This fall students participating in Fly Movement’s kids’ health program are being chased by zombies. Ok they are not actual zombies like you see in the Walking Dead, but rather ‘The Zombie Run’ is a fun interactive game developed by co-founder Ernesto Saldivar. The kids, using a fun interactive zombie map, race from start to finish by reaching a specific number of fitness miles (based on the fitness trackers Fly Movement provides). Within the game are four checkpoints on the map which consists of a safe house, a college university, a playground, and the United States Capitol.
The Zombie Run is a new twist to Fly Movement’s fun kids’ fitness program. Fly’s objective is to consistently create fun ways to engage students in physical activity. What’s great about the zombie map is that the checkpoint goals are visual and kids can track their progress every week. So far the program has been a great success since the kids are averaging 10,865 fitness moves a day during the challenge compared to 9,608 before the challenge.
FLY Movement provides kids with fitness trackers over a six week period that records physical moves. After the initial two weeks, students were presented with The Zombie Run challenge with a goal of reaching a ‘safe checkpoint’ based on a specific number of moves. During the first two weeks of the Zombie Run, students’ physical activity has jumped 13%.
FLY Movement visits the kids throughout the period of the program. During these visits, FLY volunteers act as mentors by leading students in fun physical activities and encourage them to continue reaching their individual and team goals. “The benefits of the Fly Movement program include higher self-esteem, reduced risk of childhood obesity, greater cognitive functioning and increased development of goal seeking behaviors. Children learn accountability and how to work with others as a team” says Sandra Salazar, 3rd grade teacher at Brookline Elementary participating in the FLY Movement program.
Kids doing a Zombie Walk
Brookline student showing off her best monster dance!
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FLY Movement is the First Kids Fitness Program that provides students an opportunity to reach a fitness goal through fun, rewarding team competition. Fly Movement is a 501c3 nonprofit.
