Every Minute Counts: Physical Activity Challenge Turns Momentum into Measurable Impact

The Cultivating Healthy Futures: Active Play Summit for Child Care Champions concluded with the official kickoff of Alabama HKHF’s Physical Activity Challenge, designed to help early childhood educators translate learning into sustained, real-world action. Originally planned as a four-week challenge, enthusiasm and participation remained so strong that Alabama HKHF added a fifth bonus week, along with a post-challenge survey, to extend engagement and collect additional data.

Because participants registered for the challenge in advance, Alabama HKHF was able to leverage existing contact information and confirmed interest to support ongoing participation. Educators received weekly Mailchimp emails that included reminders to log activity, themed ideas for engaging children in movement, and curated resources, such as videos, songs, books, and articles, that encouraged physical activity in classrooms, at home, and in the community.

A Flexible, Themed Approach to Physical Activity

To maintain interest, reduce barriers, and encourage movement alongside the children in the providers’ care, each week of the challenge featured a unique theme that emphasized creativity, fun, and availability:

• Week 1: Peaceful Poses & Playful Moves
  Focused on calming movements, mindfulness, and playful activities that supported both self-regulation and physical engagement.
  

• Week 2: Nature’s Playground Adventure
  Encouraged outdoor exploration through nature walks, scavenger hunts, and outdoor games, fostering movement and environmental connection.
  

• Week 3: Move & Groove Dance Party
  Highlighted joyful movement through dance parties, freeze dance, and music-based activities.
  

• Week 4: Innovate and Elevate: Activities with Everyday Objects
  Demonstrated how no-cost and low-cost household items could be transformed into tools for fitness, creativity, and fun.
  

• Week 5: Celebrate & Sustain
  The bonus week focused on celebrating progress, sharing ideas for family engagement, reinforcing daily physical activity routines, and promoting continued physical activity learning through an upcoming Cold Weather Play microtraining hosted by AL HKHF and additional physical activity resources.

Incentives, Tracking, and Data Collection

Participants logged their physical activity daily or weekly using a Google Form. Those who completed their weekly activity log were entered into themed weekly prize drawings, reinforcing motivation and sustained participation.

Alabama HKHF mailed prizes directly to participants, including:

• Yoga cards

• Handheld ribbons for dance and movement

• Movement-focused children’s books

• Self-care items such as neck fans and massage sticks

The combination of weekly activity logs and an end-of-challenge survey provided a strong dataset to evaluate reach, engagement, and outcomes.

Results That Matter

The Physical Activity Challenge demonstrated strong participation and meaningful behavior change:

• Total registered participants: 68

• Number of participants logging physical activity by week:

• Week 1: 29

• Week 2: 34

• Week 3: 30

• Week 4: 25

• Week 5: 24

• Total minutes logged over five weeks: 29,670 minutes!

The most commonly logged activities were walking, outdoor play, and games with children, which highlights the appeal of practical, classroom and family-centered movement. The popularity of dancing and active free play further suggests that enjoyable, social activities increase engagement. These findings indicate that integrating fun, flexible options into physical activity initiatives can support sustained participation.

Survey results reinforced the challenge’s effectiveness:

• Over 80% of participants reported increasing their physical activity levels each week, indicating sustained motivation and positive behavior change.

• Over 96% reported enjoying their physical activity on a daily or weekly basis, reflecting high satisfaction and engagement throughout the challenge.

Building Momentum for the Future

By extending the challenge, offering incentives, and providing consistent encouragement and resources, Alabama HKHF reinforced the message that every minute counts. The success of the Physical Activity Challenge demonstrates how intentional structure, flexibility, and joy-centered movement can support healthier routines for early childhood educators, the children in their care, and families across Alabama.