Mini-Moves

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2021-2022 Mini-Moves Program

FREE

500 Festival Mini-Moves Program

Physical activity among youth is linked to better physical, mental, and social health as well as better learning outcomes. Physical movement powers a culture of learning, health, and happiness in Indiana schools and communities. That's why the 500 Festival launched the 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program, a free program for Indiana teachers at any grade level, designed to inspire physical activity and lifelong healthy habits in Hoosier youth.

Mini-Moves is more than classroom activities and lesson ideas, it’s the foundation of a fundamental change for our state, led by Hoosier kids and educators! The program consists of in-class activities, goal setting, and culminates with an event to celebrate the joy of physical activity and the achievement of your students. Each school determines the duration of the program and their celebration event plans.

Mini-Moves is produced by the 500 Festival, an Indiana nonprofit responsible for one of the nation’s largest half marathons – the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. The 500 Festival is committed to leveraging the value of Indiana being home of the Indy 500 and the Indy Mini to further a culture of running, walking, and movement with kids in kindergarten all the way to the end of high school.

Program Registration

Registration for the 2021-2022 500 Festival Mini-Moves Program is now open! We’d love for your students to join us this year, joining thousands of Hoosier kids getting active and staying healthy! If you’d like to participate, please fill out the form using the button below. There is no cost to participate. Once registered for the program, you will begin receiving communication about program materials and other program information.

Mini-Moves Includes

Customizable Activities & Materials: Different materials, activities and resources are available for students of any age – from elementary to high school.
Turbocharged Experiences: Leverage the value of Indiana being home of the Indy 500 to inspire students! From class rewards, to resources and grants for professional development, the opportunities are fast paced and exciting!
Celebration Event: The culmination of the program, a celebration event encourages students to celebrate the joy of movement – today and for a lifetime.

Mini-Moves In Action!

Share how your students are moving and making Indiana a healthier state by using the hashtag #MiniMovesIN and tagging the @500Festival on social media.

“I see my kids 1 time per week, so we spent 4 weeks talking about the Mini-Moves pillars of health. We would have a short discussion about the focus of the week and then have a game that corresponded to the topic. We talked about the Physical Health pillar the week before spring break and did some activities that they could incorporate at home. This provided them with activities they could do over spring break to get their 60 minutes of activity every day.”

- 2019 Mini-Moves Teacher

"For the month of March, our warm-up for the class was Mini-Moves. Each day we highlighted one of the Mini-Moves pillars of health. Students came into the gym and walked, jogged, or ran laps. Each time they went by the table, they grabbed a playing card. Once I stopped the activity, they counted their cards and wrote them down on the calendar for their iPad. When they reached 20 laps, they could write their name on the 1-mile club board. They did this for each mile after that. I had discussed with them that the goal I had for the class was to have everyone reach a 5K. When they reached the 5K mark, I gave them a Mini-Moves bracelet that I received as part of our classroom materials. At the of the month, we totaled all the miles for the class. We announced how many miles they all completed as students in PE and how many laps that would be at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

- 2019 Mini-Moves Teacher

"I incorporated smaller Mini-Moves activities during my class time. Mini-Moves was easy to incorporate into my weekly lesson plans. I picked one topic from each pillar and took 1-3 minutes to discuss the Mini-Moves lesson of the week. I used small warm downtimes throughout the activity time to discuss these topics and have students relate them to their own personal lives."

- 2018 Mini-Moves Teacher

Contact us

If there is a resource that you need or would find useful that is not included in the Teacher Portal, please let us know! We are continuously working to evolve Mini-Moves to fit educator needs. Feel free to reach out if you have questions about the program, looking for inspiration or would like to share feedback. Please contact:

Helen Khamis
hkhamis@500festival.com
(317) 914-4817