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Type of Play: Physical Activity
Subcategory: Physical Activity Anytime, Anywhere
Student Interest Areas: Arts, Geography, Physical Fitness, Public Relations
Grade Level: Elementary
Level of Involvement: Going Further
Create activity zone areas on the playground (or in the gym), designated for specific types of activities. Use cones and signs to identify each zone and the activities that will be done there. Set up areas and activities that can make the most of the space you have! Change the zones and activities every couple of weeks.
Everyone Can:
- Help design the activity zones and activities
- Solicit donations of equipment and materials
- Design activity zone signs
- Help organize activities during activity periods
- Encourage friends and classmates to be physically active every day
- Change the zones and activities every few weeks to keep things interesting for students.
Keep It Going:
- With the help of your school’s physical education team, design a set of activity zones for different types of activities, like group games, jumping rope, areas for tag and others.
- Use cones or other markers, and signs to designate the different areas. Make signs that explain what activities are designated for the different activity zones and help students select zones that are right for them.
- Make big poster-sized maps of the activity zones to put up around the school, especially near exits to the playground or at the entrance to the gym, so students know what to expect when they enter the zones!
- Get volunteer students or adults to help run activities in the different zones.
- You may want to solicit donations for the project in the form of funding or equipment. Use the Tools below to help. Consider applying for funding opportunities on FuelUpToPlay60.com!
This Play may help you meet the goals of the USDA's HealthierUS School Challenge!
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ideas for getting your entire community involved in Fuel Up to Play 60!
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Activity Zones
"Stencils are painted all over our campus. Students can create games or play the games that were created by others. This can be utilized during WOW time, recess and after school!"
"At James Bowie Elementary, Dallas, Texas ,Activity Zones are a favorite of my students. Each activity is challenging and enjoyable. Each station has the name of an activity and the goal/number of repetitions to be completed by students. Having a variety of stations is important as student skill levels differ. Students are given a log to write the number completed, and the log is turned in at the end of class. Pedometers are used as an incentive for students to achieve personal goals."
"Letting the students create a list of activities and then changing out the activities keeps students active during recess. "
"I do this with stations in my physical education classes. We need to fix our field outdoors so we can add an exercise circuit."
"This year students had many ways to become involved in physical activities. We held a jog-a-thon at the beginning of the year and raised a lot of money that was put toward athletics. "
"Students were able to pick out what kinds of activities they would like to do during recess or “fun fitness.” This gave students a voice in choosing the activities that would ultimately be successful at Coleman."