Winter Walkabout Wednesdays

With so many teachers and students working and learning from home, physical fitness is more important than ever. We’re proud that Walkabouts has been a valuable tool in so many homes and hybrid classrooms. We’re also proud to announce that we’re launching a new initiative called Winter Walkabout Wednesdays.

THE INITIATIVE

Winter Walkabout Wednesday is a way to encourage physical activity while students are learning from home. We encourage teachers, school leaders, parents, and caregivers to participate in the initiative and include movement during the day to help children reach the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

PARTICIPATE

Join us Wednesdays throughout December for simple, self-guided activities that are perfect for yards and indoor spaces of all sizes and kids of all ages. We’ll post a new activity each Tuesday so everyone can be ready to participate on Wednesday!

Share your adventures with us at @getwalkabouts and #getwalkabouts #movemore #winterwalkabouts

We look forward to seeing your kids and students in action! Your contributions to this initiative will help build momentum for our shared vision of increasing movement in the classroom and beyond. As part of this initiative, we are encouraging everyone to check out the Active Schools movement to become a champion or physical activity in schools!

Happy December!

December 16, 2020

Winter Bowling

• Supplies needed: 1 pair of socks or a small plastic/foam ball, 5-10 empty plastic bottles to use as bowling pins
• Set up time: 3 minutes
• Physical activity time: 20 minutes

Instructions for Play: Line up several empty plastic bottles in a pattern (straight line, triangle, or circle). To make knocking the bottles over more challenging, fill them with sand or water, and make sure the caps are screwed on tight. Roll up and tie a pair of socks into a ball to use as the bowling ball, or use a small plastic or foam ball. Note: If you fill the bottles with sand or water, you should use a heavier ball to knock over the heavier bowling pins.

Step 1: While standing a few feet back from the pins, have each child take three turns rolling the ball toward the bottles.

Step 2: After each roll, have the child run, skip, jump, etc., to remove the pins that were knocked down and to collect the ball.

Step 3: For added movement and fun, encourage children to dance or jump up after they complete each turn.

Step 4: Continue until all pins are knocked over.

Step 5: Set the pins up in a new shape, and restart the indoor bowling fun!

Did your kids enjoy this indoor bowling activity? Be sure to share your winter bowling adventures with us @getwalkabouts  #walkabouts #winterwalkabouts

December 9, 2020

Winter Charades

• Supplies needed: Blank Charades template (link)
• Set up time: 5 minute
• Physical activity time: 20 minutes

Instructions for Play: Print out a free blank charades printable. Write winter words in each square. Suggestions include snow, snowman, ski, snowballs, sled, polar bear, scarf, tree, sweater, jacket, shovel, fireplace, blizzard, snowflake, skate, etc.

Step 1: Cut out the rectangles with the words on them. Fold them. Place the folded papers in a bowl or container.

Step 2: Have students take turns drawing one paper from the container. Students should then act out the winter word without speaking. The rest of the class should try to guess the word.

After each turn, encourage everyone to try and act out the winter word together!

What creative winter words did you use? How many variations did the student use? Share your winter charade adventures with us @getwalkabouts #getwalkabouts #winterwalkabouts

Check out other ideas on our Wintertime Educational Games and Activities blog post.