Fit Kids Healthy Kids is a program developed by Sport Manitoba and

supported by Doctors Manitoba based on physical literacy and the development of

fundamental movement skills in Children 3-12 years. The program is designed to teach children how to move with competence and confidence so that they may enjoy physical activity with a goal of keeping them active

for life.

Fit Kids Healthy Kids aids in community development, workshop delivery, training

and capacity building for parents, caregivers, and recreation workers in the area of physical literacy across Manitoba.

For more information about this program

please contact:

Caleb De Vries

Fit Kids Healthy Kids Coordinator 204-925-5676

caleb.devries@sportmanitoba.ca www.sportmanitoba.ca

Physical Literacy:

Just like reading and writing

children need to learn to move.

Running, jumping, throwing,

catching, hopping, striking, and

balance are some of the

important skills children should

work on from a very early age.

When you work on movement

skills with your child you help

them to feel good about being

active.

Children who are active are

healthier, do better in school,

get along better with friends and

feel better about themselves.

Bean Bag Pick up:

Little ones love to pick up bean

bags and put them into a bucket

or a box.

After all the bean bags are in the

bucket have fun spilling them out

again.

Count with your child as they put

the bags into and take them out

of the bucket.

Say a color for them to find and

put into the bucket or a color to

find to take out of the bucket.

Beanie Toss:

Set up a bucket for the child to

throw the bean bags into.

After the child has gotten the

bean bag into the bucket the

child can take a step back to

make the throw more difficult.

Set up a line of buckets to toss

at and make each of them worth

different points

Practice simple adding with your

child when you add up their

score.

Make sure they practice

throwing with their

left hand and

right hand.

Beanie Bucket Toss 2:

Use a bowling pin or pop bottle

for your child to knock over.

For variety, set up different

targets for them to throw at. A

stack of cans is fun to knock

down and fun to set up.

Hang a hoop or target from a tree

or on a fence.

Put targets close to practice

underarm throwing

Put targets further away or

hanging to practice overhand

throwing.

Bean Bag Body Balance: Have your child balance a bean

bag on different body parts while

standing still.

They can try on their head,

shoulder, arm, hand, elbow,

back, knee, foot and ankle.

To make it more difficult have

them move around while

balancing the bean bags on their

body.

Have them balance more than

one bean bag at a time on the

same or different body parts.

Pick up and Balance:

Have your child balance on

one foot and pick up bean

bags off the ground or floor.

Remember to practice while on

your left foot and your right

foot.

Have them hop on one foot

over to a bucket and put the

bean bag they picked up into it.

Or have them throw the bean

bag they picked up while still

standing on one foot.

Have them stand on another

bean bag to make balancing

more difficult.

Jumping beans: Have your child jump from 2

feet and land on 2 feet and put

a bean bag on the ground

where they land so they can see

how far they jumped.

Have them jump back and see if

they jump further.

Have them keep jumping in one

direction and place a bag where

they land each time.

Now see if they can jump back

and land close to each of the

bags they left as markers

before.

Place the bags

on the ground

in a row and

see if they

can jump

over each of

the bags.

Relays:

Place one bean bag on the

ground for the start and one a

distance away for the end.

Have your child run and switch a

bean bag that is in their hand for

the one that is on the ground.

Try using different movement/

locomotor skills for this game.

Have them skip, hop, gallop,

crab crawl etc. to the other bag

to change the game.

Have them balance a bag on

different body parts as they

move.

Match the Color, Number or

Letter:

Put construction paper that is

the same color of the bean bags

on the floor.

Have the child put the red bean

bag on the red paper.

Have them match all the colors.

Write numbers or letters on the

paper.

You call out a number or letter

Have the child put the bean bag

on that number or letter.

Switch the bag:

Scatter all your bean bags on the

floor or ground.

Call out one of the colors of the

bean bag

Have your child run and switch

the bean bag that is in their hand

for the one that is on the ground.

Call out the next color. Keep them

running.

Put numbers or letters on the

bean bags with a marker or tape

and call out numbers or letters for

them to run to and find.

Call out different ways for them to

get to the bags. Hop to blue, skip

to red, gallop to yellow.

Catch the bean:

Have your child throw the bean

bag in the air and then catch it in

both hands, one hand or in a

bucket or pail.

Throw the bean bag lightly into

the air and have your child catch

it in their hands or a bucket or

pail.

Have them throw the bean bag

from one hand to the other.

Count catches to practice

numbers

Walk the square:

Put 4 different color bean bags on

the ground as 4 corners of a

square.

Tell your child to always face you

when moving.

Call out different colors of the

bean bags for them to move to.

This will help them practice

movement forward, backwards

and sideways.

Get them to move faster to make

it more challenging

Show them how to gallop

sideways or cross step for better

sideways movement.

Have them balance a bean bag

on a body part while they move to

make it more difficult

From bean to bean:

Have your child stand with legs

spread apart.

Place a bean bag by each of his

or her feet.

Now have them stand on one

foot next to the bag that is by that

foot

Have them hop sideways from

foot to foot between the bags.

Move the bags further apart to

make it more difficult.

Have them stop for a few

seconds on 1 foot after each

jump.

Get them to jump to the rhythm

of you clapping or music to get

them to speed up and slow down

as you play.

Around your body:

Give your child one bean bag to

hold in their hand.

Call out different body parts

Have your child to move the bean

bag around that body part.

Have them pass from hand to

hand to move it around.

Have them make a short toss

from hand to hand to make the

game more difficult.

Stepping Beans:

Use bean bags like stepping

stones.

Place them on the ground

short distances away from

each other

Have your child step from

bag to bag.

Move the bags that your

child has stepped on out in

front of them to keep the

path growing.

Make the steps

a little harder

by making the

distance

between

the bags a

little further.

Play is often talked about as if it

were a release from serious

learning. But for children play is

serious learning. Play is the work

of childhood.

–Fred Rodgers

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