Active Classrooms in School Curricula and Active Breaks

School has been recognized as an ideal setting for promoting physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents. However, it is important to highlight that the longest periods of uninterrupted sedentary behavior typically occur during school hours. Sedentary time has been associated with adverse effects on cardiometabolic health, symptoms of depression, lowered self-esteem, and reduced ability to focus and concentrate on classroom tasks in children and adolescents. On the other hand, recent studies have suggested that PA has beneficial effects on neurocognitive functioning and academic achievement. Therefore, integrated classroom-based PAs can not only provide students with opportunities to increase their PA time and prevent long periods of sedentary behavior but also contribute to student well-being and improve learning. Classroom-based PAs consist of teachers incorporating PA into classroom time, either by integrating PA into lessons (PAL) or by adding short bursts of PA, either with curriculum content (curricular-based active breaks) or without (active breaks). The aim of this chapter is to discuss the concept and taxonomy of PAL and active breaks, examine the impact of these strategies on health and various educational indicators, and provide examples of good practices and recommendations for their implementation.