MOVE BETTER...

...PERFORM BETTER
PLAY TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN THE CLASSROOM
Research on the positive benefits of fitness continues to grow. With such wide spread information
available on the health benefits, it is no wonder more people are starting to take the time to learn more
about the topic. Fitness is vital to a healthy lifestyle, and making fitness a habit for our youth should
be a priority. Thank you for taking the time to read this ebook, and for your desire to learn more about
how you can help make fitness fun, and start the positive habit of fitness!
Teachers have the incredible job of educating our children, the next generation of future leaders. Their
duties are paramount, and their impact on children can be astounding. Teachers are often role models
to our children. For this reason, it is so important that teachers use their position as a mentor/ role
model/authority figure, to encourage a healthy lifestyle for our youth. Unfortunately, with such
growing pressure on academic results, the importance of physical health can fall by the wayside. As
teachers, one must find creative and inspiring ways to make physical fitness part of the every day
routine.
Physical activity in itself has many benefits, many of which can cross over to the classroom. A healthy
mind and body will increase focus, attention, mood and more! Refreshing the mind and allowing
children to expend excess energy by incorporating fitness into the classroom can result in a more
positive academic environment.
Fitness does not have to be hard work, nor a struggle for kids who do not enjoy it! This ebook will
give you several great ideas on how to incorporate fun fitness in the classroom or gymnasium.
JACK AND THE BEAN-STOCK
The goal of this game is to create full body movement, increase spatial awareness, and promote
cardiovascular conditioning and balance. This game can be played with or without music. Instructor
participation is encouraged. A perfect example of instructor participation would be incorporating the
popular Simon Says into the game. The instructor could use the Simon Says method to indicate
when the participant is to act like Jack climbing the bean-stock, and when the child is to act like a
bean!
Target Group:
This game is great for delivery in small spaces, and is geared for grades K-3.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Spread out, and have each child stands upright.
2. Have the children climb an imaginary bean-stock. Movements will start with the child mimicking
the movement of climbing. They must work on opposite arm/leg climbing. They should be
encouraged to reach for bean-stock branches and encouraged to take small, quick steps for
branches close together.
3. When instructed to be a bean, children are to drop to the ground and curl up into a balllike
position.
4. When instructed to act like Jack, children will stand tall and continue to mimic climbing a
bean-stock.
Cardiovascular conditioning can be promoted through increasing the rate of transition of the various
tasks. Also, it is a good idea for the teacher to encourage single leg stance as the child reaches for a
higher branch.
THE ALPHABET GAME
Target Group:
This game is great for grades k-7 (and is also fun for adults). Delivery of this game requires a large,
open space.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Separate the class into groups. Bigger groups are better in order to make a letter or number
with bodies.
2. A home base should be established for each group at opposite ends of the gymnasium. The home
base should be soft, such as a mat on the floor. Each individual in the group is to stand at the
opposite end of the gymnasium from their home base. They are to face AWAY from their home
base.
3. The instructor calls out a letter from the alphabet. The instructor should clarify if the letter is
capitalized, or a lower case letter.
4. When the letter is called out, each team must turn and run to their home base.
5. Once at their home base, the individuals are to lie on the ground and work as a group to make the
letter with their bodies.
Example: If the letter is a T, each team member would lay down and position their bodies along with
their team so that ALL bodies together make the letter T.
DROP-N-STOP
This game is great for mobility and flexibility, as well as balance and co-ordination. This game can be
played by groups of students, or by individuals. Participants will need soft tools, such as beanbags.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades k-7, and can be played in either small or large spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Each child receives one beanbag. The goal of the game is to move the beanbag around to different
body parts without using ones hands to pick it up. The back of the hand is allowed but the child
cannot grab the beanbag.
2. Start the game with the beanbag anywhere on the body, such as the top of the head, knee, or the
back of the hand.
3. The child must move the beanbag to another body part without dropping it on the floor. An
example of this would be placing it on top of the head, then bending forward so it drops and lands
on top of the thigh or the foot.
4. See how many different body parts a child can move the beanbag to without it dropping to the
floor.
MIND BENDER
This is a great game for flexibility, mobility and balance. The goal of this game is to encourage each
child to lengthen and strengthen; stretching their body in different positions by reaching
and balancing.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades k-7, and is best when played in small spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Each participant positions themselves on their hands and knees.
2. The facilitator instructs the participants on which move they will do.
3. Firstly, instruct the participants to balance on both knees.
4. Instruct the participants to lay flat on their stomachs, and stretch themselves so that they are
lengthening their bodies.
