Move to the Beat

In order to get 60 minutes of exercise daily, adults can often combine activities, like walking to the bus, cleaning house, or carrying groceries. But children often need direction to help them get enough activity each day. Create a daily movement chart and keep it in the classroom! Identify a Movement of the Day for each of the schooldays!

Learn how important daily physical activity is for maintaining health.

NEW WORDS

Beat

Fast

Hop

Move

Run

Slow

Did you know that physical activity habits established in childhood may last a lifetime?

For young and old alike, physical activity is essential for maintaining health. Physical activity strengthens the bones, heart and other muscles!

Teaching Health Through

Music & Movement

The Marching Song

Art

Heart Drums

Literacy

From Head to Toe

Music & Movement

The Jumping Song

Music & Movement

The Hello Song

Music & Movement

The Clean-Up Song

Substitute any physical movement here that aligns with your goals. If you would like to focus on getting the heart rate up, try running or jumping; if balance is your focus, have the children hop.

Use the drums to make the sounds of a heartbeat, fast and slow to show how our heart rates can change. Explore songs that have a distinctive rhythm like I’ve Been Working on the Railroad and Bingo. Have the children march around the room with their drums; make a game out of the activity by going slow, fast, and freezing in place.

Heart Drums

Read the book with the class as an interactive experience. Have the children do the movements as you read the words. Make sure each child has enough space. Yoga or other mats can be helpful.

From Head to Toe

Substitute any physical movement here that aligns with your goals. If you would like to focus on getting the heart rate up, try running or jumping; if balance is your focus, have the children hop.

Ask children to share some of the songs they sing at home as part of their bedtime routines. You can also sing a variation of this song, substituting the words good night for hello.

Just like a family meal, clean-up time is a family activity as well. In school, this song can be used with any lesson, and is a nice way to keep children moving through clean-up activities.

Activities

Play your favorite music and turn your living room into a dance party.

Recipes

Add fat-free or low-fat milk and apple slices to instant oatmeal for a filling, fiber-loaded, heart healthy breakfast.