The other evening I had the opportunity to sit down and have an enlightening conversation with one of my favorite six-year-olds. Sweet and precocious, she complimented me on the "pizza bubble" I made for dinner and participated in the over-the-table conversation.

She told me that she likes her new school, but when I asked about the best part of her day, she was quick to answer, "Recess."

This doesn't surprise me. My small friend has been officially diagnosed with ADHD. She often has trouble sitting still and loves to engage in active exercises and play. In fact, when engaged in something physical, she is quite focused. Even among kids not officially diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, movement and activity are beneficial. If I'm honest with myself, even I have trouble sitting still for too long without feeling a need to move around. I like recess, too, and with good reason.

One study published in Pediatrics by Romina M. Barros, MD; Ellen J. Silver, PhD; and Ruth E. K. Stein, MD indicates that recess correlates significantly with good classroom behavior.

In fact, according to the Council on Physical Education for Children, "Recess is an essential component of a comprehensive school physical activity program and of the total education experience for elementary school students." The statement goes so far as to say that "participation in physical activity may improve attention, focus, behavior, and learning in the classroom."

Numerous studies show that regular physical activity contributes to increased brain function and nourishment, higher energy/concentration levels, changes in body build affecting self-esteem, increased self-esteem and better behavior which may all support cognitive learning (Cocke, 2002) (Tremblay, Inman, & Willms, 2000) (Dwyer, Coonan, Leitch, Hetzel, & Baghurst, 1983) (Shephard, 1997).

With so much emphasis on academic performance and preparing students for a successful life, recess has become an endangered species. How then, do we give kids a chance to move around in the classroom without sacrificing learning time?

7 Tips to Stimulate Learning through Physical Activity:

1. Start the term with a short lesson on the value of physical movement. Include a demo of exercises they can do at their desks while seated.

2. Hang posters around the room illustrating ways to release neck and back tension while working on a computer.

3. Schedule regular breaks. Let students have free time to move around the room and choose what they want to talk about.

4. Encourage deep breathing (into the belly) to stimulate blood flow.

5. Allow students to earn free minutes that they can spend moving around.

6. Encourage regular, non-disruptive stretching or consider including a couple of group stretching exercises throughout the day.

7. Consider the use of exercise balls as an alternative to desk chairs for students that have a greater need for activity and movement.

The following website provides a list of exercises that you can share with your students:

Simple Classroom Exercises from Livestrong.com

As a great believer in the mind-body connection, I can't help but wonder if, by sacrificing time for physical activity in our classrooms, we aren't denying kids their best chance at getting the most out of the time they spend in our classrooms.

Share your best ideas for allowing students to get active in the classroom with your comments to this post.