Movement is an essential tool in Modern Education systems. By integrating movement into learning, we can support not just cognitive development but also emotional and physical well-being in students. It may be worthwhile for teachers to experiment with different movement-based strategies to see what works best for their students, reminding them that small adjustments can make a big difference in engagement and retention. There are multiple ways in which movement helps in classroom learning:

1. Movement can raise student attention and focus in the classroom. It is well established that bodily movements activate brain functioning, improves focus, and helps prevent the “slump” that can happen in sedentary classrooms.
2. Physical movement has been known to improve memory and retention. There is a direct connection between physical activity and improved memory consolidation which can be seen how children learn best through play. Many educators include physical activities like games, dance and even yoga or aerobics to build a muscle for retaining information.
3. Movements can help students manage stress and anxiety, contributing to a healthier learning environment.
4. By integrating physical movement, we can encourage mindfulness and self-awareness, which are critical tools to raise both academic success and emotional growth.

Let’s try and understand the science behind movement and learning.

• Neurological Benefits: Physical exercise increases blood flow to the brain, promoting neurogenesis, which involves formation of new brain cells. It can also help build stronger and more complex neuron connections, thereby promoting higher neurological benefits that can aid cognitive development and lead to higher levels of critical thinking. Studies suggest that students who engage in regular physical activity perform better academically, especially in subjects that require concentration and problem-solving.

• Stress Reduction: Physical activity can greatly help in reducing stress and anxiety, which are often barriers to learning. Higher levels of positive chemicals  get released when children are involved in physical activity, leading to a healthier brain and emotional development. When happiness quotient goes up, learning is better perceived and integrated. Include mindful movement practices like yoga or tai chi. These help students de-stress, improve focus, and foster emotional regulation.

Example Activity: Begin or end the day with 5 minutes of guided stretching or deep breathing exercises, encouraging students to focus on how their body feels and their emotional state.

Regular movement helps students release pent-up energy, reducing restlessness, disruptions, and increasing positive behaviour.

• Improved Engagement: Research shows that physically active students tend to have higher levels of engagement and are more likely to participate in class discussions and activities. This can make a huge difference when we are looking at shifting towards competency based learning and creating classrooms that aid multiple skill building in the 21^st Century.  Activities that combine physical movement with self-reflection e.g., walking or stretching while reflecting on personal goals or how they’re feeling can help raise involvement and learning outcomes. For example you could ask students to move around the room, writing down how they’re feeling or a personal goal on a sticky note, then place it on their desks or a designated section of the classroom wall can serve as a reflection point later in the lesson. This would go a long way in increasing self awareness. Movement boosts motivation by making lessons feel more dynamic and fun. Students are more likely to retain information if they’re physically active while learning.

Let’s look at some simple practical ways of integrating Movement in our lesson plans, to ensure overall holistic development

a. Integrating physical movement as short Breaks

We could integrate short, 2-5 minute movement breaks between lessons to help students refresh and reset. These could involve simple stretches, jumping jacks, or a quick walk around the room, whenever one finds student attention getting lowered, or you find the focus of children is not on the lesson. We could also integrate such breaks when the topic being dealt with is very intense and deep. Having such short breaks can help children process the information better while take a break. A simple example of such a movement break could be: Asking a student to  “Stand Up when asking a question and  Sit Down after answering a question.”How we use such stand up stand down movements can be very critical. Sometimes such instructions could also make children feel intimidated. Hence, it is important to make optimum utilisation of movement breaks in the most positive manner possible.

Involving simple thought breakers could be interesting too, where you could ask a question and make children walk quietly for a minute or two, come back and answer the questions. Conscious walking is an amazing mindfulness activity and can raise cognitive development and neurological connections.

b. Creating Kinaesthetic Learning Activities

We could integrate several kinaesthetic activities like yoga, tai chi, neuro dance, mimicry, dramatization, puppetry, role play etc into the lessons to include movement and physical tasks into our lessons. For subjects like math, science, or language arts, creating activities that require movement, such as scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, mimicry and hopscotch/ animal movements and vocabulary relay races could really add movement into learning and make the entire process engaging, fun and stress free

We could also include group tasks and activities within the lesson plans, so that children are moving around brainstorming, collecting materials or even going to observe things around them, for a particular group project. A great activity to include is a group walk, where children could do gallery walk after a chart making or poster activity and critically analyse each other’s charts and posters and share their thoughts and ideas. This would not only aid in critical thinking, but also build effective communication and collaboration skills.

c. Integrating Technology with Movement

Apps and tools that incorporate movement, such as interactive whiteboards, digital games that require standing or dancing, or even QR codes placed around the room for students to scan and answer questions. Though these are more for actively digital classrooms, students could incorporate dance or fitness challenges that align with the content being taught. Example: Math or science  facts could be linked to squats or by repeating science key words or mathematical tables while jumping.

Though it may be ideal to incorporate movement in classrooms, there could be certain key barriers that one may need to overcome to ensure effective physical movement is incorporated and practiced in the classroom. The key barrier could be space constraint where we might need to look for creative solutions to overcome space limitations. Here, we could utilize desk exercises, partner activities, or rearrange the layout for movement-focused activities to ensure their effective implementation. Sometimes time becomes a huge constraint and teachers feel pressed for time to complete the lesson plan at hand, within the time limit. Here, one could squeeze in short, efficient movement breaks during period transitions or while changing one sub topic to another.

Sometimes, we could even ask students to suggest their own movement-based activities or games related to the lesson, making it a more student-centred experience. Making learning personalised and student centred could lead to long term benefits and develop a lifelong learning ability in students.