HAC Policy Trainings: Energizers®

The Energizers® are classroom based physical activities that help get students healthy and active while maintaining structure and learning.  They were developed by the Activity Promotion Laboratory at East Carolina University, and were modeled after “Brain Breaks,” a program developed by the Michigan State Department of Education.  They have been piloted and tested by North Carolina classroom teachers and students, and approved by the NC Department of Instruction.  Energizers® allow for physical activity to be integrated with learning, and not only help students to be active during the school day, but help them to learn better.  Several studies show that increased movement can help balance chemicals in the brain, which may lead to more time on task, and improve students’ learning.  The Energizers® are split into two categories; one booklet for elementary school (K-5), and six smaller booklets for middle school (6-8) that are separated by core subject area.

Elementary School Energizers
	The booklet is split into activities for K-2 students and 3-5 students.  Many of the activities help children better understand and remember math, grammar, spelling and geography.  For older children, there are activities that integrate science and social studies concepts as well as more difficult math and english.  Most activities do not require any outside resources, and are easy to integrate into various lesson plans.  Teachers can also improvise and add their own ideas to those suggested in the Energizers.
Middle School Energizers
	There are six booklets separated by core subject area; Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Healthful Living and Music.  Most activities do not require any outside resources, and are easy to integrate with classroom discussions and textbook material.  Many concepts here are used as reinforcements of learned material, and will help students understand and better retain the material.