Importance of Promoting Physical Education and Physical Activity

Character Skill: Focus

There are many ways a person can choose to focus. One of those ways, or skills, you can use is called Better Breathing, or deep breathing. Better Breathing is learning to take deep breaths so that it feels like it goes way into your stomach — making your belly poke out. With Better Breathing, the key is to breathe in slowly and quietly and breathe out slowly and quietly. The action of breathing in and our quietly tells our brain to help our body relax. Your heart rate will start to slow down and will help you focus better. Better breathing is a great skill because it can be done anytime, anywhere!

Related health. moves. minds. Resources:

Mini-Posters

• Better Breathing
• Grades K-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Activities

• Review a Mindful Minute and Introduce Better Breathing
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5
• Review a Mindful Minute and Better Breathing
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8

Character Skill: Self-Awareness

We all feel emotions and can feel many different emotions in one day. No emotion is bad! Being self-aware is being able to pay attention to our feelings and our thoughts. Once we can identify a feeling, we can make a healthy and safe choice to take care of our mind and body. For this activity, you will learn another skill to help when you're feeling big feelings as well as putting self-awareness into action with a parachute!

Related health. moves. minds. Resources:

Mini-Posters

• Mindful Minute
• Grades K-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Activities

• A Mindful Minute
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8
• Take a Selfie
• Grades K-2
• Take a H.A.L.T.E.D. Selfie
• Grades 3-5
• H-A-L-T-E-D: What’s Bothering Me?
• Grades 9-12
• Mindful Parachute
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5

Character Skill: Respect

Respect means that you are kind enough to think about others’ feelings before you act. It doesn’t matter if someone is different than you. We are all people and we should be respectful to each other no matter what.

Related health. moves. minds. Resources:

Mini-Posters

• Respectful Listening
• Grades K-5

Activities

• Was This Respectful
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5
• Don’t Bust the Water Balloon
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5

Character Skill: Trustworthiness

A value is something that you think is important in life, like trustworthiness. Values will be different for all of us. We may share some values, we may have different ones, and some values may be the same, but might not be as important as other values compared to our friends and family. Our values can guide us in how we make decisions. Understanding our values can help us be more self-aware and more respectful towards others.

Related health. moves. minds. Resources:

Activities

• Values Tournament
• Grades 6-8
• Words With Friends
• Grades 3-5

Character Skill: Creativity

Being creative can help us solve problems and think outside of the box. Being creative can also help us when we are having a big feeling and want to help calm our mind and body by using our imaginations. 

Related health. moves. minds. Resources:

Mini-Posters

• Mindful Movie
• Grades 3-5
• Mindful Senses
• Grades 6-8
• Mindful Coloring
• Grades 9-12

Activities

• Hungry, Hungry Caterpillars
• Grades K-2
• Imagination Creation
• Grades 3-5
• From Here to There
• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8

Character Skill: Life-Learner

Being a life-learner is an important skill. As you get older you will learn more and your thoughts might change as you do. No one can ever take away what you learn! Learning and practicing new skills is part of being a life-learner.

Related health. moves. minds. Resources:

Mini-Posters

• Muscle Relaxation
• Grades K-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

Activities

• Muscle Relaxation
• Grades K-2
• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8

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