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“Physical education introduces children to physical activities and skills that can form the

foundations for a lifetime of enjoyable and beneficial physical activity, together with the

knowledge and understanding to enable them to appreciate the importance of physical activity

and the benefits that accrue from regular participation” (Williams & Cliffe, 2011, p. 1). Physical

education is also beneficial in contributing to curriculum areas and with student behavior.

Teachers can improve all areas listed above by incorporating physical activity breaks into their

daily classroom routines. Breaks incorporated into lessons, in-between lessons, when students

are restless, and before tests can be very beneficial. “When regular physical activity is integrated

with traditional elementary school curricula improved concentration, reading and mathematics

performance, and academic achievement have been documented” (Reed, 2009, p.ix). Breaks can

include Kagan strategies (Kagan & Kagan, 2009), dancing, jumping, running in place, and

stretching exercises just to name a few. Here is a yoga obstacle course that I taught to a

kindergarten class. The obstacle course was set up and guided in the school gymnasium but

could easily be modified and/or adapted to be set up and used in a classroom setting.

When developing the obstacle course, I selected Standard A: Demonstrate competency in

motor and movement skills needed to perform a variety of physical activities. And Standard B:

Apply movement concepts to the learning and performance of physical abilities. Both standards

were taken from the Alaska Physical Education Standards. The learning objectives were for

students to be able to enhance balance and coordination, strengthen and stretch their spine and

legs, and to develop an awareness of their movement and awareness of themselves. This was a

successful lesson/physical activity that students really seemed to enjoy and requested to spend

more time completing. Students started with a five-minute warm up, followed by working

through the 14 different yoga stations, and finally a five-minute cool down. The obstacle course
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provided constant movement opportunities where students worked on balance but it also

incorporated counting, letter recognition, blending, and reading into the activity. According to

Reed & Weaver-Spencer (2018), among 243 students in kindergarten through fourth grade, a

daily activity break increased on-task behavior significantly, by an average of 8%. (p. 6).

Incorporating the yoga obstacle course in between curriculum activities allowed students

to get an energizing burst of activity that permitted students to come back to the classroom and

focus on academic activities. “Embed moments when students can just take a breath and process

information. Or simply take a mindful pause. This break could be all the difference between

detaching and withdrawing to staying attentive and energized to keep learning” (Stein, 2018, p.

28). Another benefit to incorporating the obstacle course was that it provided not only a

movement break but an academic movement break for students.

Physical education is just as important as any other content area. Student achievement is

maximized when students have reached their academic, emotional, and physical potential.

Research shows that daily physical activity improves concentration and academic achievement

and can enhance math, reading, and writing scores. According the CDC (2010) “Eleven of 14

studies found one or more positive associations between physical education and indicators of

cognitive skills and attitudes, academic behavior, and/or academic achievement” (p. 16).

Inactivity and obesity are serious problems that our students are facing today. Health and

physical education is one of the best strategies to reverse these problems and help students

succeed at life. I will continue to integrate movement and physical activity into my classroom on

a daily basis as I see the many positive benefits it has on students and teachers as well.
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References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). The association between school based

physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance.

Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services.

Kagan, S. & Kagan, M. (2009) Kagan cooperative learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan

Publishing.

Reed, J. (2009). Active education: Lessons for integrating physical activity with language arts,

math, science, and social studies. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from:

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bm

xlYmtfXzMzMzQ5M19fQU41?sid=46c0f1ca-1157

Reed, J. & Weaver-Spencer, J. (2018). Activating the modern classroom. Information Age

Publishing. Retrieved from:

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bm

xlYmtfXzE4MTI2MzBfX0FO0?sid=46c0f1ca-1157-4c64-808b-

6ab1aa8d1171@sdc-v-sessmgr02&vid=10&format=EB&rid=1

Stein, E. (2018). Use brain strategies to keep all kids engaged. Education Digest, 83(7), 27-29.

Retrieved from:

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

vid=9&sid=7740bfaf-47e9-4490-a5ad-2b1f55ef72c2%40sdc-v-sessmgr02

William, A., Cliffe, J. (2011). Primary PE: Unlocking the potential. McGraw-Hill Education.