For a downloadable version of the Activity Guide, click here!
To see this week’s challenge video, click here.
For this week’s bonus game, click here.
Overview
This Empower Session focuses on the positive impacts of play. In this session we will:
Discuss four ways play helps you.
- Play helps your body
- It helps you feel good
- Play makes your brain more powerful
- Playing helps you be more creative.
Play a balance challenge game that will get you active and smiling.Create and play your own memory game.Coach Eugene and Coach Reggie talk about the importance of play.Wrap up with some discussion questions to think about while you’re at home.
This lesson can be completed in 15 minutes.
Materials
- Balance Challenge: Ball/balloon
- Memory Game: Scissors, Paper and Writing Utensil
Activity overview — Balance challenge
This is a physical activity that will help challenge your balance and get your heart beating. You’ll need a ball or balloon for this activity.
- Take your ball or balloon and toss it between two hands.
- Then, try tossing it on just one hand.
- After that, try it standing on just one leg.
- Want to make it even harder? Try hopping while you toss your ball!
- Experts can try closing one eye while tossing the ball for the ultimate challenge!
If at any point you drop your ball or balloon, just pick it up and start again! Count to see how many tosses you can get!
After this activity is over, put one hand on your heart to see if it made your heart beat faster. Think about whether you feel any happier after completing the activity? Did you smile during the activity? How does playing make you feel?
Activity overview — Memory
This is an matching game that will challenge you to focus. You’ll need scissors, paper and a writing utensil.
- Cut your paper into 20 similar sized squares.
- Draw the following pictures on each of your squares. Each square will have a picture and each square will have an identical twin.
- Flip all the squares over on a table so you can’t see their pictures. Then scramble them all up.
- Flipping over two squares at a time try to find each square’s match. When you find a match, set it off to the side. If you don’t find a match, flip those two squares over and try again! Time yourself to see how long it takes to find all the matches.
You can play this game alone or with a family member. If playing with another person, take turns trying to make matches. Whoever gets the most matches at the end wins!
If you want to make an even more creative game, recreate your squares and this time make every set have opposite pictures. For example, a match would have a picture of a dog and a cat or hot and cold.
Discussion questions
Coach Reggie is prioritizing active play each day after every meal. He’s taking walks, doing yoga, and getting fresh air. How can you prioritize 30 minutes of active play each day while practicing social distancing?
How can you record your improvements over time? Time yourself to see how you improve during the matching game. Log how many bounces you can get during the balance challenge. If you’re doing other activities, keep a record of how you improve over time and you’ll feel extra excited to be active each day! You could tape a paper up on your wall and write down what activity you’re doing each day!
Bonus activities
Coin Flip & Catch
The objective of this game is to catch as many coins out of the air as you can. For this activity you will need about five coins.
- Hold your hand out, palm facing down.
- Place a coin on the back side of your hand.
- Quickly flip your hand over and attempt to catch the coin.
Challenge yourself: Try with 2 coins, 3 coins, 4 coins, etc.
Paper Football
The objective of this game is to flick a paper football inside of a cup as many times as you can in two minutes. You will need a sheet of paper and an empty cup.
- Step 1: Create a triangular paper football (Use this link for help on how to create a paper football)
- Step 2: Place a cup in the center of a table
- Step 3: Place the football on the edge of the table and attempt to flick the football inside of the cup
Each made attempt is worth 3 points. See how many points you can get in two minutes. Feel free to challenge any family members/friends.
Balance and Strength
The objective of these exercises is to strengthen the body and track improvement. You will not need any equipment for these exercises.
- Step 1: Find an open space to practice balance and strength exercises
- Step 2: Hold a squat for 10 seconds
- Step 3: Do 10 jumping jacks
- Step 4: Do 10 pushups
The goal is to improve your time/count every day (ex. 10 pushups on day 1; 15 pushups on day 2). You can also try these exercises out while watching television.
Other resources
Our friends at Chicago Run post daily live activity videos, you can look at some on their website here, or on their facebook page.
If you want to DANCE, check out KIDZ BOP for lots of videos to sing and dance along with. There’s also a KIDZ BOP page in Spanish!
If you love the movie Frozen, you can check out this “Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure” based on the story of Elsa!
