Physical Activity Promotion in Educational Settings

Educational institutions provide a critical environment for fostering regular movement among children and adolescents. By integrating physical activity into daily school routines—through structured physical education, active recess, classroom movement breaks and extracurricular sport—schools can address the global decline in youth activity levels. A whole-school approach emphasises policies, curricula and the built environment in tandem, ensuring that teachers, leaders and parents collaborate to embed movement opportunities across all facets of school life. Tailored interventions, from playground redesign to active learning strategies, have demonstrated benefits for physical health, mental wellbeing and social interaction. Embedding activity promotion at multiple levels—individual skill development, social support and environmental modification—creates sustainable change, enhances academic engagement and helps meet international guidelines for youth physical activity.

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Physical Activity Promotion in Educational Settings publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in physical activity promotion in educational settings across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA): Activity intensity that raises heart rate and breathing, typically defined by ≥3 METs in children, and linked to health benefits.

Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS): Basic motor patterns such as running, jumping, throwing and catching, which form the foundation for more complex physical activities.

Active School Approach: A whole-school framework that integrates physical activity into curricula, school culture and environment to promote health and learning.

Playground Markings: Painted lines or graphics on playground surfaces designed to encourage active play and structured movement games during recess.

References

1. The role of playgrounds in promoting children’s health – a scoping review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (2024).
2. Active Schools in Europe—A Review of Empirical Findings. Sustainability (2023).
3. The role of fundamental movement skills on children’s physical activity during different segments of the school day. BMC Public Health (2024).