How an Elementary School Incorporates Physical Activity in the Classroom

Students at Limerick Avenue Elementary School hosted some special guests to showcase the school’s innovative health and wellness programs. Mission: Readiness members Rear Admiral Timothy Sullivan, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.) and Brigadier General Nathaniel Reddicks, Special Advisor to the Commanding General of the California State Military Reserve started their day by enjoying a healthy breakfast with some first graders.

After breakfast, students demonstrated various exercises during school-wide “brain breaks,” which give students a chance to stretch and move their bodies. RADM Sullivan and BG Reddicks also exercised with fifth-grade students and did yoga with third-grade students.

“Children today spend a lot of time in the school environment, making it a great place to influence their behavior and lifelong health habits,” said Brigadier General Reddicks. “Studies show a correlation between daily physical activity and enhanced cognitive ability. The students we met were excited and ready to engage in the classroom,” Rear Admiral Sullivan added. “Limerick Elementary is certainly taking steps in the right direction to address these issues. We need other schools to do more of the same.”

“Health and wellness are the first steps on the pathway to happiness and success. This is why it is essential that our students learn early on the importance of a balanced diet and exercise,” said Los Angeles Unified School District Northwest Superintendent Vivian Ekchian. “The activities that took place today are those that occur every day at Limerick Avenue Elementary. It is a model for its efforts to support the whole child.”

A recent Mission: Readiness report, Increasing Physical Activity in California Schools, highlights best practices schools, teachers and parents can take to incorporate more physical activity into students’ daily lives and help them achieve 60 minutes of activity per day, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.