Activity Ideas to Get Kids Moving at the Library

Reading is a beneficial, but sedentary, activity. As librarians, we are all about encouraging kids to read more. Developing your mind is crucial, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of your body. It’s not enough just to read about physical activity. If you need activities to get your little bookworms moving, check out some of these ideas:

• Choosy Kids – Choosy Kids offers free resources for developing healthy vocabulary, including ideas and instructions for inexpensive home made play props.
• Color Me Healthy – Color Me Healthy offers downloadable songs and lyrics on healthy topics you can use in your programs.
• Shape America – The Society of Health and Physical Educators offers instructions for lead-up games, which teach “one or more of the skills, rules, and/or strategies used to play the actual sport it mimics.” They also offer early childhood activity ideas for infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – The VERB Yellowball campaign is designed to “make physical activity cool and fun for tweens, encouraging them to keep moving every day.” Make It Up includes two pages of game ideas.
• Zoom Games from PBS Kids – Includes instructions for games that allow you to “Turn off your computer and play!”
• SPARK PE – Spark PE offers free downloadable lesson plans for a variety of ages.
• Fun Fitness Activities for Kids – Fun activities to motivate students to be active.
• Rainy Day Physical Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers – Developmentally appropriate indoor activities perfect for your story time audience.
• Indoor Physical Activity Ideas for Kids – Ideas you can implement if inclement weather puts a hold on your outdoor activities.
• Cold Weather Fun – It may be warm in the summer, but in North Dakota, it never hurts to have indoor/outdoor activity ideas for when it’s cold!

When it’s time to take a break from reading, what’s your favorite way to get moving?

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