Children’s Fitness
Jump Start the Heart:
Teaching Children Cardiovascular Fitness
by Starla McCollum, Michael P. Maina, Julie Schlegel Maina, and Mike Griffin
T
he Shape of the Nation Report (National Association for Sport
and Physical Education, 2002) indicates that children are not as
active as they should be. In fact, less than one in four children
reported participating in vigorous activity 20 minutes each
day of the week. The report also indicated that obesity rates in
children ages 6-11 have increased from 7% in the late 1970s to
13% in 1999. Furthermore, the need to increase instructional
time for other academic subjects has caused a decline and,
in some cases, a complete elimination of time allocated for
physical education and other movement opportunities, including recess (Wechsler, Devereaux, Davis, & Collins, 2000).
Quality physical education classes are an important avenue
for teaching children about lifetime fitness participation.
Specific fitness information and habits can be taught as part
of physical education classes. Physical education, however,
should not be the only source of physical activity for children.
Children need opportunities to participate in moderate to
vigorous activity within and beyond the physical education
class.
Most physical educators agree that fitness is an important
ele-ment for children’s overall health and well-being. The
purpose of this article is to provide teaching strategies and
specific activities that enhance opportunities for children to
learn about and engage in cardiovascular fitness activities
within a physical education, school-wide, and community
setting.
Teaching Strategies to Promote
Cardiovascular Fitness
It is essential that fitness concepts be introduced, taught,
practiced, and assessed using developmentally appropriate
teaching methods at the elementary level. Cardiovascular
fitness should be incorporated using a systematic process.
An eight-step process outlined within the Fitnessgram
Test Administration Manual (Cooper Institute for Aerobics
Research, 1999) can help students learn fundamental
progressions within the fitness process (see Figure 1). While
all eight steps are necessary for effectively implementing
fitness education, this article will address steps one
(instruction) and two (participation) as they relate to
cardiovascular fitness.
Cardiovascular Fitness Activities
There are a variety of activities physical educators can use
to teach elementary students about cardiovascular fitness
and how to safely engage in activities that develop the
heart muscle, circulatory system, and respiratory system.
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Figure 1—Fundamental progressions
within the fitness process
Step 1: Instruction about fitness foundation concepts
Step 2: Student participation in conditioning activities
Step 3: Instruction on test items
Step 4: Assessment of fitness levels
Step 5: Planning the fitness program and setting goals
Step 6: Promotion and tracking of physical activity
Step 7: Reassessment
Step 8: Revision
Source: The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research (1999).
The following examples illustrate how to implement
cardiovascular fitness activities for children within an
elementary school setting. Each activity identifies a focus,
suggested grade level (lower elementary, K-2, upper
elementary, 3-6), necessary equipment, and a description of
the activity.
Activity 1
Focus: Heart and heart rate
Level: Lower elementary
Equipment: slow, medium, and fast paced music
Activity Description: Have the students make a fist and put
it over their chest. This is where the heart is located and the
approximate size is the child’s fist. Ask the children if they
can feel the heart beating. Begin playing the slow music and
have children walk in general space. Stop and place a hand on
the chest to feel the heart beat. Play the medium-paced music
and increase the walking speed. Stop and repeat feeling for
the heartbeat. Play the fast-paced music as children now jog
and run. Stop and check the heart rate again. Emphasize that
the heart is a muscle, and it beats faster when the body works
harder.
Activity 2
Focus: Aerobics using oxygen for fuel
Level: Upper elementary
Equipment: green, yellow, and red and oxygen fuel cards;
hula hoops for cars
Activity Description: The focus of this activity is to
emphasize that the body uses oxygen for fuel to keep it going
and the lungs breathe in oxygen. The heart is the engine that
works to pump the oxygen rich blood throughout the body.
Teaching Elementary Physical Education
January 2004
The children will hold a hoop around the body to represent
a car. They will fill the car with oxygen fuel, travel through
space, and feel the car’s response. Review how to feel the
heart beating. Begin the activity by flashing the “oxygen
fuel” card that represents inhaling oxygen. The students hold
the hoop up overhead and lower the hoop to waist level to
inhale oxygen fuel. Then, raise the hoop overhead to exhale.
Repeat this several times. Next flash the green light card. The
students perform a designated locomotor skill for 30 seconds.
