Grade by Grade
B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Train, Plan, Stay Safe and Play Smart

What Moves You? Enjoying Activity and Breaking Down Barriers

B1 A1.3 A1.5About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can take part in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities and explain which ones I enjoy and why.
  • I can name factors that motivate me to be active and factors that make it harder.
  • I can plan realistic ways to get past my own barriers to daily activity.
  • I can use the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines to check my own day.

Words to know

motivator
Something that makes you want to be active, like having fun with friends, feeling strong or reaching a goal.
barrier
Something that makes it harder to be active, like cost, time, weather, transportation or low confidence.
moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA)
Activity that makes you breathe harder and your heart beat faster. Moderate: you can talk but not sing. Vigorous: you can only say a few words.
24-Hour Movement Guidelines
Canadian advice for children and youth on how much to move, sleep and sit in a day.
lifelong activity
An activity you can keep enjoying as a teen and an adult, like walking, cycling, swimming, skiing, dancing or paddling.

Remember from Grade 6

In Grade 6 you sorted reasons to be active into intrinsic (from inside you, like fun) and extrinsic (from outside, like a prize), and you planned habits to make activity part of your routine.

This year you will look at the other side too: what gets in the way of being active, and how to get around it. You will also try activities you may never have done before, indoors and outdoors, to find the ones you enjoy most.

Let's start with a question

Think about the most fun you've had moving in the last month. Maybe it was building a snow fort, a bike ride with a cousin, a dance party in the kitchen, or a pickup game at the park.

Now think: What made it fun? Was it the people? The challenge? Being outside? The music? Feeling free?

Your answer is a clue. When you know what you enjoy about moving, you can find more activities with that same feeling.

A family rides bicycles along a paved park trail lined with autumn trees beside a lake, seen from behind at a distance.
A bike ride with family: being with people you like and being outside are both strong reasons that make activity fun. AI-generated image

Moving every day: how much?

The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth (ages 5 to 17) say a healthy day includes:

  • Sweat: at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day. Vigorous activity and activities that strengthen muscles and bones should happen on at least 3 days a week.
  • Step: several hours of light activity, like walking or doing chores.
  • Sleep: 9 to 11 hours a night for ages 5 to 13 (8 to 10 hours for ages 14 to 17), with regular bedtimes.
  • Sit: no more than 2 hours a day of recreational screen time, and not sitting for long stretches.

At school, daily physical activity (DPA) gives you 20 minutes. The rest comes from what you do before school, at recess, after school and on weekends.

Sleep10 hStep3 hSchool, meals, other8 hSweat: 60+ minSit: screens 2 h maxOne example day (24 hours) that meets the guidelinesSleep 9 to 11 h · Sweat at least 60 min · Step several hours · Sit: 2 h max of fun screen time
One way to fit the Sweat, Step, Sleep, Sit guidelines into a 24-hour day. Your day can look different, as long as each part is covered.
Motivators (help me move)Barriers (get in the way)
Having fun with friends or familyNot enough time (homework, chores, other activities)
Feeling good, calm or proud afterwardsCost of equipment, lessons or teams
Getting better at a skillWeather: cold, dark winter evenings, heat or rain
Music, games and challengesNo ride or no safe place nearby
A coach, teammate or role modelFeeling shy, left out or not "sporty"
Being outside in natureScreen time that pulls you in
Connecting with your culture or communityAn injury, illness or disability that needs changes to an activity
Factors that motivate or challenge daily activity. The same thing can be different for different people: one person loves team games; another prefers moving alone.

Try something new: many ways to move

There are so many activities. If you don't love one, another may suit you perfectly.

  • Indoor: dance, yoga, skipping, martial arts, swimming, climbing gyms, badminton, basketball.
  • Outdoor: hiking, cycling, skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, canoeing, ultimate, soccer, orienteering.
  • Alone or together: jogging and skipping work alone; ultimate and volleyball need a group.
  • Games with deep roots: Lacrosse comes from Indigenous peoples of North America, including the Haudenosaunee, for whom it has deep cultural and spiritual meaning. Today, Inuit and Dene games, like the one-foot high kick and the snow snake, are played at events such as the Arctic Winter Games, and the North American Indigenous Games bring together Indigenous athletes in many sports.

Trying new things takes courage. It's normal to feel awkward the first few times. Every skilled person was once a beginner.

Breaking down barriers

A barrier doesn't have to stop you. Problem-solve it:

  1. Name the barrier honestly. ("It gets dark at 5 o'clock in December.")
  2. Brainstorm at least three ideas. ("Move before supper indoors. Walk the dog at lunch on weekends. Go to an open skate at the community centre.")
  3. Pick the most realistic one and try it for a week.
  4. Check: Did it work? If not, try another idea.

Many communities have free or low-cost options: outdoor rinks, trails, public library equipment loans, drop-in programs at community centres, and parks.

1. Name itsay the barrier honestly2. Brainstormat least 3 ideas3. Pick and trythe most realistic one4. Checkdid it work?Barrier:"It's dark at 5 p.m."
Solving a barrier is a loop: name it, brainstorm, pick and try one idea, then check. If it didn't work, go around again with a new idea.

