Get kids up and moving — walking, biking, dancing! — for better learning at home

Overall, physically active children have an advantage across academic outcomes. They retain more information, and they are better able to use that information to make decisions and manage their impulses. Even in small doses, movement helps drive learning and focus. Research shows that moderate to vigorous physical activity sessions lasting just 11 to 20 minutes can have almost immediate positive impacts.

Simply put, after exercise, a brain works more efficiently and with more power.

And, while access to successful distance learning tools and strategies is not equitable, the benefits of movement for children are. Children ages 5 to 13 experience the same benefits from physical activity regardless of their social or economic situation, race or ethnicity.

The Sports Institute champions the idea that physically active kids are better off in almost every measurable way. Because of that, we launched The Daily Mile USA to help teachers introduce more opportunities for their students to move during the academic day.

The program, created in the United Kingdom, encourages students to run or jog for just 15 minutes every day, and it’s one way we can better adapt our homes for learning. The Daily Mile is fun, free and easy to do at home or in your neighborhood. It’s also an excellent way for families to move together — because the benefits of physical activity aren’t just for kids.

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