Flash the yellow light to slow the car down and walk. Then,
flash the red light to signal student to stop and place one hand
over the heart. Use the other hand to show how fast the heart
is beating by opening and closing it. Continue by flashing
the “oxygen fuel” sign followed by the green light and yellow
lights and increase the time to one minute. Repeat the activity
until the students demonstrate understanding of the following
concepts: (a) the body uses oxygen for fuel to make energy
to keep the body alive and to move, (b) the lungs breathe
in oxygen, and (c) the heart pumps oxygen rich blood to all
parts of the body so that the body can stay alive and move.
Throughout the lesson, pose questions to the children to check
for their understanding. For example, “How does oxygen
get into the body? What part of the body pumps oxygen rich
blood to all parts of the body?”
Activity 3
Focus:
Pacing
Level: Lower
elementary
Equipment:
“Pacing”
sign means
moving at
a steady
speed, cones,
medium paced music, stop watch
Activity Description: Introduce the term “pacing” with
a sign. Point out that pacing allows a person to move for a
longer period of time—endurance. When teaching younger
children pacing, expect to have to repeat the same or similar
activities many times for children to understand the concept.
Relate the term pacing to the story of the tortoise and the
hare. The children need to know the difference and have
practiced walking, jogging, and running prior to this activity.
It is a good idea to begin “pacing” by walking as a warm-up
to jogging. A helpful image may be to have the students try
to stay together as a “pack.” Start together, stay together, and
finish together. Begin with a time goal of three minutes or for
one entire song. When the music begins, the children start
walking or jogging around the designated area. Do not allow
them to run. It also helps to jog with them to show them a
medium speed. Jog or walk with a steady pace until the end
of the song or three minutes. Increase the time with repeated
practice and constantly reinforce the cue “steady pace.”
Activity 4
Focus: Practice pacing with the Fitnessgram Pacer test
Level: Lower and upper elementary
Equipment: Fitnessgram pacer CD or tape; cones or poly spots
marked at 20 meters or 21 yards, 32 inches
Activity Description: Although it is not recommended to
test and record scores for lower elementary students, teachers
are encouraged to use the PACER test. The emphasis should
January 2004
be on learning how
to pace and take the
test while having fun.
Allow the children to
listen to the CD so they
know what to expect.
Begin the activity and
allow the children to
jog/run as long as they
wish (usually just a few
minutes to start and
increase the time as they
gain more experience).
Allow children to rest
and start up again, or have an alternate activity students can
begin as soon as they stop the PACER.
Activity 5
Focus: Types of activities to improve or maintain
cardiovascular fitness
Level: Lower or upper elementary
Equipment: soccer balls, basketballs or playground balls,
scrap paper or paper plates, cones, signs with station
instructions or pictures on them, 2-3 hurdles, obstacle course
equipment (listed below)
Activity Description: Students need to know what kinds of
activities they can participate in during and beyond the school
day to enhance cardiovascular fitness. Set up this activity in
stations and have students rotate with continuous movement
every one to three minutes to the following stations:
1. Single jump roping—student can choose the way they
want to jump.
2. Skating—can use two pieces of scratch paper or paper
plates for skates; has to be a smooth surface; could
substitute bench or box stepping.
3. Hurdle jump—set up 2 or 3 hurdles. One person clears last
hurdle before the next person begins.
4. Obstacle course—arrange hoop/tire stepping, slide
between ropes, walk across beam, roll across mat, jump
over stick in a circle formation for continuous movement.
5. Soccer dribbling—dribble soccer balls around the cones.
6. Power walking—do laps around the gym.
7. Cross country skiing—role play using pillow polo sticks
for poles.
8. Basketball dribble—dribble around the cones.
Activity 6
Focus: Frequency of aerobic exercise
Level: Upper elementary
Equipment: Five 3 x 5-index cards for each student or cut
paper strips, yarn or string to connect the cards, pencils, and a
variety of equipment for stations.
This would be a good activity to use as a warm-up for
several lessons. For individual stations, there should be two
to three cardiovascular activities listed such as locomotor
movements or other perpetual motion activities. The teacher
can assign an activity or students choose from an list of
possible activities. Activities can recorded on 3 x 5 index cards,
which have a column to record the date and a column to
record the number of times or length of time for each activity.
The students can use this card to keep track of their individual
Teaching Elementary Physical Education
11
performances over 3 to 5 consecutive
class periods. The teacher can collect each
student’s card and develop a large class
calendar to illustrate and display the
frequency of activity.
Activity Description: Explain that
frequency is how many days per week the
student engages in aerobic exercise and
that it is best to participate on most days
of the week. Set up four stations with
choices of aerobic activities. A fifth station
can be added to allow each student to
create his or her own activity to add to the file.
