New School of Thought: In-Class Physical Exercise Won't Disrupt Learning, Teaching

As childhood obesity rates rise and physical education offerings dwindle, elementary schools keep searching for ways to incorporate the federally mandated half-hour of physical activity into the school day. A series of recent University of Michigan studies found that two-minute bursts of in-class exercise breaks increased the amount of daily exercise for elementary children without hurting math performance. More importantly, when incorporated into classrooms across southeast Michigan, teachers found the breaks were doable and didn't disrupt learning. "What we're showing is that we can give kids an additional 16 minutes of health-enhancing physical activity," said Rebecca Hasson, principal investigator and one of the lead authors. Read More