Empowering students to practice leadership skills through physical activity breaks in the classroom

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ABSTRACT The school day holds promise in creating additional opportunities for students to engage in physical activity (PA). Integrating movement into academic lessons is expected of classroom teachers, who already juggle numerous responsibilities, in whole-school PA models. Grounded in social theories of healthy behaviour change and knowledge acquisition, this mixed-methods study aimed to equip 31 elementary students with the skills to lead physical activity breaks in their classroom. Data included weekly student leaders’ surveys to record the types and frequency of PA breaks, small-group interviews with student leaders, and interviews with coordinators at each school. Of the students’ weekly logs, 71% indicated that they led physical activity breaks for 4–5 days per week. Interview data indicated that the student leaders were highly regarded by their peers and found the opportunity to lead enjoyable. These findings demonstrate that training students to lead their peers can effectively incorporate additional PA into the academic classroom, without placing sole responsibility on teachers.