Station 1: basketball dribbling around cones, soccer dribbling
around cones, step-ups
Station 2: step aerobics routine, aerobic dance routine, sports
dance routine
Station 3: lap run, power walk, PACER
Station 4: jump rope solo, jump rope with partner, jump rope
routine
Station 5: student-created aerobic activity
The students rotate to each station selecting one activity
from each station to transcribe to their card. Use a hole punch
to make two holes at the top of each card and connect all five
cards with yarn. When the activity is completed, students will
have their own personalized flip card file of aerobic activities
in which to participate. Students can also log their aerobic
activity on the back of the cards for several weeks to help
understand the concept of frequency.
Activity 7
Focus: Intensity
Level: Upper elementary
Equipment: Signs for performing different types of jumps,
jump ropes, upbeat music (i.e., Jump by Van Halen), sheet to
record heart rate for each student
Activity Description: Students need prior experience taking
their heart rate. This activity needs to be done repeatedly over
a few days or even weeks. Set up the following jump stations:
Station 1: continuous vertical jump touching hanging objects
from different heights
Station 2: jumping back and forth over a line
Station 3: zigzag down a line and back
Station 4: jump rope
Station 5: jumping jacks
Divide the students into even groups for each station. Have
the students stay at each station for 15 seconds and then rotate
to the next station, recording their heart rate at the end of each
station. The next time the activity is performed (class session),
increase the time at each station from 15 seconds to 20 or 30
and encourage the students to try to perform more jumps
(again recording the heart rate after each station). Compare the
heart rates each time to help students understand the concept
of intensity.
time card for each student
Activity Description: Explain to the
students that they should accumulate
30 minutes of aerobic activity on
most days of the week to enhance or
maintain good cardiovascular fitness.
The students will rotate to the stations
below. Works best when students
rotate on a given signal. Example:
stop, put the equipment away neatly,
punch holes, sit in-group when
ready to rotate. They will stay at each
station for three minutes. Each time a station is completed,
the students will hole punch the time card. Encourage the
student to perform the station activities nonstop, changing the
intensity if needed. Relate the three minutes at each station
(twice around the circuit for this activity) to the 30 minutes
of exercise they need. Students complete the time card at the
end of the PE class. Encourage the students to keep additional
records of the physical activities they participate in outside of
PE class.
Station 1: step-ups
Station 2: soccer dribble around cones
Station 3: jump rope
Station 4: shuttle walk/run (similar to the PACER) with bean
bags and poly spots
Station 5: basketball dribble around cones
Activity 9
Focus: Personal goal setting
Level: Upper elementary
Equipment: PACER Tape or CD, paper and pencils, realistic
goals chart
Activity Description: The PACER test needs to be practiced
with upper elementary students as well as lower. Once
students have practiced the PACER and are ready for testing,
a baseline score is obtained. From that score, students are
encouraged to set a realistic goal. The teacher must provide
some reference points for goals. Children as well as adults
have a difficult time creating realistic goals. They need some
guidelines. A chart to display some realistic goals for each
level would be good. For example, a realistic goal for level 6
might be to design a calendar with a friend and participate in
walking three times per week for four weeks, recording the
time and activity on the calendar. When the students have
achieved their goal they do something to reward themselves
for the completion of the set goal. The reward should be
created by the students and be meaningful to them. Goals
should be created with a short time frame in mind—six weeks,
9 weeks, or a semester. During the set time, at least two other
self-testing or self-checks should be used to evaluate progress.
Sometimes goals need to be adjusted. Explain that the goal of
improving cardiovascular fitness (demonstrating progression)
requires doing more than usual. The student must participate
in aerobic endurance activities more often (frequency), harder
(intensity), and longer (time). Keeping personal fitness logs
also helps students to understand the progression principle.
Activity 8
Focus: Time
Level: Upper elementary
Equipment: Aerobic step boxes, crates, or gymnastics mats
folded (for step-ups), soccer ball, cones, jump ropes, bean bags,
poly spots, basketballs or playground balls, hole punchers,
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Promoting Cardiovascular Fitness
Most experts agree that physically inactive children tend
to remain inactive as adults. Physical inactivity increases
an individual’s risk for many chronic diseases including
Teaching Elementary Physical Education
January 2004
Figure 2—Physical education teaching strategies
 Infuse the teaching of cardiovascular endurance with
appropriate motor skill lessons (i.e., teaching soccer
dribbling). Take resting heart rate, practice dribbling at
different speeds in personal and general space, take heart
rate, discuss the benefits of participating in soccer type
activities.
