Give Kids a Break

This school year, you might find that many pandemic safety protocols keep kids tied to their desks (and computer screens) more than they are used to. It’s important that we make sure they get the physical breaks they need to stay balanced and healthy throughout the school day. 

The average American student used to sit at school for about 4.5 hours a day, but if your child is doing virtual school, then that could be 7 or 8 hours of sitting. Then add the time they sit staring at screens for homework and fun, and we find that our kids are sitting 85 percent of the time they are awake. That sure is a lot of sitting.

Until recently, it was believed that children needed to sit still to concentrate and succeed in school. But experts today find that kids are not wired to sit all day long. Instead, they benefit from breaks in which they are physically moving to help energize their brain and be more productive in the classroom. 

Reasons Movement Is Better 

Many studies in recent years helped educators realize that forcing children to sit still is not the best approach; instead, moving around enhances their educational experience. A report from the Institute of Medicine found that children who are more active show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed, and perform better on standardized tests than children who are less active. According to John Ratey, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, movement activates the brain cells that children need to learn. Moving around stimulates more blood vessels in the brain to support the creation of new brain cells. Finally, low-level movement like standing improves students’ attention and alertness because their blood circulation and oxygenation levels increase. 

Movement breaks also help address childhood obesity and the many other health concerns about children not getting enough physical activity since play time has been dramatically reduced for reasons like increased technology use. As we know, extensive medical evidence shows that regular physical activity is related to lower body fat, greater muscular strength, stronger bones, and improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic health. It also helps reduce anxiety and depression. 

How To Encourage More Movement

We can help our children break up all that time sitting by providing fun movement breaks, standing desks, yoga ball seats, and plenty of outdoor time. 

Other ways that you can introduce important movement breaks into your child’s day include:

• Balance online time with outdoor activities like bike rides, swimming, running, obstacle courses, jump rope and visits to local parks. 
• Participate in sports lessons or team sports, if safe. 
• Encourage siblings to play outside together, such as playing catch or running a race.
• For bad weather days, have movement options available, such as using exercise equipment, calisthenics like jumping jacks and push-ups, and choosing online fitness videos.
• Give them a pedometer and challenge them to walk a certain number of steps each day.
• Register for online fitness classes. 

Sandi Schwartz is a writer and editor who specializes in parenting, wellness, environmental issues and human behavior.