Every Kid Healthy Week

Have you heard of Every Kid Healthy Week?

Many schools highlight the aspects of health each year during the last full week in April.  This event was created in 2013 to encourage and help schools promote health and wellness.  It's a known fact that healthy kids are better learners.  Each day of the week focuses on different actions that families and schools can take to improve the health and wellness of their children.  The actions focus on the link between nutrition, physical activity, mental health and learning. 

Check out the Action for Healthy Kids website for over 200 ideas (resource library) that you can use with your family or school.  These activities are great to use during Every Kid Healthy Week and all year long.  Try a few suggested below, or others from the website.  You can even make up your own activities.

• MINDFUL MONDAY 4/25  Monday the focus is Social Emotional Health.  Do activities to help kids learn how to manage emotions and interact with other people in positive ways.   
  • Calm Down Corner
  • Creative Expression and Movement
• TASTY TUESDAY 4/26  Tuesday the focus is Nutrition and Food Access.  Explore good nutrition and learn why eating a variety of healthy foods is good for your bodies.  Explore places to get food - grocery store, farmer's market, garden,...  
  • Food Art
  • Shopping with the Seasons
  • Freezing Fruits and Vegetables
  • Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt
• .WELLNESS WEDNESDAY 4/27  Wednesday the focus is Physical Activity and Active Play.  Explore outside and the world around you.  Find ways to have fun while moving your body.  
  • Backyard Fitness Circuit Course
  • 40 Tips for an Active Family
  • Get Moving with Glowsticks
• THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY 4/28  Thursday the focus is Equity Awareness.  Encourage kids to be thoughtful, resourceful, and care about others.   
  • Give Back by Wasting Less
  • Donate to the Anne Arundel County Food Bank, the Lighthouse Shelter, or another community food bank.
  • Have a discussion about gratitude.
• FAMILY FRIDAY 4/29  Friday the focus is Family-School Partnership.  Activities to bring families and schools closer together and work as a team.  
  • Create a Family Self-Care Plan
  • Building Family-School Partnerships Through Nutrition Education and Promotion and 5 Tips for Developing Strong, Effective Family-School Partnerships
  • Bully Prevention

Here is a fantastic resource that covers a little bit of everything introduced during the week and gives you 101 actions your family can take to create healthier kids.  101 Actions You Can Take Right Now for Healthy, Happy Kids!   You know our kids watch our every move and copy what we do.  Here is another resource full of ideas for your family: Healthy role Modeling at Home.

I hope you find at least one activity you can do each day during Every Kid Healthy Week with your family.  If you like this program and your school is not participating, volunteer to help them plan to do one next year.