 Use instant activities to teach and engage kids in
cardiovascular fitness activities (i.e., chasing, fleeing and
dodging, soccer skills, aerobic endurance activities like run
to the front; Ratliffe & Ratliffe, 1994; Pacer, traveling using
locomotor steps).
 When using stations as an instructional approach to teach
a movement concept or skill theme, include a station
that focuses on cardiovascular fitness (i.e., three stations
for teaching balancing are set up in the middle of the
gym while station four is the straw walk/jog around the
perimeter of the gym).
 When taking children outside for PE, measure off a
distance of 1/8 of a mile for lower elementary children
and 1/4 of a mile for the upper elementary children. Use
cones or chalk to mark the track. The children can follow
that track in and out of the gym. By the end of the PE
class, the lower elementary children have accumulated
1/4 of a mile and 1/2 for the upper. Teachers can give
students the option of walking, power walking, or jogging
to accommodate individual fitness levels. Mileage can be
logged for each class. To avoid the same students always
finishing first, have everyone travel for a certain amount
of time (3-5 minutes) as a warm-up so everyone starts and
finishes together.
Figure 3—School-wide initiatives
Figure 4—Communicating with community agencies
 Communicate with the recreation department. Most
recreation departments have flyers made for sign up dates
and activities. In addition, many of them post applications
and information on their website. Physical educators can
announce dates in class, hand out flyers, or put website
addresses in the school newsletter to help inform parents
of recreational activities.
 Community activities such as Diabetes Walk and Relay for
Life can be announced in the physical education class. The
school as a whole could participate in this with each class
trying to involve as many students and parents as possible.
 Field trips are a great way to educate children and increase
opportunities for participation in physical activity. Trips
can be taken to local fitness centers, YMCAs, roller and
ice skating rinks, and to nearby university and recreational
swimming pools to introduce swimming.
 Try to involve faculty and staff participation within school-
wide activities.
heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. To simply
believe that children’s cardiovascular fitness is obtainable
within a 30-minute physical education class that meets twice
weekly is highly unlikely. Instead, physical educators should
attempt to not only promote cardiovascular fitness within
the physical education curriculum but within school and
community settings as well. Along with teaching specific
learning activities that address cardiovascular fitness, there
are other strategies that physical educators can employ to
provide children with additional opportunities for moderate
activity and incorporate cardiovascular fitness concepts into
the physical education, school-wide, and community settings
(see Figures 2-4).
 Walking, jogging, jump roping, and biking clubs before
and after school
Conclusion
 School-wide walking/jogging programs
 Create a “Century Club” where students (with the help of
parents and teachers) log 100 minutes of aerobic activity
per week.
 Collaborate with classroom teachers; use the walking club
for extra PE time not met through the regular schedule.
 Encourage classroom teachers to integrate movement into
academic lessons. Children love to move, but the reality of
teaching in the classroom is that many classroom teachers
have no idea how to organize or integrate movement
into academic lessons. The physical educator can hold
two or three workshops after school to demonstrate how
movement concepts, skill themes, and fitness concepts can
be easily integrated into science, language arts, math, etc.
(for example, working with the teachers to coordinate the
teaching of the heart and circulatory system). An activity
by Ratliffe & Ratliffe (1994, p. 77) demonstrates setting
up the heart circuit. This activity has children learn about
the circulatory system by physically traveling through it.
Another example would be to demonstrate a “fitness
break” for the classroom teachers to use. This would
involve a video exercise tape taught in the PE class that
could be used by the teacher at times during the week.
A variety of strategies can be used to help children
understand fitness concepts and increase participation in
moderate to vigorous physical activity. Physical education
classes provide one means to accomplish these goals.
However, the opportunities to participate need to be expanded
to include school-wide and community agency initiatives such
as field trips, walking clubs, etc. that involve both teachers and
children. Providing opportunities for regular cardiovascular
fitness participation should improve student fitness levels and
encourage an active lifestyle.
References
Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. (1999). FITNESSGRAM: Test
administration manual (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
National Association for Sport and Physical Education. (2002). Shape
of the nation report: Status of physical education in the USA. Reston, VA:
Author.
Ratliffe, T., & Ratliffe, L. (1994). Teaching children fitness: Becoming a master
teacher. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Wechsler, H., Devereaux, R., Davis, M., & Collins, J. (2000). Using the
school environment to promote physical activity and healthy eating.
Preventive Medicine, 31(Suppl. 2), 121-137.
© 2004 Human Kinetics
January 2004
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