PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) is a behavior consisting of bodily movement that requires energy expenditure above the normal physiological (muscular, cardio respiratory) requirements of a typical school day. The Office of Health and Wellness provides supports for schools to integrate Physical Activity through the following programs.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAMS & OPPORTUNITIES

→ BPS Moves Together Program: BPS Moves Together airs on Boston Neighborhood Network and streams online, providing BPS students and families access to physical and wellness education at home. Visit the BPS Moves Together website for more information on the challenges, activities, and program updates.

→ The Wellness Champion Program: Wellness Champions are active members of a school community, such as a teachers, nurses, paraprofessionals, parents, partners, or lunch monitors, with a commitment to creating a healthier school environment. Since 2010, Health and Wellness has trained and supported Wellness Champions to lead efforts to increase PA within their schools. Wellness Champions lead their school’s efforts to provide daily PA for students during school in at least one of the following PA focus areas:

• Classroom Movement Breaks: Brief (5-10 minutes) break during academic class time when students have the opportunity to move around and be physically active.
• Recess: A scheduled break from academic class time where movement may be promoted through wellness champion to make children move more or be more physically active.
• Movement Promotions: Activity outside of the classroom during the school day that promotes movement or physical activity.
• Cross-Curricular Lessons Involving Movement: A lesson on academic subject matter that involves movement or physical activity. 

Click here for more information about the Wellness Champion Program.

→ Let's Move More in the Common Core K-3 Curriculum: Let’s Move More in the Common Core is an innovate program that integrates physical activity directly into classroom instruction. Lessons give students the opportunity to move while learning about math or language concepts, and tie directly to the Common Core State Standards. Strong evidence supports the use of movement breaks and structured physical education programs to improve a student’s ability to focus on learning and subsequent academic outcomes. Incorporating physical activity into classroom routines or academic lessons engages students in a way that improves acquisition of material and honors their need to move. Teachers benefit from the unique presentation of materials because students remain on task, focused, and interested in learning. Download the curriculum here.

→ Partnerships with Physical Activity Community Organizations: The Office of Health and Wellness has formed valuable relationships with Physical Activity Community Partners across Boston. Please view the Physical Activity Section of Partner BPS to learn more about the PA programs and partnerships.

→ The Safe Routes to School Program: Safe Routes to School Boston is a city-wide effort to promote walking and biking to school and to support and rally neighborhoods and the community as a whole to work toward making walking to school safe and fun. For more information, visit our Safe Routes to School page.