Let’s Get Moving
GOAL: Students learn how much physical activity theyneed each day and what their body does when they arebeing active.
OPENING
Today, we will learn why physical activity is important andhow you can stay active. We will also see what happens toyour heart and breathing when you are active.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
Physical activity helps you to stay strong, fit, and healthy. Kids should
get 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day. Adults should
get at least 150 minutes a week of physical activity. That’s at least 30
minutes of physical activity a day for 5 days per week.

©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Activity: Let’s Get Moving
 Who knows where your heart is? Place your hand over your heart.
 Can you feel it beating? Is it beating fast or slow?
 Now think about your breathing. Are you breathing fast or slow?
 We are going to do some physical activity now. Try to keep moving the entire time
if you can.
 Have the group do 2-3 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity. Forexample, jumping jacks, running in place, or dancing.
 STOP! Now put your hand over your heart. Is it beating fast or slow?
 Now, pay attention to your breathing. Is anyone breathing heavy? Is it harder totalk?
 Having your heart beat fast and breathing heavy are signs you are getting good
physical activity! This shows that your heart and lungs are working hard andgetting stronger.
 We did just a few quick exercises. What are examples of other physical activities?
 Sports (like soccer or basketball), playing on the playground, running, jumping,walking, swimming, yoga, stretching, and even doing chores are all goodanswers.

CLOSING: Physical activity is important for you to stay healthy. You should try
to be active every day. You can be active by playing sports, doing exercises,walking, dancing, playing outside, and even doing chores. A fast heart beatand breathing fast and deep, show that you are working hard!
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Healthy Foods
GOAL: Students learn to identify healthy andunhealthy food choices based on the five food groups.

OPENING
Today, we will learn about healthy food choices by thinking
about what you ate yesterday. We will decide which ones
are healthy, and put them in different food groups.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
Healthy foods keep your body and mind working at their best. A healthy
body works well. It has the energy you need to do what you want to do.

©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Activity: Healthy Foods
 Look at the picture of this healthy plate. This plate has all of the food groups
on it. Point to the food groups as you ask the following questions.
 Raise your hand if you had any fruit or vegetables yesterday? Show of hands
 Did anyone have five or more fruits or vegetables yesterday? Raise your hand.
Great! That is the recommended amount. Fruit and vegetables help you stayhealthy.
 Who had dairy yesterday? The dairy group includes milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Show of hands– Dairy helps to build strong bones.
 Who had protein foods yesterday? This group includes meat, poultry, eggs, beans
and lentils, soy foods, and nuts, so peanut butter counts! Show of hands– Protein foods help you to have strong muscles.
 Did you have any grains yesterday? Show of hands. Grains include bread, tortillas,pasta, rice, popcorn, oatmeal, and cereal.
– Grains give you plenty of energy.
 Does anyone know if they had any whole grains? Those are the healthiest kind.
They include whole-wheat bread, whole-grain cereal, oatmeal, and brown rice.

CLOSING: You can stay healthy by eating foods from all of the food groups
we talked about today. This will help you be healthy, have strong muscles
and bones, and have lots of energy.
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.
Graphic courtesy of Special Olympics

Stay Balanced
GOAL: Students define the term calories and learn theimportance of balancing what they eat and the activities
they do.
OPENING
Today, we will learn why it’s important to balance theamount of food that you eat and the physical activity thatyou do.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
Balancing the food you eat with the activity you do helps you stay at ahealthy weight. Being at a healthy weight makes it easier to perform atyour best.

©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Activity: Stay Balanced
 Who has heard of the word calorie? Show of hands.
 The word calorie is another word for energy.
 You take calories, or energy, into your body when you eat.
 You use calories, or energy, even when you are sitting still. You need calories tobreathe, think, and keep your body working as it should. Kids need calories to grow.
You also use calories when you are physically active.
 To keep a healthy weight, the calories you eat and calories you use should be inbalance.
 Draw or write a few examples of foods you liketo eat.

Favorite Foods

Favorite Activities

 Now draw or write a few examples of physicalactivities you like to do. You are drawing or
writing ways to take calories into the body andways to use those calories.
 What might happen if you eat a lot of food, but
don’t do any physical activity?
 Over time, you might gain more weight than you need to be healthy.
 What might happen if you do a lot of physical activity, but don’t eat a lot of food?
 You might feel tired and over time you might not weigh enough to be healthy.

