Heart Rate Check Circuit
Students learn to take their pulse at the wrist or neck and check it before and after stations of different intensity, recording it on a log sheet. It connects effort with heart rate and builds self-regulation and body awareness.
How to play
- Teach students to find their pulse with two fingers at the wrist or neck, count beats for 15 seconds, and multiply by four; practice at rest and write it on the log sheet (5 min).
- Set up 3 stations of rising intensity: walking through cones (light), jump rope (moderate), and agility ladder plus a 10-yard sprint (vigorous).
- Form 3 groups; each group works 2 minutes at a station and, on the whistle, everyone takes and records their pulse (1 min).
- Groups rotate through all three stations, always with the same sequence of 2 minutes of work and 1 minute for the pulse check.
- After the last station, students walk for 2 minutes and check their pulse again to see how it drops.
- In a 5-minute discussion, students compare their numbers and talk about why the heart beats faster at higher intensity and why training it is healthy.
Rules
- Use your index and middle fingers, never your thumb, which has its own pulse.
- During pulse checks, everyone stands still and stays quiet.
- On the agility ladder, stay on the balls of your feet and don't push the person in front of you.
- Your numbers are personal and are not used to compete.
Variations
Easier
Check pulse only at rest and after the hardest station, counting for 30 seconds and doubling the number.
Standard
Check pulse at rest, after each of the three stations, and after recovery.
Harder
Students graph their data and see how long their pulse takes to recover.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: adapt the stations with seated arm movements at different intensities.
- Hearing impairment: signal the start and end of each pulse count by raising a colored card.
- Fitness level: each student adjusts station intensity to their ability.
Learning goals
- Measure heart rate independently.
- Relate exercise intensity to the heart's response.
- Recognize body signals during effort and recovery.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 8
- jump ropes: 9
- agility ladders: 2
- log sheets: 25
- pencils: 25
- stopwatch: 1
Teacher tip
Many kids struggle to find their pulse at first; suggest the neck, which is easier. Keep the stopwatch and call each count.
PatioLab has "Heart Rate Check Circuit" and 1299 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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