Game
This PE game uses movement and music to teach kids what influences their healthy choices.
Make a healthy choice!
Say: Show your choice after I read a “Would you rather?” question.
Today we will learn how a person, place, thing, or mood can influence your healthy choices.
An influencer can help you make healthy choices, or they can prevent you from making healthy choices.
For example, your family is an influencer that helps you make healthy choices when you eat healthy meals together or set a bedtime. Your school is an influencer, too. Schools provide recess and recess equipment to give you something to do rather than just stand around.
Your feelings and emotions can be influencers too. If you are feeling bored, you may want to sit and do nothing. If you are feeling excited, you may want to wave your arms in the air!
The number one thing you need to know is that if you stop and think about influencers – or what motivates you to make choices, you can help yourself make healthy choices.
Let’s practice recognizing things that influence our choices!
Learners begin to move around the perimeter of the activity area using a teacher-selected locomotor movement while music plays. Learners determine their pace, fast or slow.
After 20 to 30 seconds, pause music and ask learners to find a partner by going toe to toe (see Grouping Learners Blog section for grouping learners). Encourage positive social behavior by asking learners to find a new partner each time the music pauses.
Read an influencer statement aloud (see step 8). Partners work together to identify the influencer.
If the influencer is one that helps to make a healthy choice, learners do a star jump and shout, “I’m a healthy kid!” If the influencer makes it difficult to make a healthy choice, the learners do a bear crawl.
Star Jump = Squat down until thighs are parallel to the floor. Jump up and stretch your hands and feet out like a star, landing softly on your feet in the starting position.
Bear Crawl = Start on all fours with knees slightly off the ground, then move your right hand and left foot forward together, followed by your left hand and right foot, keeping your back flat and hips low.
Read aloud the following scenarios. Influencers and choices are in bold text:
You and your family decide to play a game instead of watching TV before bedtime.
You are hungry, so you decide to eat a piece of fruit.
You and your friends decide to play basketball at recess.
You are watching TV, and you want to eat a candy bar that you saw on a commercial. (Point out that the healthy choice would be to think of a snack that doesn’t have a lot of added sugar.)
You feel bored, so you decide to play a video game. (Point out that the healthy choice would be to get active or call a friend to play a game outside.)
You are thirsty, so you drink a glass of water.
You feel upset, so you will not talk to your friend. (Point out that the healthy choice would be to tell a friend or trusted adult why you are upset.)
It is raining outside, so you build a fort indoors.
It is almost bedtime, so you find a cozy spot to read quietly and wind down.
Once the scenarios have been read and discussed, you may repeat the activity with a different locomotor movement between scenarios or challenge partners to make up their own scenarios.
Name a person, place, thing, or mood that influences your healthy choices.
Would you Rather? is a fun and engaging physical education game designed to teach learners about healthy choices through movement. The game involves a series of challenges that require students to use various movements and actions to represent different healthy behaviors.
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