The moving safari: get the family moving by copying animals

Benefits

• Gets the whole family moving: the WHO recommends an average of 60 minutes of physical activity a day for 5-17 year olds, and activity is linked to better fitness and health in children
• Builds motor skills (jumping, crawling, balancing): programmes focused on these basic movements clearly improve them
• Short active breaks fit easily into the day and increase time spent moving
• The game (animals, statue) keeps younger children engaged and makes them want to play again

Who is it for?

For children aged 4 to 10, with a parent doing the session alongside them. Perfect on a rainy day, after school or between homework. Little ones can do each animal their own way: what matters is moving.

Steps

1. The elephant wakes up (1 min): walk while swinging your arms like a trunk
2. Six animals, 30 seconds each: the bear, the frog, the crab, the flamingo, the starfish, the kangaroo
3. 15 seconds of "Statue!" between two animals: nobody moves
4. Two rounds of the safari, then the cool-down: the snake stretches, the lion curls up and breathes slowly

The moves at a glance

Tips

• Do the session with your children: they copy the adult as much as the figure
• Let them invent their own version of each animal, and their own sound effects
• During the statue, the first one to move… makes everyone laugh, no forfeit
• Only offer "One more round!" if they want it: better to finish on a high

Precautions

References

1. Bull F. C. et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451-1462. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
2. Poitras V. J. et al. (2016). Systematic review of the relationships between objectively measured physical activity and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(6 Suppl. 3), S197-S239. doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2015-0663
3. Logan S. W., Robinson L. E., Wilson A. E., Lucas W. A. (2012). Getting the fundamentals of movement: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of motor skill interventions in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 38(3), 305-315. doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01307.x
4. Watson A., Timperio A., Brown H., Best K., Hesketh K. D. (2017). Effect of classroom-based physical activity interventions on academic and physical activity outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14, 114. doi.org/10.1186/s12966-017-0569-9

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