Throw in something different for your runners to focus on while they walk, jog, or run for five and a half minutes. Each time the runner passes you, hand them a playing card. There are several ideas on how to use them as motivators:...

Your young learners will discover how muscular strength and endurance can increase with this truly hands-on activity! Beginning by writing an acrostic for the word strength, class members then engage in tracking their ability to squeeze...

A new take on musical chairs! Pupils run, skip, jump, high knees, etc. around the perimeter of the gym, making sure not to cross through the middle, as music is being played. Then, when the music stops, children have to put their feet in...

Many youngsters don't understand that fitness is a life-long endeavor, and that it really pays off to be healthy. Use a spreadsheet to document progress in a fitness plan to see if there really in a benefit to running and exercise. Adapt...

Students are assessed on the amount of improvement they make over a period of 6 weeks. They keep track of their improvement on an Excel spreadsheet so they can also see their improvement. This lesson focuses on leg and arm strength.

Students monitor their fitness levels for six weeks of their P.E. course through the use of an Excel spreadsheet. They also research the obesity epidemic among youth in the U.S. today, presenting their findings to the class. This lesson...

Students run a lap as fast as they can. They discuss the problems of running that fast for longer distances and strategize a plan to pace themselves. They work with timing, distance and observation to practice monitoring their pace.

Students improve upper body strength and endurance. They crab walk inside the boundaries and collect the bean bags. They are only allowed to get one bean bag at a time. Once they get a bean bag, they place it on their stomach and crab...

Learners are encouraged to do their best on the mile run portion of the fitness test. They also gain knowledge about fitness in other academic areas of the school too. In science, the class records resting pulse rates, in math, charts...

Students learn aerobic endurance through game play.

Students work as teams to help others and develop cardio-respiratory endurance. They play a game of tag using noodles.

Hop, skip, and jump your way to picking up letters for a word spelling scrabble game. Get a little aerobic conditioning in while having fun with words. Keep the game simple for the younger learners. You might try putting the letters face...

Students practice estimating distance traveled while walking. Also can be used to introduce backpacking/hiking or as a daily warm-up. Measure the blacktop/cafeteria/playground, then determine how many times around make a mile.

Students develop cardiovascular fitness. They discover a safe level of pacing while running and add up their laps with the members of their team to get a "team total." That total is marked on the chart each day that they have P.E. class.

Students practice volleyball skill-related activities while working on cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

Students run through an obstacle course to practice jumping, vaulting, pull-ups, and other physical endeavors. The obstacles are set up in a gymnasium, and students rotate through each task.

Students keep a journal of their time and distance in running or walking. This helps them see their progress and explain the value of improving cardiovascular endurance.

Students complete a series of exercises and run laps. They estimate what their heart rate be at the end of the session and then check their estimates.

Students improve upper body strength and endurance. They crab walk inside the boundaries and collect the bean bags. They are only allowed to get one bean bag at a time. Once they get a bean bag, they place it on their stomach and crab...

Students enjoy a review game to measure their knowledge about physical activity and the various components of fitness.

Students complete an activity to improve their spatial awareness and loco-motor skills. In this spatial and loco-motor skills instructional activity, students pass a beanbag down the line of students.

This is the perfect resource for helping youngsters understand the importance of physical activity in their daily lives. The lesson and its worksheets focus on brainstorming a variety of fitness activities, such as games you can...

How much activity is appropriate for elementary school youngsters? What kind of activities do they need to do? Check out the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Look to see what are age-appropriate activities for each grade...

What happens in the muscles during anaerobic and aerobic exercise, and how does this affect the heart and our overall health? A cross-curricular lesson that introduces learners to the lifelong benefits of exercise, including the...