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Fitness Friday

Weekly class time dedicated to movement and fun

Overview

Fitness Friday is a strategy shared by an educator in Santa Barbara Unified School District where students participate in a weekly fitness activity each Friday for 20-30 minutes. Started as an in-person activity, it quickly became one of the students’ (and families’) highlights of the week while working remotely as well. As part of Fitness Friday, students are given the opportunity to wear fitness clothes (which is optional but fun), vote on activities, and even suggest additions via comment cards. Some activities include:

  • Yoga with guest instructors joining virtually

  • A-Z workout - Students spell out words, names, vocabulary, etc., and each letter is associated with an activity

  • “I am” statement workouts - Students announce, “I am excited,” and accompany the statement by doing a specific activity (e.g., pushups, jumping jacks, etc.)

Throughout the year students also work towards achieving 24 hours of total movement, and if they achieve their goal, they celebrate as a class. Building in time and space for students to engage in an activity together, whether virtual or in-person, along with their educator and even their families, enables students to build a stronger sense of community and camaraderie that extends beyond both physical and virtual classroom walls.


NOTE: It is important to always make sure to build in scaffolded and/or additional options that meet the physical needs of all of your students.