Break Up the Day: The Sitting-Hours Relay

Each team uses cones to lay out the hours of a school day and marks the ones they usually spend sitting. Then they 'break' those hours in a relay with realistic active breaks for each part of the day, which each student commits to trying.

How to play

1. Each student privately estimates on a card how many hours they sit on a school day, split into class, commuting, meals, homework and screens (4 min).
2. In teams of five, students set out 16 cones in a line, one for each waking hour, and put a red card by the hours when most of the team is usually sitting (3 min).
3. Relay: one member runs to a red hour, the team suggests a 30-second active break that would work in that setting (class, bus, home) and the runner does it; if it works, they swap the red card for a green one (8 min).
4. Share out: each team presents its three best breaks and the teacher explains the advice to interrupt sitting every 30 to 60 minutes (5 min).
5. Each student picks two breaks for the next day and practices them twice with the team (5 min).

Rules

• The personal card is private: only general data is shared with the team.
• Breaks must be doable at that time of day without bothering anyone.
• During the relay, run outside the cone line to avoid collisions with returning runners.
• A break the team has already used does not count for another hour.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: suggests and performs trunk and arm breaks while a teammate does the running.
• Autism: gets written examples of breaks for each setting before starting.
• Visual impairment: the team places the cones next to them and describes the day line out loud.

Learning goals

• Become aware of how much time is spent sitting on a typical day.
• Design active breaks that fit different everyday settings.
• Commit to small, realistic changes in one's own routine.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cards: 70
• cones: 80
• stopwatch: 1

Teacher tip

Stress that sitting is not bad in itself; what matters is breaking it up often. You can follow up on the commitments next lesson with a quick question.

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