Talk to yourself like a coach

If your inner voice says "I'm not sporty," try changing it to "I haven't found my activity yet" or "I'm getting better every time." How you talk to yourself affects how you feel and whether you keep going.

Worked example

Let's solve a barrier together

Sam loves playing hockey, but there's no money for a team this winter, and it gets dark early. Sam ends up on a screen most evenings. Help Sam plan.

  1. Name the barriers: cost of a team, darkness after school, and screen time pulling Sam in.
  2. Find the motivator: Sam loves skating and stick-and-puck play, and being with friends.
  3. Brainstorm: go to free public skating or an outdoor rink on weekends; play ball hockey in a driveway (away from traffic) after school while it's still light; invite a friend over for an indoor skipping or dance challenge on dark evenings; set a timer for screens.
  4. Pick a realistic plan: Ball hockey with a neighbour on two school days before dark, a free outdoor rink on Saturday, and 20 minutes of skipping or dancing indoors on other evenings.

Sam keeps the fun (hockey skills with friends) but changes the when and where so cost and darkness don't stop the plan.

Just for fun

What if your couch had a warning light? It would flash every time you sat down for "just one more episode" and say: Barrier detected. Please go outside.

Hands-on activity

Activity sampler week

You need: a notebook, a timer, comfortable clothes and running shoes, and a grown-up to help choose safe places.

Warm up first (5 minutes): march or jog on the spot, arm circles, leg swings holding a wall, and a few gentle skips.

  1. Over one week, try five different activities: at least two indoor and two outdoor, and at least one you have never done before. Ideas: skipping, a yoga video for kids, a walk or bike ride on a trail, a backyard ball game, dancing, wall push-up challenges, snowshoeing, a scavenger-hunt walk.
  2. Do each one for at least 20 minutes, including a warm-up and cool-down.
  3. After each, rate it: Enjoyment (1 to 5), Effort (0 to 10), and write one thing you liked.
  4. At the end of the week, circle your top two. What do they have in common (people, being outdoors, music, challenge)?
  5. Write one barrier you noticed and one solution you will try next week.

Safety: Choose places a grown-up agrees are safe. Wear a helmet for biking, scootering and skating. Bring water. Stop if something hurts.

Your turn

1

How many minutes of moderate to vigorous activity do the Canadian guidelines recommend each day for someone your age?

2

Sort these as a motivator or a barrier: (a) your friend invites you to a park; (b) your bike has a flat tire; (c) you feel proud after a hike; (d) the pool is a 40-minute bus ride away.

3

Give one indoor and one outdoor activity you could do in January in Ontario.

4

Taylor says, "I hate gym, so I'm just not an active person." Rewrite this thought to be more helpful.

5

Name two lifelong activities and say why they are good choices for adults too.

6

What is the screen-time advice in the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines?

More practice: warm-up

1

How many minutes of DPA do you get at school each day?

2

How much sleep do the guidelines recommend for ages 5 to 13?

3

True or false: You have to be on a team to be active.

4

Name one game that comes from Indigenous peoples of North America.

5

What is a barrier?

More practice: on your own

1

Priya gets 20 minutes of DPA and walks 15 minutes to and from school (30 minutes total, at a brisk pace). How many more minutes of moderate to vigorous activity does she need to reach 60?

2

Ari feels shy joining a new team. Suggest two ways to get past this barrier.

3

Why might the same factor be a motivator for one person and a barrier for another? Give an example.

4

Explain why trying many different activities is helpful, even if you already have a favourite.

5

Lena is free on Saturdays but has no money for lessons. List three free activities she could do in a Canadian city in winter.

Challenge

1

Over one week, Jaden got these minutes of moderate to vigorous activity: 45, 60, 30, 75, 50, 90, 70. Did he meet the 60-minute guideline every day? What was his daily average?

2

Design a plan for a student who uses a wheelchair and wants more daily activity. Name two activities and one way to remove a barrier.

3

Write a short plan using the four steps (Name, Brainstorm, Pick, Check) for this barrier: "After school I always end up on my phone."

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a barrier to being active?

2.

How many minutes of moderate to vigorous activity do the Canadian guidelines recommend each day for youth?

3.

Which activity is the best example of a lifelong activity?

4.

Which thought is most likely to help someone keep trying new activities?

5.

What is the first step in solving a barrier?

6.

Lacrosse comes from:

For parents and teachers

Big idea: In Grade 7, students take part in many activities, explain what they enjoy, and identify factors that motivate or challenge daily activity. They plan ways around their own barriers.

How to help at home:

  • Look together at the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, 9 to 11 hours of sleep, no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time).
  • Help your child find free or low-cost options: outdoor rinks, trails, library equipment loans, community centre drop-ins.
  • Try one new activity together as a family.

Common difficulties:

  • Thinking that only sports count. Walking, chores, dancing and play count too.
  • Low confidence. Start small, praise effort, and avoid comparing your child with others.
  • Real barriers (cost, transportation, safety). Treat these as problems to solve together, not as excuses.

Social-emotional learning: Finding motivators and persevering through barriers builds motivation and perseverance (A1.3). Changing unhelpful self-talk builds a positive sense of self (A1.5).