5. Tell the participants to reach their bottoms to the sky as they put pressure into the floor with their
hands and feet (like a downward dog in yoga). This action will form an inverted v shape with
the body.
6. Instruct the participants to maintain this position while they lift the same side or opposite
hand/foot off the floor.
7. Instruct the participants to bend over and touch their toes.
8. Instruct the participants to stand on one foot, reach down and touch their toes.
9. The positions are up to the imagination of the teacher. Get the kids involved too! Ask them for
the next position!
ANIMAL FARM
This is a great game for full body movement, cardiovascular conditioning, strength, agility, quickness,
flexibility, mobility and more! It is full body fun! The imagination can soar and most kids understand
the movement that a particular bug or animal will make!
Target Group:
This is a great game for grades K-5, and needs to be played in larger spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Split the class into two groups. Use the entire gymnasium, or as much space as possible.
2. Have the groups stand at one end of the room.
3. Group 1 will start. Group 2 will continue behind Group 1 with enough distance between so that
the kids dont overlap. Each group can encourage the other and feel free to use animal sounds!
4. The teacher can cue each animal, or bug. The groups must perform movement patterns that
resemble the animal/bug.
5. If a teacher calls out BEAR, the kids should bear crawl across the gym floor to the other side.
6. If a teacher calls out WORM, the kids should slither or roll to the other side of the gym.
7. If a teacher calls out HORSE, the kids should gallop to the other side of the gym.
COLOUR TAG
This is a great game for cardiovascular conditioning, quickness, agility and strength. You could either
purchase the Twister game that includes the round coloured piece you place on the ground, or you
could make your own from coloured paper. You dont have to cut a circle. Just use the coloured paper
to make it simple.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades 3-7, and needs to be played in larger spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. You can use the twister spinner, or the teacher can draw from a bucket with pieces of coloured
paper in it.
2. All the children run/walk/crawl around a designated area. When the teacher calls out the colour,
the kids must run and place their foot onto the same coloured paper block as the teacher called
out. Only one child per coloured square.
3. Whatever child does not find the designated coloured square must perform a move, such as
squats, jumps or whatever the teacher decides.
SHAKE-N-BAKE
This is a great game for cardiovascular conditioning, and is a spin on the traditional game Musical
Chairs.
Target Group:
This is a great game for grades k-4, and needs to be played in large spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Play music and encourage the children to dance to their hearts content. Encourage a variety of
dance styles including ballet, hip-hop, whatever is fun and energetic for the participants.
2. When the music stops, the child must freeze in one position. Down on the floor, laying flat, on
hands and knees. Standing tall! Position doesnt matter.
JOY RIDE
This is a great game for cardiovascular conditioning and full body awareness because this game
mimics the Train Game.
Target Group:
This is a great game for grades k-5 and needs to be played in larger spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Have one student start the ride by walking or running around the gymnasium.
2. Ask the children to think about a drive to somewhere they are familiar with. Think about the
corners of the road, the hills and the bumps.
3. The first driver can tag or bump additional children who then have to join the ride. They can
follow behind or keep one hand on the shoulder of the person in front.
4. Have the children make tight corners, roll on the floor, jump up to mimic dips in the road, crawl
to mimic driving under a bridge. Imagination is endless. The goal is to get the entire class joined
together and trying to follow the lead of the driver. Get ready for some great laughs.
FUNCTION JUNCTION
This is a great game for mobility and is a great game to play when you feel that the children are losing
focus in class. Take a 10 minute mobility break! Take your class through the circuit 1-3 times.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades 3-7 (but anyone can benefit!), and can be played in small spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:
1. Chicken Wing

1. Each child goes on their hands and their knees, and places one hand on the back of their head.
Their elbow points out to the side.
2. Have them rotate the elbow down toward their hand that is on the ground. Then rotate the elbow
up back up toward the ceiling.
3. Make sure that the movement happens from the upper back and that the participants are not just
flapping their bent arms up and down.
2. Squat to stand

1. Have the children bend over and grab their toes or their ankles.
2. Ask them to pull on their toes and drop their bum downward so they are in a low squat position.
3. The childrens arms should be inside their knees while they are still holding onto their toes.
4. Instruct the children to put slight pressure with their arms on the inside of their knees, and raise
their chests up while slightly pulling the head back.
5. Have the children raise up and out of the squat position. The children will continue to keep their
hands under their toes (or holding ankles if range is an issue).
