Provide a variety of opportunities for physical activity in addition to physical education, that meet all students' needs and interests. Opportunities include daily recess, active play during after-school programs, access to school facilities outside of school hours, interscholastic sports, intramural programs, and physical activity clubs.

Schools are in a unique position to provide many opportunities for students to participate safely in physical activity, and to motivate them to stay physically active. These positive experiences can contribute to students' physical and emotional development and to enjoyment of their school experience.

To the extent possible, offer a diverse selection of competitive and noncompetitive, structured and unstructured activities. Co-curricular physical activity programs should focus on facilitating participation of all students who are interested, regardless of their athletic ability or disability. Intramural programs can be beneficial for students who dislike competitive sports or who lack the skills or confidence to play competitive sports.

Recess provides opportunities for unstructured but supervised play, helps students focus in class and provides social benefits. Healthy children and adults fare better without extended periods of inactivity. Studies show that students who do not participate in recess become fidgety and less able to concentrate. Students become less attentive the longer they sit without a recess break. However, recess should not be a substitute for physical education classes.

After-school programs have the opportunity to provide health-enhancing physical activity and time to practice skills taught in physical education classes. Increased access to school facilities could help facilitate increases in physical activity for populations that lack access to appropriate facilities and where this is a barrier to an active lifestyle. Community-based youth sports and recreation programs can work together with schools to ensure school facilities are used to a maximum advantage.

Encourage parents to avoid over-competitive and aggressive behavior while observing their children participate in sports, to keep children from playing sports after injury, and to understand the cognitive and physical limitations of children's ability during sports based on their developmental stage.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports: A Report to the President From the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education; Fall 2000.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for school and community programs to promote lifelong physical activity among young people. MMWR Recomm Rep. 1997;46(RR-6):1-36.

Council on Physical Education for Children. Recess in Elementary Schools. A Position Report from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Reston, VA: National Association for Sport and Physical Education; 2001.

National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Position Paper. Guidelines for After School Physical Activity and Intramural Sports Programs. Reston, VA: National Association for Sport and Physical Education; 2002.

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