Helping elementary school kids stay active, even in the heat
Three field researchers collect data using MaRTy on the field of an elementary school playground. Courtesy photo
According to the CDC, young students are recommended to get 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. Movement helps students focus better in class, perform better on tests and also improves levels of physical fitness.
So what happens when children are unable to get daily physical activity?
For many children, school is the primary setting for physical activity. In Phoenix, most physical activity opportunities for young children during school — like recess and physical education — occur outside.
However, extreme temperatures can pose health risks for young students whose bodies regulate less efficiently. Young children are prone to dehydration, and their bodies take longer to increase sweat production.
Extreme heat also causes outdoor activities to be cancelled. In the first quarter of the 2023 school year, Phoenix saw up to six weeks of recess disrupted due to extreme heat.
Tips to help kids stay safe while playing in the heat
• Be well hydrated beforehand.
• Take frequent breaks to go rest in the shade.
• Hydrate in between being exposed in full-sun areas.
Find more tips and resources at www.azdhs.gov.
College of Health Solutions Assistant Professor Allison Poulos, alongside College of Global Futures Associate Professor Jennifer Vanos, conducted a study across six weeks with fifth graders hoping to better understand the relationship between heat, physical activity and emotional state — an indicator of readiness to learn in the classroom.
Poulos’ team entered the study with three key objectives:
To learn how children’s movement and emotional state differ between indoor and outdoor recess in extreme heat.
To refine behavioral and environmental data collection methods.
To identify resources, funds and costs to adapt recess.
Using MaRTy — a mobile temperature-measuring tool owned and led by ASU Associate Professor Ariane Middel — Poulos and her team measured environmental heat exposure, then observed where students played and their physical activity intensity outside during recess, conducted surveys of their emotional state following recess and interviewed school administrators.
The team found that across classroom recess, gym time and outdoor recess, students were 40% more active in gym recess than in the classroom. However, students were also 17% more active outdoors than in the classroom, showing a desire to move that supersedes extreme weather conditions. When in the classroom, students spent 71% of their time sedentary.
“Kids, when in school, get few opportunities to get out and play. Outdoor recess is the opportunity. So even if kids (were) in a state of discomfort, for some, their drive to just want to get outside, be with their friends, and move and play may surpass any of their other signs of distress," Poulos said. "So they're particularly vulnerable in play settings and can benefit from environmental and behavioral strategies to reduce heat risk.”
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After conducting thermal assessments of the five schoolyards, Poulos found that only 18-28% had shade coverage. Throughout the United States at large, about 30% of schoolyards have shade.
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A team of researchers transport the mobile MaRTy cart across various schoolyard regions to compare conditions in the sun versus the shade.
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Two researchers in sun-protective gear wearing ice vests prepare to conduct behavioral observations on a school basketball court.
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A field researcher measures surface temperature while MaRTy records environmental data.
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After conducting thermal assessments of the five schoolyards, Poulos found that only 18-28% had shade coverage. Throughout the United States at large, about 30% of schoolyards have shade. However, the shade is not where students tend to move the most. In fact, students generally were more physically active in full sun regardless of thermal comfort.
“Kids are more comfortable in the shade. It is healthier for them, and shade is a modifiable thing," Poulos said. "Collectively, (we should be) thinking about this, trying to prioritize funding and resources to add shade and to enhance the areas where kids are most physically active with shade.
"In our research, we’ve found all school leaders want more shade for outdoor play settings. It seems to be a unanimous thing that everyone can get on board with.”
According to the World Health Organization's policy brief “Promoting physical activity through schools,” opportunities for movement during recess can “help to reduce inactivity, sedentary behaviour, boredom and poor behavior, which can all affect school life.”
Post-recess surveys from Poulos’ study agree, indicating a higher level of emotional well-being after participating in gym or outdoor recess.
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“We found that when kids were either outside or in the gym, they were more able to move, they were more able to socialize and they were more able to play what they wanted to than when they were in the classroom," she said. "In both settings, kids were more ready to learn compared to when kids were just sitting inside the classroom during recess.”
So, what can schools do to best support students?
WHO recommends that all schools provide “safe, inclusive and accessible places (indoor and outdoor)” for physical activity during recess. One principal in the study spent two years fundraising $80,000 dollars to install six new water fountains and a new shade structure, but not all schools are so fortunate. Due to funding concerns, many teachers and parents assume more responsibility for ensuring students are protected and prepared to face the heat.
Poulos advises taking measures beforehand to ensure that kids are well hydrated if going outside and taking frequent breaks to go rest in the shade and hydrate in between being exposed in full-sun areas.
Poulos and the team are now working alongside the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Health Services to create a tool kit to assist with heat readiness and contribute to the HeatReady Schools initiative, led by Vanos.
Interested parents and teachers can find resources on supporting movement in restricted places, such as smaller classrooms and hallways, using specific activities and games. Resources like this, when disseminated widely throughout the community, create opportunities for students to grow and enter the classroom prepared to succeed.
“The Arizona Department of Health Services has a comprehensive list of heat resources for school-aged youth, parents and school staff. There is also a link to sign up for Extreme Heat Warnings for schools and child care centers, which includes access to the ASU HeatReady Schools program — including complimentary materials such as heat-stress training and curriculum, posters and learning activities, links to grant funding and a Tree Education Toolkit,” Poulos said.
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