3. Flag pole

1. Have the children stand on one leg with the knees slightly bent.
2. Have them rotate the opposite leg to their left and right as far as they can maintain balance.
3. The stance leg should stay as quiet as possible. The rotating leg should not perform the
movement; it should be hanging lifeless
4. The rotation happens from the stance hip. Ask them to perform without their shoes on, and to
slightly lift the inside of the foot off the ground so contact is on the heel, the outside of arch and
the big toe.
STRENGTH BY NUMBERS
This is a fun game that focuses on counting. You may want each child to use a mat if possible so the
floor is softer for those highly energetic and speedy kids. Higher grades can also take part, and it
will become more about fitness and less about counting.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades k-3 and can be played in a moderately sized space.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Ensure each child has enough space around them that they dont bump into the person beside
them.
2. Pick a movement that applies to a number from 1-10
3. You must perform the movement that applies to each number.
Example:
ONE = One jump
TWO = 2 toe touches
THREE = 3 drops to the ground (drop down to hands and knees and stand up quick)
FOUR = 4 jumps
FIVE = five rolls to left, 5 rolls back (arms outstretched as they lay on the floor)
BALLOON PLAY
Not only is this a great game of laughs, but it also promotes cardiovascular conditioning, quickness
and agility.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades 3-7, and is best when played in larger spaces. Please note that each child
will be responsible to blow up his/her own balloon.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Each child receives a balloon. Instruct them to blow it up, but NOT tie it.
2. Children should be spaced out from one another to allow some room for movement, but part of
the game is to be agile enough to NOT run into other classmates
3. Ask the children to hold the balloon HIGH above their heads, and release the balloon. They must
catch the balloon before it lands on the ground. As the air releases from the balloon, the balloon
will fly all over the place!
MOVEMENT FLOW IMAGINATION PLAY
This is a great game for promoting co-ordination, flexibility, mobility, and strength. It is great in that
the game encourages imagination and thought.
Target Group:
This game is great for grades k-3, and can be played in small or big spaces depending on how much
the teacher asks the children to move around.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Ask the children to perform a movement related to a specific topic. It is a great idea to tie
activity in with the class curriculum, for example, if the class is studying nature, the facilitator
can ask the class to mimic a growing flower or a tree. In this example, the children could curl up
like a seed, and slowly open themselves up by stretch their bodies into positions that mimic a
growing flower.
2. Another example could be to have the children mimic water in a stream; the children could flop
down on the floor and wiggle and splash around.
3. If the class is studying animals, children could be instructed to walk like a gorilla or cat. In this
example, children could also be encouraged to include animal sounds.
4. One of the activities could be to mimic something motorized, for example running around like a
car or motorbike.
5. Another day could mimic sports; they must perform like a basketball player, hockey player or
soccer player!
X-TREME FUN
Target Group:
This game is great for grades k-7, and is ideally played in a gymnasium our outdoors.
Steps for Facilitation:

1. Have the class split up into four groups (which should be even) and stand in the center of the
gym.
2. On each corner of the gym place an object (it doesnt matter what the object is, but it should be
DIFFERENT in each corner)
3. Each group faces their chosen corner looking at their object.
4. On GO, one person from each group runs towards their object, picks it up, and runs clockwise
along the end line towards the NEXT corner.
5. The participant will drop the object in a bucket or on the floor, and run towards the CENTRE of
THAT corner (the participant should be moving from corner to corner). Make sure to have the
participant run on the opposite side of the students who are running toward the corner to retrieve
the objects.
6. The goal is to get the objects BACK to their original corner, which means that the students have
four corners to retrieve objects from. This is a longer game depending on how fast the students
are and how many students are participating.
7. While the students are waiting in the centre, this can either be a rest time, or depending on class
size, the teacher could have them perform a movement or task while they wait.
TOWEL POWER
This is a great game for general strength, core strength and stability. It also challenges the
cardiovascular system. Each student will need a small towel. Paper towel will work, but wont last for
very long. When games ask for reps or you are working one side at a time, the facilitator can pick
the amount of reps. A suggestion would be to start off with 10 repetitions per side.
Target Group:
This game is designed for grades 3-7, and can be played in either small or large spaces.
Steps for Facilitation:
1. There are several exercises you can use with only the use of a towel on a gym or
classroom floor:
Towel pushes Place the towel on the floor. Have the student put their hands on the towel, and push it
across the classroom or to a desired location. The student will be pushing with their feet in a bear
crawl position. Remind the children to be careful to not lose focus as they may fall forward.
Commando or bear crawls Place toes on the towel. Students must crawl across the floor on their
elbows or hands while pulling the towel with them. Having the hands on floor and toes on towel are
the only body contact with the ground. This is a very challenging drill, and should be modified from
commando to a bear crawl pull if students cannot perform properly.
