Children have an inherent need for exploration, with movement functioning as a key modality through which they engage with and make sense of the world. Beyond supporting motor development, movement enables children to discover bodily capabilities and forge meaningful connections with their physical and social surroundings. As childhood in Western societies becomes increasingly institutionalised, children spend substantial time in schools, with spaces, such as classrooms, characterised by sedentary routines. Despite evolving pedagogical ideals, educational practices emphasise order and cognitive productivity. However, classrooms may also afford opportunities for movement, as they contain affordances - possibilities for action emerging from interactions between children and their environment. Against this background, the article explores how children (aged 10-12) make use of affordances for movement within the classroom environment. Employing a qualitative methodology, data were produced through classroom observations in two Swedish schools, involving 22 children. The concept of affordance was used to explore children's movement in the classroom. Qualitative content analysis functioned to capture the nuanced and contextual meanings of interactions and movement in an environment such as a classroom. The findings illustrate that children initiate movement within classroom constraints by using physical and social affordances. Some of these affordances were promoted and offered formal functions related to schoolwork, while others were created by the children and interpreted as creative ways to satisfy their need for movement. Additional affordances enabled forbidden movement, which became problematic from the teacher's perspective, revealing a tension between classroom regulations and children's need for movement. This study contributes to debates about the role of physical activity and movement in educational settings by foregrounding children's perspectives and highlighting the nuanced, often overlooked ways they strive to integrate movement into their school lives.