When I was asked by the great folks at WeAreTeachers to take a minute to check out fit4Schools, I was thrilled.
But I was skeptical. fit4Schools actually seemed too good to be true.
- A site designed to empower children and families to make healthy lifestyle choices a habit? Yes please.
- A fitcalendar with a fun activity to get kids moving every, single day? How awesome?
- Free lesson plans for teachers, designed to Captivate, Educate, and Activate learning on different fitness-related topics? No WAY.
- Dozens of printable activities and posters for educators and families? Really?!
- Slide shows and games to bring the learning home for kids? Yes and yes.
- Emphasis on the fact that fit has four parts: RECHARGE Your Energy; Motivate Your MOOD; Think Your FOOD; and MOVE Your Body? So cool.
- Specific activities and lessons for three specific age groups–the little guys (2-7 years old), the bigger kids (8-12 years old), and teens (13-18 years old)? YES!
- A super-cool fitBOOST program that automatically generates fun, 3-minute activities designed to help you MOVE and RECHARGE? Love it!
Not only did fit4Schools totally exceed my expectations for use in the classroom, but it completely blew my mind with the resources it provides for families to use at home.
fit4Schools is something every parent and educator should know about because, friends, this could mean incredibly positive changes for the health and well-being of our students.
Here’s the skinny. . .
Smart Ways to Keep Kids Healthy–In School and at Home:
First of all, what is fit4Schools?
fit4Schools is a health activation program from Sanford Health, developed in collaboration with WebMD (we all know WebMD, right?), to empower children and families to do the simple things each day that make healthy lifestyle choices a habit.
The super-cool thing is that these resources and programs are easy, fun and free to use. And they’re aligned with national standards. And they provide activities to boost students’ energy. And they include weekly challenges.
There’s a lot I like about fit4Schools, but primarily I love the smart ways to keep kids healthy in school and at home.
Simple, right? We’re all so busy. We need simple. We yearn for simple.
For educators and schools:
1.) fitBOOST program provides an interactive way for a teacher to incorporate an activity break in the class.
I love that there are a million different ways to incorporate a short bit of action into a student’s day.
Or, if you don’t have access to a computer and want to use the fitBOOST cards instead, print them out and have students pick a Warm-Up, Move, and Cool Down Activity via a card.
2.) The fit4Schools lessons for classrooms are extensive, creative, and incredibly comprehensive.
Lessons include sections designed to Captivate, Educate, and Activate learning on different fitness-related topics, and the topics are quite extensive.
Lessons are varied and include different slides, printables, games, and more. They’re very well done.
3.) I love the emphasis on the fact that fit has four parts: RECHARGE Your Energy; Motivate Your MOOD; Think Your FOOD; and MOVE Your Body.
fit4Schools‘s programs and resources build the awareness that RECHARGE and MOOD influence FOOD and MOVE choices, then activate healthy lifestyle choices. It makes total sense. I love this.
For families at home:
1.) Really engaging and cool games that teach and get kids to MOVE.
The Move Mixer Dance Creation Tool is an absolute riot to play, and it’s just one of many. My kids had a blast making new dances for each other at differing speeds and with different music. If our kids are going to have some after-school screen time, what better way, right?
2.) Videos, recipes, and fun facts about FOOD are interesting for kids.
Great after-school snack inspiration and an explanation about how the right foods can work wonders on the body and MOOD!
3.) I love the emphasis on MOOD and how children can make choices to control it.
I honestly don’t think I talk much about how important choices are for my children’s moods, so this was really an eye-opener for me. Sure, we emphasize good health, wise choices, and balance in our family, but I don’t think we talk much about how moods can change–even within a span of a few minutes.
4.) The idea that children need to take time to RECHARGE is another important message of fit4Schools.
There are many ways to recharge, and these ways vary from person to person. I love this message, and I think it’s one–again–that is often overlooked in families. Yes, we may say, “It’s time to go to bed!” but do we tell them why? Do we emphasize other ways of recharging throughout the day? We must!
5.) I love the variety on the site.
Maddy and Cora played with the teen section and found a yoga slideshow that they loved.
The whole teen section is catered more toward our older kids; the font is more funky, the activities for each of the four components are ‘cooler’ and they’re packed with interesting and relevant information that teens would appreciate.
Who doesn’t need a few new ideas for staying healthy? I know we sure do!
But my younger nephews liked the activity log that my sister printed out for them.
And I like it, too!
Especially for emerging readers, this chart is a fun way of keeping track of their weekly activity.
And under “How I Will Move”, kids can cut and paste tiny activities, complete with a photo and text (we know that the combo of image and text helps to support our younger readers!). Then each day, they mark what they’ve done.
I love it.
A GIVEAWAY FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
Are you a currently employed full- or part-time educator in an accredited public or private K-12 school in the US? YES? Then you can WIN big. . .
All teachers have to do is enter for a chance to win a Rainy Day Kit, a Get Moving for P.E. Kit, a Classroom Active Seating Kit. Teachers can select the prize kit of their choice if selected. There will be 16 winners. All prizes are valued at $650. YES! $650!
The Rainy Day Kit Includes:
- A giant tower game
- A physical activity BINGO set
- Clever Catch™ activity balls
- A set of fitBoost cards
- Plus loads of other indoor get-moving games and activities including hula hoops, a dance CD, beach balls and more
The Get Moving for PE Kit includes:
- 6 SST™ Scooters
- 24 ACTION™ ToppleTubes™
- A huge parachute
- A set of fitBoost cards
- Plus all of the balls, Frisbees, jump ropes and more to make your P.E. class awesome.
The Classroom Active Seating Kit includes:
- 3 ergoErgo chairs
- 6 BALLance™ stability balls
- A Yze standing desk
- A set of fitBoost cards and Brain Breaks activities
Go on–enter! And good luck!
Friends, what do you think of fit4Schools? I’d love to hear it!
Please, after you check out the fit4Schools site and resources, please forward this post or a link to fit4Schools to your child’s classroom teacher or administrative team.
Or, share this post on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook. Anywhere that works for YOU!
The more we emphasize this kind of education, the healthier our children will become!
fyi: This post was written as part of a partnership with fit4Schools and WeAreTeachers. I have a working relationship with WeAreTeachers, which means I occasionally am asked to try products or services to share with you; however, as always, my opinions and ideas are my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.
great ideas! I created a set of alphabet exercise cards (A is for “Arm circles”, B is for “Bounce”, C is for “Crawl”, etc.) and a set of animal exercise cards (R is “Run like a Racehorse”, S is “Slither like a Snake”, T is “Trot slowly like a Turtle”, etc.). I shuffle up the deck and each child gets to draw a card. They can read the letters or the phrase depending on the child’s age. Little ones have to make the animal noise, like “sssss” when they “Slither like a Snake.” Then, we perform each exercise for around one minute. Sometimes I have the kids count, such as “let’s count 20 arm circles,”