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We Can!, Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition Ways to Enhance
Children's Activity
& Nutrition

Curricula and Toolkits

Four girls jumping rope

The curricula and toolkits* on this page are designed to help you run and evaluate your We Can!® program. In addition, you will find resources to enhance your programming and report your activities to We Can! staff.

We Can! Community Site Program Materials

We Can! Energize Our Community: Toolkit for Actionpdf document icon (5.7 MB PDF)

This toolkit gives community planners a one-stop shop of planning tools, reproducible materials, and a free copy of We Can! Energize Our Families: Curriculum for Parents and Caregivers. It incorporates dynamic activities for parents to encourage a healthy weight in their family.

We Can! Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbookpdf document icon
(1.5 MB PDF)

This We Can! resource offers practical tips to help parents help their families find the right balance of eating well and being physically active to maintain a healthy weight.

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We Can! Energize Our Families: Parent Program (Curriculum)

This curriculum for parents is available in four- and six-lesson versions. Both versions include activities that help parents encourage a healthy weight in their family.

We Can! Energize Our Families: Parent Program A Leader's Guide

This is the four-lesson version of the curriculum for parents and caregivers.

We Can! Energize Our Families: Curriculum for Parents and Caregivers

This is the six-lesson version of the curriculum for parents and caregivers.

We Can! Energize Our Families: A Family Guidepdf document icon (5.9 MB PDF)

This guide contains all of the handouts and activity sheets that are used during the four sessions of the We Can! Parent Program.

We Can! Energize Our Families: Parent Program Online Training

This online training introduces you to the four-session curriculum found in the Leader's Guide. The training is divided into nine chapters and takes approximately two-hours to complete. In addition, registered dietitians may apply for and receive 2 hours of continuing education credits.

We Can! Parent Program Evaluation: Tell Us What You Thinkpdf document icon (165 KB PDF)

Program facilitators can use this worksheet to collect pre- and post-program data from participants.

We Can! Parent Program Evaluation Instructions for Facilitatorspdf document icon (72 KB PDF)

This document provides instructions for facilitators to evaluate their We Can! parent program implementations.

We Can! Parent Program Certificate of Completionpdf document icon (62 KB PDF)

Download and print this certificate for parent program participants who complete the course.

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Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! A Curriculum for Youth

A 10-lesson curriculum funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that focuses on helping young people ages 11 to 13 understand the connections between media and health.

Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! Program Packetexternal disclaimer

The Program Packet includes everything an activity leader needs to conduct the program: the facilitator's guide (available in PDF from this page), the video (VHS and DVD formats), and the program poster. The packet also contains a questionnaire to help you evaluate your MSY programming.

Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! Packet for Training Program Facilitatorsexternal disclaimer

This packet includes everything needed to conduct full day and half day train-the-trainer sessions for Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active!  The Training Guide Packet includes both full-day and half-day training guides, a CD-ROM of presentations used in the training, and complete sets of handouts for facilitator trainees.

Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! Fact Sheetexternal disclaimer

This fact sheet provides background on the NICHD's Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! program.

Youth Curriculum Evaluation: Instructions for Facilitatorspdf document icon
(52 KB PDF)

This document provides instructions for facilitators to evaluate any of the We Can! youth curricula, which include CATCH® Kids Club, Media-Smart Youth, and S.M.A.R.T.

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EatPlayGrow: Creative Activities for a Healthy Start new item icon

EatPlayGrow: Creative Activities for a Healthy Start is a new health educational curriculum for children ages 2-5 and their parents. EatPlayGrow was created through an innovative public-private partnership between the NIH and the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM). The EatPlayGrow curriculum combines the latest science and research from the NIH with CMOM's creative educational approach to teach kids and their parents how to make healthy nutrition and physical activity choices that are fun and easy to include in daily routines. The new program was adapted from the We Can! Energize Our Families Parent Program curriculum.

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I Can Do It, You Can Do It!

Developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, I Can Do It, You Can Do It! (ICDI) is a mentoring program that facilitates physical activity and nutrition education opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. ICDI can be used in a variety of settings, including schools and school districts, colleges and universities, and other community settings, as a stand-alone program or as a part of We Can! parent and/or youth programming. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutritionexternal disclaimer (PCFSN), a We Can! Federal partner, can provide a comprehensive ICDI toolkit to interested organizations. In addition, ICDI offers recognition for program participants through the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+). Visit http://fitness.gov/participate-in-programs/i-can-do-it-you-can-do-itexternal disclaimer for more information and email ICDI@hhs.gov to sign up. If you have questions about how to integrate the curriculum with your ongoing activities, contact the We Can! team at NHLBI_wecanteam@mail.nih.gov.

CATCH® Kids Club A Curriculum for Youth

The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), an NHLBI-funded study, created a school health education curriculum designed to motivate heart-healthy behavior in children in grades K-5 in after-school and summer camp settings. Order print copies of CATCH Kids Club Activity Kits and Nutrition Manuals from NHLBI's Online Catalog.

CATCH Kids Club Questionnaire (Evaluation Tool)pdf document icon (1.3 MB PDF)

Use this tool to evaluate your CATCH Kids Club programming.

Youth Curriculum Evaluation:  Instructions for Facilitatorspdf document icon
(52 KB PDF)

This document provides instructions for facilitators to evaluate any of the We Can! youth curricula, which include CATCH Kids Club, Media Smart Youth, and S.M.A.R.T.

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S.M.A.R.T. (Student Media Awareness to Reduce Television) A Curriculum for Youth

S.M.A.R.T. is a 3rd to 4th grade classroom curriculum that motivates children to reduce their television watching and video game usage. The curriculum is intended to be used over the course of the school year and includes all the lesson plans and tools needed to implement the program. For more information, please contact:

The Health Promotion Resource Center

Stanford Prevention Research Center
211 Quarry Road, Suite 229
Stanford, CA 94305-5705

http://notv.stanford.edu/ (650) 723-0003

S.M.A.R.T. Questionnaire (Evaluation Tool)pdf document icon (104 KB PDF)

Use this questionnaire to evaluate your S.M.A.R.T. programming.

Youth Curriculum Evaluation: Instructions for Facilitatorspdf document icon
(52 KB PDF)

This document provides instructions for facilitators to evaluate any of the We Can! youth curricula, which include CATCH Kids Club, Media Smart Youth, and S.M.A.R.T.  

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SPARK

SPARK PE and SPARK After School curricula are designed to promote physical activity in youth from K-12, and ages 5-14, respectively. The programs include curricula, training, equipment, and follow-up support components.

The original SPARK study began examining the importance of elementary physical activity in 1989, with support from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in conjunction with San Diego State University. Today, the organization offers research-based physical education/activity programs that have been proven effective in both urban and rural areas, and with a variety of cultures and demographics, and have been disseminated to some 100,000 educators globally. The effectiveness of SPARK programs has been reported in some 45 publications; positive effects of SPARK have been documented in:

  • Academic achievement
  • Increased moderate to vigorous physical activity in students
  • Fitness achievement
  • Sport skills development
  • Enjoyment of PE
  • Improved teacher instruction

Order print copies of SPARK Folio Grades 3 - 6 and We Can! SPARK Physical Education Grades 3 - 6 binder and CD from NHLBI's online catalog.

*Note: All We Can! materials, aside from three of the four youth curricula CATCH Kids Club, SPARK, and Student Media Awareness to Reduce Television (S.M.A.R.T.) are produced by the Federal government without copyright. Feel free to use any information that we provide, but we request that you cite the NHLBI (as a part of the NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), and the source document. If you make any implications or draw any conclusions that are not in the original document, please state this in your publication. In addition, the material should not be used in any direct or indirect product endorsement.

Note: Documents in PDF format require the Adobe Acrobat Readerexternal disclaimer. If you experience problems with PDF documents, please download the latest version of the Readerexternal disclaimer.

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Last Updated: March 2016