Guest article written by Dr. Mark E. Benden, CPE, Chair of the Environmental & Occupational Health Department and Director of the Ergonomics Center at Texas A&M University.
Teachers universally want the best academic and holistic outcomes for their students. Recent research and classroom experience increasingly point to a simple, powerful way to improve learning: keep kids moving.
A study published in the Journal of School Health found that when physical activity was integrated into elementary lessons, students’ on-task behavior and focus improved dramatically. This aligns with broader evidence across medical and educational literature showing that movement boosts blood flow and delivers more oxygen to the brain. Even brief motion — standing up or taking a short walk — can raise heart rate and increase alertness, which helps students recall and analyze information more effectively.
Despite mounting evidence, many classrooms remain largely sedentary, using the same fixed desks and routines as past generations. Outside school, children often spend extended hours inactive, frequently using screens. This lifestyle pattern contributes to lost concentration in class, lower academic performance, and more missed school days due to illness.
Fortunately, a growing movement among educators and school leaders is shifting learning environments from static to active. The goal is to harness movement’s positive effects on memory, creativity, and cognition so students learn better while building lifelong healthy habits.
Setting children up for success through movement
A classroom is a small-scale model of future workplaces, where collaboration and mobility are essential. Forward-thinking schools are designing flexible learning spaces with movable desks, adjustable chairs, and modular furniture that allow students to reconfigure their environment and remain physically active while learning.
Evidence shows that activity-rich classrooms not only improve focus but also support physical health. Programs that embed physical activity across the curriculum (PAAC) report higher test scores and healthier body mass index (BMI) trends for participating students. For example, schools following PAAC principles have recorded modest but meaningful gains on standardized tests and lower BMI values over time compared with less active peers.
As director of the Texas A&M Ergonomics Center and a professor of health sciences, my research and classroom trials have found consistent benefits when students use standing desks and activity-permissive furniture. Students using standing options burn more calories, exhibit better posture and comfort, and remain on task longer. High-school studies over an academic year reported measurable cognitive gains among students with access to standing desks, and teachers who tried them often refused to return to fully seated classrooms.
An active body supports a sharper mind. Activity-permissive classrooms encourage behaviors such as standing, gentle rocking, fidgeting, and short walks — movements that help sustain attention during challenging cognitive tasks. Encouraging these behaviors creates an environment where students can engage more deeply with learning activities.
Promoting a thirst for learning and activity
The broader challenge is turning activity-based learning into lasting habits that continue into adulthood, reducing risk factors for chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Education leaders have a rare opportunity to improve long-term health, wellness, and intellectual functioning by taking relatively small, practical steps in classroom design and teaching practices today.
Adopt a philosophy that furniture isn’t fixed
Viewing educational furnishings as flexible tools rather than immovable obstacles transforms the classroom. Movable desks and chairs support collaboration, accommodate varied activities, and encourage students to change posture and position regularly. That variety reduces boredom and cognitive disengagement while fostering teamwork and project-based learning.
Take breaks consistently, and lead the way
Children become restless and less attentive with prolonged sitting. Even if standing is not always possible, teachers should build movement into lessons. Short, structured breaks that emphasize stretching, walking, or light activity are far more beneficial than allowing students to remain seated with devices. Modeling movement and encouraging students to use breaks actively boosts their ability to refocus and learn.
Motivate children to learn by doing and presenting
Students often think more creatively and engage more deeply when they present ideas standing up or moving around. Simple practices like oral presentations, demonstrations, and interactive group work get students out of their seats and reinforce learning through action. These active teaching methods foster communication skills, confidence, and deeper comprehension.
Envision classrooms that resemble collaborative work pods more than lecture halls. When movement stimulates students’ neural networks, the benefits will extend far beyond individual classrooms, improving academic outcomes and public health for generations.
Dr. Mark E. Benden, CPE, is chair of the Environmental & Occupational Health Department and director of the Ergonomics Center at Texas A&M University. An author, inventor, and engineer, Dr. Benden founded faculty-led startups focused on increasing movement in classrooms worldwide, including PositiveMotion and Stand2Learn, which was later acquired by VARIDESK.