Health and Safety

49 fun physical activities to do with kids

Children between 2-4 years old don’t only need a lot of movement, they also need a lot of variety of movement. So while it’s essential to make time for unstructured, active playtime, it’s also important to have access to plenty of fun, simple activities that you know will help them get active and develop skills in a variety of ways. This list of 49 fun activities for kids is the ultimate go-to for any playdate, home child care setting, or a morning or afternoon with a caregiver. Whatever the situation, short attention spans mean that it’s a good idea to have a few of these up your sleeve!

How can we help kids develop physical literacy?

To be healthy, children need to move and be physically active. And it’s much more than physical health that comes with being active! Children who move are healthier, happier, and more successful in life. In our digital world, it can be challenging, but here's a simple "recipe" for getting kids moving every day!

Paint Your Plate: A Toolkit for Encouraging Healthy Eating in CNC

Early learning settings are a great place to encourage children to eat more vegetables and fruit. Here's a toolkit and practical guide full of information about menu planning, healthy eating, supporting families, recipes and more!


We Have the Moves: Physical Activity Resource

Inside this resource, you’ll find fun-filled activities to help incorporate physical activity into everyday moments. Whatever activities you choose, have fun together! Let children see you jumping, dancing, and being silly. The more they see you moving, the more they will want to join in. These moments will help lay the foundation for an active and healthy lifestyle.

Newcomer Nutrition Education Toolkit

To support program providers and health professionals who work with newcomers to Canada, Alberta Health Services has put together this helpful collection of nutrition videos and resources for people with basic English literacy and diverse cultural backgrounds. Topics include food safety, starting solids, healthy snacks for children, and more!


Activities Ideas to Help Get Kids Moving!

Keep children moving while learning with daily, quick and creative physical activities. Ideally, kids should have two to three active play times every day. Instead of thinking of exercise as a separate scheduled activity, just try to weave quick “moving” moments throughout the day.

Physical Activity Ideas for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers

This website is full of physical activities ideas for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. It offers a variety of ideas, strategies, information and resources that are perfect for sharing with parents to help them use the space within their homes, the materials they have, and their limited time to model and encourage physical activity!

Wearing Masks: Downloadable PDF Story

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is important to reassure children and help them understand why the people around them are wearing face masks. Here's a little story that uses lots of visuals and provides simple explanations for children - and it's available in English and Spanish!


Multilingual video series: Parenting Through COVID-19

These are challenging times, for children, for parents, for teachers. For all of us. Roots of Empathy has developed a series of mental health and well-being videos designed for parents of elementary school children. The videos are available in 18 languages, including six Indigenous languages.


COVID-19 Resources for CNC Staff and Parents

With the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone across the globe is in the process of figuring out how to adapt in order to curb the spread of this virus. Here's a compilation of resources to help child care centers, teachers and families make the most of these uncertain times.