–126
10. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2013).
Does better recess equal a better school
day?
11. National Association of Sports and Physical
Activity. NASPE Resource Brief: Recess.
Reston VA: AAHPERD. Retrieved
10/01/13
fromhttp://www.aahperd.org/nasp
e/publications/resourcebriefs.cfm
&
the answers are
Simple.
-Dr. Seuss
Blacktop Time
Middle school students may think recess is for
elementary kids. This is why Apex Middle School
(North Carolina) calls it Blacktop Time. The PTA at
Apex Middle School knew that the school needed to
continue to focus on this time for the students to be
outside and engaged in active play. The PTA provides
a box full of equipment and the blacktop is designed
for hopscotch, with spiral stencil designs, and all sorts
of gaming lines painted on the blacktop.13
-Success from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Physical Activity Outside the Classroom Recommendations11










Ensure all students engage in at least one recess period each day for 20 minutes or more.
Offer unstructured physical activity opportunities for all students.
Use outdoor space when weather permits.
Provide a safe environment with developmentally appropriate equipment for all students.
Ensure qualified adult supervision
Teach and consistently enforce 3-6 safety rules.
Do not tolerate bullying or aggressive behavior.
Do not allow this time to replace physical education.
Do not withhold this time to make up classwork.
Create and enforce policy against this time being used as punishment.
No Cost/Low Cost Recess Resources:
Playworks Playbook
http://www.playworks.org/playbook/games/playworks-game-guide
The Playworks staff has found, created, and sorted hundreds of games that will engage students
and keep them active. Whether an activity is needed for a full recess period, or just to do a few
minutes of icebreakers before an activity, there is a game here for all needs. The Playbook
includes 300+ games with an easy to use index to find the perfect game, for the perfect space,
with little or no equipment.
12. Beighle, Aaron. (2012). Increasing
Physical Activity Through Recess.
Research Brief. Robert Johnson
Foundation: Active Living Research
Retrieved 9/28/13 from
www.activelivingresearch.org.
13. Recess Rescue. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.actionforhealthykid
s.org/component/content/articl
e/38/1078.
For more information, contact us at
[email protected]
770-817-1733
www.healthmpowers.org
© 2016 HealthMPowers All rights reserved. |www.healthmpowers.org
http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/component/content/article/38/1078 alliance qupte
principal Quote http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues180.shtml
according to "The State of Play" 2009 survey by Gallup for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
2/3 stat top of page http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/recess-makes-kids-smarter
Educators, administrators and parents should thoughtfully integrate physical activity across the curriculum throughout the school day to facilitate
learning for all students.Active Living research jigsaw article Robert wood Johnson
http://healthmpowers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/ALR_Brief_ActiveEducation_Jan2015-webex-1.pdf
intro
http://www.seenmagazine.us/articles/article-detail/articleid/1340/planning-physical-activity-for-middle-school-students.aspx



The benefits of periodic breaks in the academic day to optimize cognitive processing applies equally to adolescents as it does to
younger children.
Through play, like children would experience during recess, adolescents learn valuable communication skills, including negotiation,
cooperation, sharing, and problem solving as well as coping skills, such as perseverance and self-control.
When students have physical activity opportunities before lunch, more time is taken for lunch and less food is wasted. In addition,
teachers and researchers noted an improvement in the student behavior at meal time, which carried into the classroom in the
afternoon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Agriculture support the concept of scheduling
recess before lunch as part of a school’s wellness policy.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/131/1/183
© 2016 HealthMPowers All rights reserved. |www.healthmpowers.org