CLOSING: It is important to be at a weight that is healthy for you so you canperform at your best. To balance what you eat with what you do, pay attention
to your body’s cues that you are hungry or full and be active every day.
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Talking About Feelings
GOAL: Describe positive and difficult feelings and thinkof ways you feel in different situations.

OPENING
Today, we’ll talk about feelings. There are positivefeelings (such as: glad, excited, calm) and difficult
feelings (such as: mad, worried, jealous, scared).
All feelings are normal, as long as we show them inhealthy ways.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
Talking about feelings is good for us. It helps us: know ourselves

 get along better be close to others solve problems©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Activity: Talking About Feelings
For each sentence, pick a word that tells how you feel. There’s no right or wrong
answers, just focus on how you feel.
 When I lose a game, I feel_____________.
 When I win a game, I feel____________.
 When someone says mean words, I feel____________.
 When I tell myself, “I can do this,” I feel____________.

CLOSING: There are many different feelings — positive ones and difficult
ones. They’re all normal, as long as we show them in healthy ways.
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.
Graphic courtesy of Special Olympics

Strong Breathing
GOAL: Learn and practice Strong Breathing to help
calm your mind.

OPENING
Today, we’ll learn a breathing exercise called StrongBreathing. A calm breath is a slow, easy breath thatfeels relaxing. When you take calm breaths it can help
calm your mind. Taking calm breaths is a skill you canpractice every day.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
It helps you stay calmer when things go wrong, be steady and ready forchallenges, pay attention, and focus better.

©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Activity: Strong Breathing
Try this sitting down. You can close your eyes or keep them open. Let your breaths beslow, easy, and relaxed.

Pretend you are smelling a flower
by breathing in through yournose slowly

Pretend you are blowing out acandle slowly

CLOSING: Taking four calm breaths can help your body and mind feel calm.
You can use this skill anytime you feel stressed or upset.
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.
Graphic courtesy of Special Olympics

Strong Supporting
GOAL: Identify the positive impact that helping has on
us and identify ways we can help others and how others
can help us.
OPENING
Helping is good for us. It may even have more benefit for
the helper than for the person being helped. What about
when you need help? Are you as good at asking for help as
you are at giving it?
It’s good practice to ask for help whenever you need or want it. Everyone
deserves help, including you! The right kind of help makes you feel goodabout yourself.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
People who help others: are happier and more upbeat
 feel calmer feel capable and strong

Activity: Strong Supporting
Let’s all think of ways that we can be better teammates by helping each other. Thinkof a way that you can help a teammate or coach by completing this sentence:
I will help________________________ by_______________________________.

Now think of three people you can go to when you need help.

CLOSING: It’s good to give help — and it’s good to ask for help. Helping
others lets you feel happier, more capable, and closer to other people.
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.
Graphic courtesy of Special Olympics

Strong Messages
GOAL: Discuss self-talk and think of a personal
example of how positive self-talk helped you.

OPENING
Sometimes, we talk to ourselves out loud. Like this: “Nowwhere did I put my pen?” But mostly, we talk to ourselves
without saying the words out loud. We each have a quiet
voice in our mind that makes comments — pretty much all
the time. A name for this inner voice is “self-talk.” This self-talk is there in
the background, and it influences us — even when we’re not paying muchattention. If we tune in, and try to listen to our own self-talk, we can start tonotice the way we talk to ourselves — what we say, but also how we say it.
How can this help me become a better athlete?
Positive self-talk makes us feel good about ourselves. It helps us trythings, believe in ourselves, and work hard to do well.

©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.

Activity: Strong Messages
Read the examples below and raise your hand when you hear positive self-talk. This is
the way we would talk to a really good friend.
 I’m the only one who doesn’t know how to do this.
 Oh, I missed that one. But I’ll be ready for the next one.
 Ugh! I can’t believe I made that mistake.
 I can do this!
 If I practice, I’ll get better at this.
 I can take a calm breath — I’m OK.

CLOSING: We talk to ourselves all the time. That little voice in our mind iscalled self-talk. It’s best to talk to yourself in positive ways. Positive self-talkhelps you feel good about yourself. It helps you feel confident, encouraged,hopeful, and ready. Let’s each come up with one positive self-talk statementthat you can use right now.
©2021 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth® and the Michael Phelps Foundation. All rights reserved.