Celebrate National Nutrition Month
This annual observance is a campaign led by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to help people develop healthy eating and physical activity habits.
Read MoreCelebrate National Physical Fitness & Sports Month
Print PageOverview
Did you know that May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? An annual observance, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month is a time to highlight the importance of staying active through sports and other fitness activities. Celebrate this observance by promoting the importance of 60 minutes per day of physical activity for kids (and 30 minutes per day for adults) and providing opportunities to be physically active at school and at home.
Take Action
At School
With your school health team, brainstorm ways you can celebrate and invite school staff, administrators, parents, students and community members to a meeting to participate in the conversation. Ideas might include a:
-
- Community fitness fair or family fitness night.
- Walk-a-thon, where children raise money and use the funds raised to purchase physical activity equipment.
- Fitness circuit course.
- School-wide field day.
- Classroom challenge to be active for at least 10 minutes per day by participating in daily classroom physical activity breaks.
- Open gym for students to experience new sports and fitness activities.
- Incorporate National Bike to School Day into your plans, which also takes place in May.
- Encourage families to participate at home. Check out Game On’s Family Activity Points for 40+ tips for an active family.
- Invite parents to participate in physical education for the day!
- Offer intramural sports or pick-up games at school and encourage students and families to attend.
- Spotlight how to be physically active every day during the month through morning announcements.
At Home
- Bust out those hula hoops and jump ropes and compete with your family members for longest hoop record or best jump rope trick! These may not be official sports, but they’re a great way to get moving and have fun with your family!
- Catching a little TV? Not a problem! Participate with your family and see if you can hold a plank for an entire commercial break or spend the breaks running in place for a quick and fun family workout.
- Compete with your family in an Olympic Style event! Who can run the fastest sprint or jump the furthest?
- Try a new sport together! Frisbee, badminton, croquet and bocce ball are all easy sports to learn and play in your yard.
Tips
Market your schools’ events and activities and include information on social media and in school newsletters, post flyers around the building, and share during morning announcements. When May arrives, everyone will be ready to hit the ground running (literally!).
Too busy in May to celebrate? Use National Physical Fitness and Sports Month resources to celebrate physical activity and fitness at any time throughout the year!
Encourage children and families to make small changes. Remind them that activity for just 5 or 10 minutes at a time adds up throughout the day!
Partner with a local sporting goods store to see if a percentage of their proceeds can be donated to support physical activity initiatives.
Engaging volunteers to support your activities has a wide range of benefits. Who in your network has skills or interests that complement your needs? Brainstorm ways to engage individuals, organizations or businesses as volunteers to help.
Additional Resources
Categories: Physical Activity & Play, At Home, At School, Digital Resource