Valentine's (or any day) Musical Exercises

Skill: Hop, Jump, Run, Skip, Walk
Time Required: 20
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the activity area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.
Ensure exercises are safe to do in the environment.
Equipment: Scissors
Construction Paper
Pen/Marker
Audio Equipment

Objective:
Participants will walk/run/jog/skip/hop/crawl around the cut out hearts, and when they music stops, they will select the heart closest to them, and do the exercise on that heart.

Set up:
Cut out hearts (or other shapes, depending on the theme, time of year, participants and so on). Have at least one per participant.
Write exercises/activities on each heart.
Set them up in a big circle (or oval, or heart shape), and place them face down so the exercises are hidden.
Have participants start standing spread out around the heart circle.
Have music and audio equipment prepared.
Step by Step:
1. If the hearts are cut out, and exercises are written on each heart, then place them in a big circle (oval, heart, or other shape) with the exercises face down.
2. Or, have participants cut out the hearts using construction paper, and allow participants to write their own exercises on their cut out heart.
Example of exercises:
- 5 jumping jacks
- 5 squats
- 5 star jumps
- 3 push ups
- 10 heel lifts
- Do the Macarena dance
- Do the YMCA dance
- Run and touch a wall
- Give 5 people a high five
- Do 2 spinning jumps
- Do 3 burpees
- Do a bear crawl for 5 paces
- Run around the circle once
- and so on
3. Participants will be spread out on the outside of the heart circle.
4. When the music starts participants will walk/run/jog/skip/hop/crawl around the circle of hearts. How they move is up to the leader.
5. When the music stops, participants will look at the heart closest to them, and do the set exercise.
6. When all participants are complete, the music will start again, and participants will move how the leader says.
7. Continue for a set amount of time. Shuffle the hearts around a couple times, so participants don't know where exercises are located.
Variations:
Cut out different shapes, sport balls, and so on, instead of hearts.
Write exercises on a piece of paper and tape these to frisbees, tennis balls, beanbags, and other sports equipment (this will allow the activity to be down outdoors).
If using sports equipment, then the exercises could have to do with the equipment. For example, if it's a beanbag, an exercise could be to throw it in the air and hit it off their knee and then foot.
Have exercises be for two participants, and participants will be in pairs.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.