Physical Activity Resources

This American Academy of Pediatrics' collection provides articles of interest to educators, caregivers, parents, and other adults interested in helping children achieve health and fitness recommendations. There are articles on topics such as developing long-term habits, setting goals, and the expected developmental abilities of children in this age range.

This American Academy of Pediatrics' collection provides articles of interest to educators, caregivers, parents, and other adults interested in helping teens achieve health and fitness recommendations. There are articles on topics such as different types of exercise appropriate for teens, developing a fitness plan, and teens' developmental abilities.

Recess can boost students’ concentration and physical activity breaks as short as 5 minutes can improve test scores, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report (2010) suggests that more time in physical education class can improve attention, concentration and test scores; it suggests physical activity clubs improve grade point average, educational goal setting and graduation rates.

This paper from Action for Healthy Kids highlights the costs that poor nutrition and physical inactivity can have on schools, and shows evidence that making improvements in these areas can help schools both meet performance goals and alleviate some financial constraints.

This report -- from the GENYOUth Foundation, National Dairy Council (NDC), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American School Health Association (ASHA) -- reinforces the crucial link between quality nutrition, physical activity and academic performance.