3.26.18: Students Move to Stay Focused in School

3.26.18: Students Move to Stay Focused in School

Last week I was the volunteer “read aloud” parent for my younger son’s kindergarten class. I was able to see the benefit of movement-based brain breaks in real time.

After we finished each book (about every 15 minutes over the two hours I was in class), the teacher had the class stand up and do a little movement routine that they had clearly done before. This exercise was so helpful as the kids would start to get fidgety and talkative about 10 minutes into each reading. Because of these movement breaks, we stayed on track and had a successful 90 minutes of reading together.

Movement breaks are short intervals that enable all students to move their bodies and help teachers to engage learners in physical ways. Chants, poems, and dances can be used as movement breaks throughout the school day. Quick, frequent breaks enable students to stay focused on learning—and they can even increase learning. By using movement breaks at the right times, students maximize their attention and stay on task.

These breaks can allow teachers to connect with students on a different level, Even in a quick minute, teachers and students join in a fun activity as a group. The dynamic of the classroom changes subtly; students smile at each other and share laughter and a silly moment together.

Most importantly, movement breaks also release stress. With high-stakes testing, new educational initiatives, and new teacher evaluation systems in place, Both teachers and students can be patient, more understanding and more able to be “in the moment” when they get to release some built-up stress from my day.

Both teachers and students benefit from movement breaks. Flashfit is a web-based and mobile app used by hundreds of K-12 schools to provide their students with much-needed movement along with a dose of fun and healthy competition. To get your school started, Flashfit is offering a special rate of $199 for the 2018-19 school year including unlimited use of the entire school, staff and families.

Flashfit is easy to set up, easy to deploy, and we provide your school with tools and resources to implement an engaging and effective program. Oh, and it’s a blast for students, staff and parents.  

Flashfit is an easy, fun-to-use app providing aerobic and strength-building exercises in one-minute bursts. Your school can build teams and groups, compete and gamify to increase student engagement and reward participation. No special equipment needed – kids can move their bodies anywhere. #jointhemob

Sources:

Washington Post, The Atlantic, University of Indiana