Sidewalk Chalk Movement Activities Movement
Teach students some of these favorites:
- Hopscotch: Using brightly-colored sidewalk chalk, draw a hopscotch pattern with
ten boxes. The boxes should be of equal size. Numbering the boxes from one to
ten gives students added practice in numbers.
- Have students make bean bags that can be used in the hopscotch game.
You will need pieces of material that are approximately four inches by six
inches, needles, threads, dried beans, and Ziploc sandwich-size bags. It will
save time if two squares of material are sewn together ahead of time on three
sides, one for each child. Turn the bag inside out. Students can fill the Ziploc
bags with the dried beans and slip them into the squares of material. An adult
can finish sewing the final side.
- Tic-Tac-Toe: Pair up students. Draw tic-tac-toe boards on smooth pavement
using sidewalk chalk. Draw enough so that each pair of students can have their
own board. Draw a line where the students must stand when they throw their
bean bags. If the bean bag lands in a square without touching any lines, then that
child gets to put an X or O in that square. Keep taking turns until someone has 3
X’s or O’s vertically, diagonally, or horizontally.
Parachute Games Movement
One effective activity is to play parachute games that reinforce hand-eye coordination,
teamwork, etc.:
http://www.playparachutes.com/pagaac.html.
“Eating Right” Video Science and Health
Play the BrainPOP Jr. video “Eating Right,” a child-friendly video that explains
why good food choices is so important:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/health/food/eatingright/. Following the video, have a tasting party filled with healthy snacking
options made up of energy foods, bone-building foods, and muscle-building foods.
(Engage parent support and help with this.) Use this as a platform to incorporate the
importance of healthy eating as a part of healthy living and taking care of our bodies,
as well as demonstrating that eating healthy can be fun!
Field Day Fun Movement
Have students help plan the activities for a field day (for example, potato-sack races,
wheelbarrow races, or an egg toss). Remember to include not only the “getting busy”
activities, but healthy snacks and water to feed the body as well. Invite and
encourage parents and other family members to join and participate, and ask parent
volunteers to sign up to bring healthy snacks for your class.
Walk Like the Animals Science and Movement
Have a discussion with the class about different types of animals and how they move.
Play some instrumental music and have the child make movements like an animal.
(They can swing their arms to imitate an elephant swinging its trunk, jump up and
down like a monkey, fly like a butterfly, trot like a horse, hold their hands together up
high and walk like a giraffe, hold their hands up and curved and hop like a kangaroo,
etc.) The next day, divide students into groups. Have each group choose an animal
and have them make up a dance using their animal’s movements. When it is time to
demonstrate their dance, help them pick the type of music, quiet and slow music or
fast and loud music. As an alternative, you can use healthy animal crackers to play
a game. The student can reach and get an animal cracker and then move like that
animal. Then he or she can eat the healthy snack!
“Dancin’ Song” Music and Movement
Move your body to the music of “Dancin’ Song” by “Miss” Emily Aronoff Teck,
Miss Emily – Dancin Song (Ivdu Et Hashem B simcha) Track
# 13 from Good Choices, Volume 1. This joyful tune will inspire students to sing and
dance. Encourage them to add new verses to the song as they come up with some
additional movements.
Busy Body Bulletin Board Bulletin Board
Throughout the year, post pictures that capture your students being active. Encourage
students to bring in photos of things they do outside of school to keep their bodies busy.