Resources - Fitness

The Walking Classroom is a national award-winning education program that provides students and teachers with an innovative way to get exercise without sacrificing instructional time. The nonprofit program’s “Walk, Listen, and Learn” methodology capitalizes on the favorable link between exercise and cognitive function.

They’ve released a new podcast series highlighting science careers, available for free without the Walking Classroom Kits. Download the free podcasts and lesson plans from their site based on the person and their career. Walk, listen and learn about various career possibilities.

PreventObesity.net is an online network offering free tools, services and support to the people and organizations that are working to ensure children everywhere can eat healthier and become more physically active.

Free Curriculum to Support Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

Looking to help youth get on a pathway to living a healthy, active lifestyle? The National Afterschool Association and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation are here to help!

Together, they are providing the “Enrichment Zone,” a free curriculum for afterschool programs focused on promoting energy balance. The Enrichment Zone resources explain to students the concepts of “Energy In” (food and nutrition-related activities) and “Energy Out” (physical activities). It focuses particularly on the “Energy Out” aspect to help afterschool programs guarantee students get the daily sixty minutes of physical activity as recommended by the NAA HEPA (Healthy Eating and Physical Activity) Standards.

The AfterSchool Guide to Indoor Games provides activities to stimulate the mind, games to get the body moving, and activities to help improve fine motor skills, all while having fun!

Gardening activities can be very successful in afterschool programs, particularly container activities. This webpage lists many garden related lessons and resources that can be adapted to your program.

Nutrition education program targeted to youth in grades four to six.

Healthy Kids Challenge compiled 6 Easy to Use Afterschool and Summer Programming Ideas to keep you busy planning and prepping. Check out these fun activities for youth that focus 6 topics: eating breakfast, fruits and veggies, healthy snacking, serving sizes, beverage choices and active play.

PBS LearningMedia is a free resource for in-school and out-of-school time educators to access an abundance of K-12 activities, searchable by subject and by grade level.

This self-esteem activity guide has been created to help girls 10–14 develop positive self-esteem. In particular, it encourages girls to look at body confidence and how this influences their attitudes, both to themselves and others. Each topic is introduced with a practical, engaging activity to make this resource suitable for youth groups and after school programs.