Like the previous aspects of whole-child education (cognitive, spiritual, social, and emotional), physical development is integral to healthy growth for students (and all humans). We are created to move, and physical activity actually helps keep us positive, energetic, and motivated. Developing the physical aspect of a student and utilizing movement is another essential part of a whole-child education.
Physical Development
We can all provide examples of when you felt good after a brisk walk, intense workout, physical labor, or even stretching. I know after an hour of working in my office, I need to take a walk to help me re-focus on my work and maintain my productivity. Our physical aspect is part of how we are created, and God intends us to move. It is built into our bio-chemistry; when we exercise, the brain releases dopamine and endorphins that make us feel happy. So, logically, if humans are to flourish, physical activity needs to be a part of life. Likewise, a whole-child education must include movement and physical development. Quite simply, schools that are based on a whole-child perspective must build into the schedule physical activity.
Recess and Brain Breaks
I remember answering "recess" to the question, "What's your favorite subject in school?" While most adults dismissed this as a facetious answer, I was serious. In fact, this is a common answer for many elementary students, and it is usually not because they hate every other classroom subject; it is because something special happens at recess. When students get a chance to be active in school, it gives them a brain break, releases the happy brain chemicals, allows them to connect socially, provides them a stress release, and ushers them into a time of discovery learning through play.
Finland has been rated #1 in the world for their national educational system. While there are many factors that can be used to rate schools, Finland has been praised for their low-stress, play-focused school system that instills a lifelong love of learning. One specific point that gets cited often is the amount of recess time in Finnish schools; after 45 minutes of classroom learning, students get 15 minutes of recess. The correlation is often drawn between Finnish recess time and happy, successful students; likewise, American schools that have reduced recess time to focus more time on academics are criticized. Would an increase in recess time lead to more success in school? I am not sure the data allows us to make that direct causal claim, but Finnish schools do provide a positive example supporting physical activity in school.
Few high schools have "recess" time and high school break ends up being spent looking at phones or standing around "hanging out," so how do teenagers gain the benefits that physical activity provides? Unfortunately, many high schools care more about head knowledge and test scores (classroom learning) than devoting time to active "play." In fact, Carnegie Units used to determine high school credits are tied to time in a classroom, so high school administrators (including the author) build schedules that value classroom time and often reduce break (or recess) times. It does make me pause when thinking about my high school schedule.
However, physical activity can also be included within the traditional class period by providing active brain breaks. Teachers with a whole-child perspective will make sure to provide times of activity during the class period ... even if it is just to give students a break to stretch in the middle of a brain-intensive lesson. Brain breaks can be effective times of re-focus and a way to extend learning, especially if structured around the lesson.
The Colorado Education Initiative has developed a great resource on physical activity brain breaks. Check out the resource at the link below:
Physical Education and Athletics
Curricular and co-curricular physical activities clearly provide students with an opportunity for physical development and growth. Physical Education (PE) classes are still a staple in most K-8 schools; however, more and more high schools are eliminating PE from the required courses for graduation, or they are allowing students to fulfill PE graduation requirements through playing a school sport, working out at a fitness club, or independent study physical activity logs. While most of these decisions are related to budget cuts, it does show the value that some schools place on physical development and physical education.
Not all schools that have cut PE classes are against the physical development of students or whole-child education; in fact, some schools have, replaced the traditional PE classes during the school day with more extensive physical activities requirements before or after school. Some have even required all students to play at least one school "sport" each year. Realizing that not every student is an "athlete," these schools have added non-competitive physical activity programs that meet before or after school for all students, like aerobics, strength and conditioning, hiking, swimming, dance, etc. While these co-curricular programs do not provide the "brain breaks" during the school day, they can be amazing avenues of physical development.
Most communities also have a public supported recreation department that provide free (or low cost) opportunities for students to stay active. Partnering with these recreational organizations can be a win-win situation for both the schools and the recreational organizations, as the school can potentially reduce costs and the awareness/utilization of the recreational programs are optimized. Additionally, schools can adopt programs, like Girls on the Run or NFL Play60, created by non-profit organizations to offer "plug and play" programs for their students.
Schools who believe in a whole-child educational perspective will provide a plethora of ways to formally and informally develop the physical aspect of the student: open play recess times, structured PE classes, classroom physically active brain breaks in classrooms, after school programs, and co-curricular athletics. Schools should offer all of the above and more to develop students physically.
By providing these programs, students will be healthier, happier, and more motivated to flourish in all areas of a whole-child education.
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