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Incorporating movement into classrooms
Why
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Research has shown that short activity breaks during the school day can improve
students’ concentration skills, academic performance and classroom behavior
http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/Active_Ed.pdf
For students with autism movement helps to regulate their nervous system,
improve attention on task and minimize behaviors
Teaching through movement makes learning exciting and memorable
When
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Generally students need movement breaks every 30 min
Ways to incorporate movement activities into classrooms:
o having movement activities structured into the classroom schedule
o as short breaks when noticed that students are less attentive and fidgety
o using movement as a teaching strategy
o when transitioning between subjects or classrooms
o as a warm up exercise before paper and pencil tasks
 Academics though movement:
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Incorporate movement songs
http://www.nncc.org/curriculum/fingerplay.html
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Writing in the air – ask students to write letters, numbers, and
words in the air using index finger or a small flash light. Challenge
students to do the same with their eyes closed
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Spelling on partner’s back - print a letter, number or word on a partner’s
back. The partner guesses which word was printed.
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March/jump/hop/clap/climb stairs as students count, say Abc’s, spell
words, repeat multiplication table
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Number/letter/word hunt – spread numbers/letters/words on a floor
and ask students to find a number/letter/word while walking like a
bear, monkey, crab etc
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Guess what – ask students to pull a card/picture from a hat and act
it so that other students could guess it
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Make a letter - making letter/shapes with their whole body
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o Transitions between classrooms
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Animal Walk - ask students to walk like a bunny, crab, bear, monkey
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Follow the Leader using “silent” moves, such as toe walking, side
walking, raising hands, touching ears, making 8s in the air
o Animal walks
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Frog jump –students squat on the floor, placing hands on floor in
front, move both hands forward, then bring feet up to hands in
jumping motion (remain in squatting position)
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Bear walk -with hands and feet on floor, students move right arm and
leg forward simultaneously, then move left arm and leg.
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Elephant walk –students bend over with arms dangling toward floor,
clasp hands together to form trunk and walk while swinging trunk from
side to side
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Kangaroo jump –ask students to squat on floor, hands at sides, raise
up and jump forward, sinking back into squatting position as you land
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Crab walk – students lean back and put hands on floor (supine with
buttocks off floor) walk backwards, using hands and feet alternately
 Duck walk- students walk while squatting on floor with hands at sides
o Desk side breaks
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Arm circles – students make small circles going in a forward direction,
then in a backwards direction
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Touch toes – students stand with hands high above head, bend over
and touch toes while keeping their legs as straight as possible
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Jump forward, backwards and sideways
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March slowly, then fast
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o Chair exercises – arms: (great as pre-writing warm up)
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Palm turns –students turn both hands palm down, then palm up, in a
simultaneous and rapid motion
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Spread fingers –students place both hands on their desks, spread
fingers apart and then slide them back together
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Open and shut hands –students open hands as wide as possible and
then make a fist repeatedly
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Push palms – students place hands, palm together, in front of the
chest and point the fingers of both hands up and push their hands
together tightly
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Chair push-ups- students grasp either side of the chair seat and push
up to lift their bottoms from the seat
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Chair pull-downs – students grasp either side of chair and pull their
bottom down into the seat
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Body Claps – students clap hands, clap hands on knees, clap hands on
shoulders and other body parts
o Chair exercises – legs
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Knees waves – students place feet on floor, hands on knees; move
knees in and out rapidly while resisting it with their hands
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Foot stomps – while grasping sides of seat with their hands, students
quickly raise and lower each leg with knees bent to “stomp” feet
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Leg Raises – while seated in their desks with their hands holding each
side of the chair seat, students lift their legs off the floor with legs
straight and hold for a count of 5-10 seconds
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Chair Leg Pulls – students hook their feet around the legs of a chair,
pull the chair legs together
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o Wall Exercises
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Wall Push –ups – stand with feet together, one large step from wall,
place hands on wall at shoulder level, then push away
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Reaching high - place a stripe of a masking tape on wall and jump to
reach it
Functional tasks
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getting up to sharpen pencils
handing out papers/books
bringing attendance to the office
wiping board or table
watering plants
arranging chairs
carrying playground/gym equipment
o Other:
 Yoga
http://www.anmolmehta.com/blog/2009/02/13/yoga-for-kidschildren-yoga-poses/
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SuperBrain Yoga
http://www.onlinebraingamesblog.com/brain-fitness/a-simple-yogaexercise-to-build-your-brain-power
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Brain Gym
http://esl.about.com/od/englishlessonplans/a/braingym.htm