How Can I Keep My Active Students Learning?

 Kiddos sure have a hard time sitting for long periods, don't they?

 

According to research, they shouldn't! So, how can we let them be active while still keeping them learning?

 Clearly, the answer is... have them learn standing up!

I've got a very active group of kids this year, so we've been learning in a variety of positions throughout the year.

Here are some ways we can keep moving as part of their learning:

1. Have them move as part of the learning! For example, when we learn to spell a new word, the kids "dance" the letters that make up the word. For each tall letter, we stand tall with our hands in the air. For each medium-sized letter, we put our hands on our hips. For the letters that go below the baseline, we squat with our hands on the floor. A couple of my students really enjoy the "dance" concept, and have added a hip movement as we spell and dance out the words. I'm all for making it more fun! 

2. Brain breaks! Sometimes children need a break FROM learning, and that's fine. However, it's possible to incorporate a physical break that's also part of the learning experience. For example, in math, the children could do "wall push-ups" while counting by fives... or reciting math facts. When sharing a story with the children, the children can take a walk as if they were one of the characters in the story.

Here's a little freebie with some 

Social Studies and Science-related Brain Breaks!

3. Scoot! Scoot is an active game where children move from desk to desk answering questions or performing tasks. It's fun to play at any time of year, but I find it particularly necessary as we approach those last few weeks of school.  Here is a blog post explaining how to play Scoot.

The resources below feature informational text at three different reading levels, accompanied by 10 text-based questions, 4 text-based sketches for drawing, and 6 text-related brain breaks. These are perfect for Scoot or as task cards for those students who need to move. Explore the link below for more information!

Building Friendships

I do have plenty more resources in this series! I'm in the process of creating differentiated texts and accompanying videos for all of them!

You can find more in this series HERE.

 Keep those kiddos moving!