Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign written by me on behalf of fit4Schools. All opinions are my own and I love sharing healthy resources with my students and their families!
Give your students the tools to be active and engaged. With fit4schools, making healthy choices in the classroom is easier than ever.
My journey to a healthy lifestyle hasn’t always come naturally to me. As a teenager, staying in shape was easy. I played sports throughout the school year, so I stayed conditioned. My nutritional choices weren’t the best, but I didn’t think they were that bad. After I went to college I became much less active and my nutritional choices got worse. I had sodas and toaster pastries for breakfast everyday. I learned (to the tune of about 30 pounds) that something would have to change, but I didn’t know where to start. I remember thinking, “No one taught me how to eat healthy! There should’ve been a class on this in high school!”
So without knowing how to do a proper push-up or what a macronutrient was, I started doing my own research and teaching myself how to live a healthier lifestyle. After putting in the hard work, I told myself that I would always try to set a good example for my family and keep their health in mind. When I started teaching, I wanted to set the same example for my students.
Whether it’s sharing a recipe for chia seed pudding or giving them the highlights of my weekend run, I don’t shy away from fitness with my students. In fact, they’re among some of my biggest supporters. As a large influence on their lives, I want to support my students in the same way. fit4Schools is the perfect avenue for me to do that!
Related: Fitness Tips for Teachers
What is fit4Schools?
fit4Schools is a program from Sanford Health in collaboration with WebMD that was created to give children and families the power to make healthy choices. fit4Schools gives teachers the tools they need to assist their students in creating a healthy lifestyle. Through school programs, childcare training, mobile apps, websites, and more, fit4Schools provides activities to boost students’ energy, increase learning, and make healthy choices in and out of the classroom.
How do educators use fit4Schools?
fit4Schools offers a few ways to engage students in making healthy choices. The Daily fit Tip is a quick and easy way to share a little movement or nutritional insight with your students. The calendar outlines the entire week with a fit tip to share each day and even a few brief activities. I can see myself sharing these tips with my students at the beginning of each class to get a little discussion started. My school doesn’t do whole-campus announcements, but that would be a great way to get the entire school in a healthy mindset early in the day.
Another fantastic way to incorporate a little bit of fit in the day is with fitBoost! Teachers can always tell when there’s a lull in a lesson, or when the class starts to check out. In those times, I give my class what I call a “brain break” for a few minutes before we get into our next lesson component. fitBoost begins with a warm-up and includes one minute of an exercise (like jumping jacks or frog jumps!) followed by a cool-down. The three-minute sequence is perfect for a brain break and encourages students to fit in activity throughout the day. I love fitBoost and I’m absolutely that teacher who will be frog jumping right along with the students!
Finally, fit4Schools offers weekly lessons teachers can use in their classrooms. With lessons on food, mood, movement, energy, and more, teachers can regularly incorporate healthy choices and habits into the classroom. These Common Core aligned lessons are fantastic resources for a homeroom or advisory class, counselor lessons, and so much more. The possibilities are endless!
Related: 3 Things Teachers Can’t Live Without During the School Year
How Can You Get fit4Schools?
Getting in on the fit is easy. Visit fit4Schools on Facebook, Pinterest, or at their website. Share these resources with your principals, counselors, wellness directors, and fellow teachers! I know that I’ll be incorporating a lot more fit into my classroom as well. Additionally, you can enter the fit Commit Sweepstakes to win some goodies for your classroom. You can enter to win a Rainy Day Kit, a Get Moving P.E. Kit, and a Classroom Active Seating Kit. If selected, you can choose your class kit option. I know my students would love the Classroom Active Seating Kit!
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
This sweepstakes is open to anyone currently employed as an educator by an accredited public or private K-12 school in the U.S. Full-time and part-time educators are eligible! Each prize is valued at $650 and there will be 16 winners. Enter the fit Commit Sweepstakes and share the fit love with your students!
By nature, kids are active and it’s fun for them. Don’t let that activity come to a halt after P.E. or recess. Use fit4Schools as an opportunity to show that activity and sound nutritional choices will serve them for years to come.
What are you waiting for? Give your students the tools to make healthy choices in the classroom and out and visit fit4Schools today!
I’m sharing this post on Tuesday Talk and Wild Workout Wednesday.
What a great program!
What a great idea an awesome resource! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
What a brilliant program – I think healthy living in terms of fitness/ eating needs to start when kids are young. That way – it truly becomes a lifestyle that you take right into old age.