The fact that humans are steadily becoming more sedentary and obese is no secret. This information is all over the news, and there are tips and tricks everywhere to get people sitting less and moving more. While adults are often focused mainly on losing weight as their main outcome, the CDC recently put together some statistics on why children should be more active, too. While we obviously don’t want our young students to be obese either, it turns out that the more active a student is, the better their grades are.
Their research shows that students who earn As mostly are almost twice as likely to get regular physical activity than those students who earn mostly Ds and Fs. Physical activity can help students focus more, improve their behaviour, and boost positive attitudes. So teachers, when you’re working on your lesson plans, see if you can incorporate some type of away from the desk time.
Studies show that 60 minutes per day is ideal, so encourage your students to continue participating in the physical activities they currently take part in, suggest new physical activities they can do with their friends, and set a good example by being physically active yourself!
