Let's Move! is a national initiative to get kids moving and eating healthy food. It aims to support healthy children and families.
Physical activity in school-aged children has an impact on health and wellness, as well as academic growth. Exercise increases student's brainpower, overall health and promotes learning. Let's Read! Let's Move! provides fun, hands-on activities that highlight the importance of preparing students in every way possible—academically and physically—to be successful in school, by teaching them how a healthy, active lifestyle can positively affect their ability to learn. Let's Read! Let's Move! is based on five priorities.Prevent Summer Reading and Learning Loss
Research shows that many of our young people suffer learning set-backs and develop unhealthy eating habits during the summer break. Children can lose more than two months' progress in reading achievement over the summer. Separate studies of summer learning programs all confirm that high-quality summer programs can disrupt learning loss.
Promote Good Nutrition
Studies point to a direct correlation between poor nutrition and low attention spans and diminished school performance. Improvements in nutrition can influence the cognitive ability and intelligence of children.
Promote Physical Exercise
Physical activity in school-aged children has an impact on health and wellness as well as academic growth. Research also shows that physical activity before academic instruction has a positive impact on student achievement.
Provide Professional Development for Teachers and Para-Educators Let's Read! Let's Move! models reading techniques such as interactive reading for teachers, para-educators and parents that engages the students while reading to them. Children who are read to in this fashion are substantially ahead of their peers and it can help increase vocabulary development.
Put Books in the Hands of Children to Build Their Own Libraries
There is evidence that having access to books can improve the summer learning slide. Each student who attends a Let's Read! Let's Move! event receives a free book to add to their personal library.
We can all help by making sure children have opportunities to read, access books, and to be physically active in safe spaces. To organize an active reading event, like Let's Read! Let's Move!, focused on strengthening our children's minds and bodies in your community:
Community Outreach
Reach out to neighboring schools and organizations of all types—from faith-based programs, military based facilities, local childcare centers, to summer enrichment and recreation programs—throughout your community to locate children to participate.
Create Strategic Partnerships
Partner with socially responsible organizations that have a passion for health, wellness, reading and/or learning. Partners can provide everything from books to volunteer staff, and even in-kind donations of snacks and supplies.
Identify VIP Readers and Movers
Engage state and local officials, chefs, athletes and talent to lead children in reading and physical activity.
Location, Location, Location
Identify a venue in the community. Remember reading activities can take place wherever you are—from a community center, to a local school, a garden or even your state capitol. Use the venue to inspire a theme for the event and to create an additional learning experience.
Include Movement Throughout the Event
Let's Read! Let's Move! is a 90-minute program made up of three parts, which must be accessible and inclusive to all children:
Be Creative, Have Fun, and Take A Lot of Pictures