By

Stephanie Endicott,   Gilbert Elementary School

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Topics:

Physical Activity Participation, Student Leadership,  Teamwork

Our team introduced student-led activity breaks in November. Most of the team is made up of fourth graders in one particular classroom. The students took turns rolling a dice and choosing which activity coordinated with that number on an activity chart. The chart lists different exercises for them to complete. The breaks were only done during morning bell ringers, and right before lunch. Soon, other classrooms were starting to implement the exercises into their daily routine because participating students were talking about it.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

Time management was an issue for the team at first. Teachers have to fit in many activities during the day due to curriculum, so students chose to do the breaks right at the beginning of their day and right before their lunch time. The students then feel refreshed and energized.