Supporting schools Primary Schools Active Breaktimes Breaktimes are the perfect time to get children moving and meeting their target of 30 minutes of activity a day at school. Explore ideas to get even the most reluctant of children moving! Why is it important? Engaging in physical activity at breaktimes means that pupils' blood flow to their brain increases. This increase in blood flow results in more energy and oxygen to the brain, allowing them to return to the classroom energised and ready to perform better. Not only does promoting Active Breaktimes help children improve their physical and mental wellbeing, it also builds resilience and trust with their peer group. Additional benefits include: Developing growth mindset Building friendships Improving classroom behaviour Returning to the classroom ready to learn Using older children as playground leaders or mentors can prove effective in engaging reluctant children in games and activities. Active Breaktimes Free Resources One of the key factors in increasing participation in physical activity in schools is to understand what the barriers are for the least active children - for example, lack of confidence, lack of interest in the activities currently on offer, fear of traditional competitive sports. Start with something simple such as a drop in activity like a 'Just Dance' club to appeal to those groups and build from there. Use your leaders to work with the least active children to understand what they would be keen to be involved with. Some of these free resources which may help you engage those harder to reach children: Visit the Youth Sport Trust and School Games Active Recovery Hub for over 250 activity ideas. These help to boost activity before, during and after school. Resources can be filtered by age and when the activity is planned to happen. Find 10 minute games for active breaks on Better Health, Healthier Families. Find ideas for active breaktimes with BBC Supermovers. They offer a huge range of resources from KS1 and KS2 active learning videos covering English, Maths , Science and PSHE to active videos for use in classrooms at wetplay times. Find free short interactive classroom based activities with Go Noodle. Access over 120 games with Boing Play Join the Imovement to access active blast videos. Perfect for using in the hall as an alternative to playground games. Complete My Activity Passport. Great for reluctant children who can work through a ticklist of activities. Find all your favourite Disney tunes and join in with Disney Dance Alongs. Help your children to improve their performance with The Youth Sport Trust 60 second challenges.Try a range of activities and download a challenge tracker to track your performance. Invest in Active Breaktimes Furthermore, there are additional resources which can be purchased using PE premium funding to help encourage Active Breaktimes: Find ideas for short physical workouts with Fitter Future. You can also access mindful activities for whole school wellbeing. Find video and activity ideas with IMoves. Try a skipping workshop with Skip2bfit. With each child having their own skipping rope, it's a great way to keep children active. Find PE resources, games and themed topics with The PE Shed. Case Studies If you are looking for evidence of the impact of Active Breaktimes, take a look at the case studies below for proof of the benefits: Learn how John Wilkinson Primary School and Nursery raised participation levels across the whole school. Read how exercise at breaktime helps to improve brain function. This BBC Supermovers case study demonstrates how pupils returned to lessons calmer and ready to learn. For more information Please contact: Claire Mansfield Manage Cookie Preferences