Incorporating Movement into Educational Activities
- sara3487
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
For many of our students incorporating movement into the educational activities you are working on can be very beneficial.
Incorporating movement into your tutoring session can have the following benefits for your student:
It can improve your student’s focus and engagement.
It can be a stress reliever for your student.
It allows your student to improve their motor skills.
It can improve your student’s long term memory and retention on the information that they are learning.
It’s fun!
Who benefits from incorporating movement into educational activities:
There has been extensive research to prove that movement in a younger student’s education is beneficial to them.
Studies also show that movement in older students, even through adult learners, has the same positive impact on the learning process.
Ways to incorporate movement into your tutoring session:
Below are some ideas of how you can incorporate movement into your time together. Feel free to use these or come up with your own! If your classroom space doesn’t allow for the activity you would like to do, try going out in the hallway, going outside, or talk with a staff member about an alternative space to work for the night.
Two Corners
Ask a student a question. Give them two different possible answers, one answer per corner. Have your student pick their answer and move to the corner of the room for that answer.
Statues
When talking to a student about a story you read, ask questions about how a character may have felt. Tell them to get into a statue pose to represent their answer.
Acting it out
Get creative with your student and act out a story you read or a history lesson together.
Movement Break
Simply take a break from learning to allow your student to physically move. Try taking a walk in the hallway, have them stand, or play a dancing break on GoNoddle.
Jumping Jacks
Have your student do a jumping jack between answering math problems.
Standing
If your student is having a hard time working while sitting, offer for them to stand while they do their work. They have already spent a good portion of their school day sitting. They may just need a change of position.
Clapping or stomping
When working on Language arts, have your student clap their hands or stomp their feet each time they hear a certain word or a sentence comes to an end.
Jump Counting
Go out in the hallway and take a walk. Start counting for each step. When it is your students turn to say the next number, have them jump with their answer.
Get outside
When it is nice outside, take your work outside and use movement in the fresh air!
Sensory Bin
If your student needs something to fidget with while working, their is a bin of sensory items located in the Project Purpose office for them to utilize during their tutoring session.
Math and Basketball
Have your student shoot a basketball while answering a basic math fact. (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division.)
Wall Push-Ups
Stand facing a solid wall with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your feet planted and put your arms straight ahead, shoulder width apart with palms face up on the wall. Slowly bend your elbows to allow yourself to "lower" your body against the wall. Then straighten your arms to "push up" and repeat slowly 10-15 times.
Chair Push-Downs
Sitting in your chair with your feet flat on the ground, wrap your hands around the edge of your seat at your side. Slowly PUSH DOWN for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat for 10 reps.
Chair Pull-Ups
Sitting in your chair with your feet flat on the group, wrap your hands around the edge of your seat at your side. Slowly PULL UP for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat for 10 reps.
Links to further training on incorporating movement into educational activities:
Using Physical Movement to Increase Student Engagement and Learning by LSA Learning and Teaching Technology Consultants
GoNoodle
How to Get Kids Moving in Every Subject by Edutopia
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