Skaters Have each student put one foot on a towel. Get into a hockey skater position and push the
towel leg backwards at a 45-degree angle. The standing leg should stay bent with chest up and head
looking forward. The participant pulls his/her leg back into the starting position, and repeats the
motion. Try to incorporate arm movement as well. When the leg is pushed back, the same side arm
extends forward. This is very challenging for the balancing leg, so make sure to instruct the
participants not to pop up and down, but to hold the low skating position for the entire drill.
Heel digs Have the students lay on their backs with their legs bent and towel under each heel. This
movement is easier with 2 towels, one under each heel and more advanced with one towel under both
heels.
With two towels, have the students lift their bums off the floor and alternate legs by pulling one heel
into the bum while the other leg extends outward. Alternate legs, or pull both legs into the bum at the
same time and straighten them both out at the same time. Try some reps without resting the bum on
the ground.
Scrub the floor Students move into position on their hands and their knees. Place one towel under
both hands and direct students to place more weight on the arms. Ask the students to push the towel
out to different angles one arm at a time, always returning the towel back to the start position. This
moves the workload to the core and upper body. Keep the stable arm slightly bent, and ask the
students to keep their hips in a straight position without dropping them downwards.
TIPS FOR FITNESS FUN
Use Outdoor Playground Equipment
Swings can be great stability tools. Have the children place their forearms into the swing seat with
their legs outstretched behind them. Ask them to stay strong and long with their elbows directly
underneath their shoulders. Do not let them collapse forward so that their upper arms are resting on
their forearms.
Sand/Pebbles
Most playgrounds are surrounded with sand or pebbles. You can use the surrounding sand and pebbles
to run drills. Running in sand or rocks (pebbles) can be very challenging.
Baseball diamonds
Use the diamonds as stations. A great activity is having the participants run around the bases, stopping
at each base to perform an exercise.
Equipment
Balls can be used for throwing, kicking and more!
Bigger balls can be used to sit on and balance with feet off the floor. Basketball and soccer balls can
be used to place hands on and try to hold a strong and long body position with feet on floor and
holding bodyweight on ball. Be sure to make sure the child stable enough to control motion so they
dont fall over.
Buddy up! Do shadow drills as much as possible. Partners face each other and must mimic the it
person. One child must be the shadow while the other child copies each movement. This is a great
lateral agility drills (moving side to side) as it encourages balance, jumps, and turns.
Get children moving as much as possible! Unstructured play is still the best way to encourage
movement! Encourage 30-60 minutes of activity per day to reap the rewards of happy children!
All games have a recommended grade range but it is always up to the instructor to determine
suitability of activities. Games can be played indoor or outdoor.
Excel Fitness Inc. Training Centre
Excel Fitness is a training centre located in downtown Vernon, British Columbia. It is an exclusive
environment accepting only 150 paying members. This allows customer service to be exceptional and
our focus to be results driven and goal oriented.
Excel Fitness was born on May 14, 2011 but only recently crystalized into the training centre we have
today with 100% of our programming designed, tested and tweaked by the owners, Rhonda Catt and
Carla Rayner.
CATT Conditioning Performance Centre
Hidden inside Excel Fitness is The CATT Performance Centre. This area features forward thinking
athletic training for youth to pros. Functional Movement Screening, Agility, Power, Speed, Endurance
and Recovery are all integrated.
Various workshops and seminars are available for local sports teams and coaching clinics.
Clients of CATT Conditioning Performance Centre and Excel Fitness benefit from continuing
education and experience of the owners and staff.
CARLA RAYNER ~ CANFIT PRO CPT, FIS,
Excel Fitness Incorporated and
CATT Conditioning Performance Centre
Head Office
3203- 30th Avenue Vernon,
British Columbia, Canada V1T 2C6
778-475-5622
info@excelfit.ca
www.excelfit.ca
www.cattconditioning.com
www.facebook.com/MyExcelFit
@excelfitvernon
@cattcondition
RHONDA CATT ~ NASM/BCRPA CPT, FMS LEVEL 2,
NCCP LEVEL 2,
Table of Contents
JACK AND THE BEAN-STOCK
THE ALPHABET GAME
DROP-N-STOP
MIND BENDER
ANIMAL FARM
COLOUR TAG
SHAKE-N-BAKE
JOY RIDE
FUNCTION JUNCTION
STRENGTH BY NUMBERS
BALLOON PLAY
MOVEMENT FLOW IMAGINATION PLAY
X-TREME FUN
TOWEL POWER
TIPS FOR FITNESS FUN
Excel Fitness Inc. Training Centre
CATT Conditioning Performance Centre