American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Issue: January 2009

Motivating Students to Be Active Outside of Class: A Hierarchy for Independent Physical Activity
Grant Hill

Abstract: Despite the fact that children have an extraordinary amount of leisure time, students of all ages engage in too little physical activity. Opportunities for physical activity should be provided through recesses, lunch periods, organized fitness breaks, before- and after-school activity programs, and structured physical education classes. However, the reduction or elimination of physical education time and the lack of equipment or facilities limit the promotion of sufficient levels of physical activity in schools. In order to help students to be active outside of class time and to develop lifetime movement skills, the Hierarchy of Independent Physical Activity has been developed. This article describes each level in the hierarchy, which teaches children to establish and document their daily physical activity, create their own movement patterns and physical activity routine, share their routine with the school community, and eventually assume physical activity leadership roles.

Article category: Fitness