Heart rate relay

You’ll need

Pens or pencils
Hula hoops
Cones
Equipment for an obstacle course (for example, beanbags and play tunnels)

My heart rate

PDF – 154.2KB

Before you begin

Set up the three activities as three separate bases: put the hula hoops in one area, set the cones in two lines, and create an obstacle course.
You can use whatever equipment you have available to create an obstacle course. Aim to create a course that makes people move their bodies in different ways and use different skills. For example, people could move under or over obstacles (such as broom handles), or dodge, balance, jump, or hop (for example, between chalk circles).
You may need more helpers to cover all of the bases – you could ask parents and carers to help.
Make sure everyone has some water to stay hydrated

Everyone could put some fruit slices in their water to add some flavour. Lemons and oranges make a great alternative to squash, and are also really healthy!

Test your heart rate

The person leading the game should give everyone a copy of the ‘My heart rate’ sheet.
Follow the sheet and demonstrate how to measure your resting heart rate. Everyone should copy, and help each other measure their heart rates.

If anyone’s struggling to count their heart rate for 60 seconds, they could count it for 10 seconds then multiply the number by six.

Ask everyone to write their resting heart rate on the space on the sheet.
Get the group to do a short warmup. It could be as simple as a few easy stretches, just to get everyone ready.
Explain to everyone they will have a go at three bases in a different order, testing the effect they have on their heart rates. There’ll be time to rest and rehydrate between each one.

Hula hoop

Ask everyone to get into pairs.
One person in each pair should hula hoop: they should stand with their feet shoulder width apart, put the hoop around their middle, and start it spinning with their hands. They should rock their hips to keep the hoop spinning.

People could also try spinning the hoop around their wrist or ankle.

The other person should time three minutes (or try and count how many turns the person hooping can do in a row).
After three minutes, the person who was hooping should test their heart rate. They should do it as soon as they can, so they measure before their heart rate slows down again.
The person who was hooping should write their heart rate on their sheet and notice whether it’s higher than their resting heart rate.
The pairs should swap roles, and repeat steps two to five.
Everyone should stretch a bit, have a rest, and have a drink of water. Then, when the person leading the activity tells them to, they should move on to the next base.

Relay race

Everyone should get into small teams that all have about the same number of people in.
Each team should stand in a line behind a line of cones.

You can have as many teams as you like, you may just need to make some more lines of cones.

When the helper at the base says go, the first person should run in and out of the cones. They should run around the last cone in the line, then run in and out of the cones back to the start.
When the first player gets back to the start line, they should touch hands with the second player. The second player should then run in and out of the cones, around the last cone, and in and out of the cones back to the start. They should touch hands with the third player, and everyone should keep going until everyone’s had a turn.
As soon as each player has finished their run and set the next player off, they should test their heart rate. They should do it as soon as they can, so they measure before their heart rate slows down again. They should write their heart rate on their sheet and notice whether it’s higher than their resting heart rate.
Everyone could play again, until it’s time to move bases. They could try a different action this time, for example, jumping, moving like a crab, or crawling. They could see how the different actions affect their heart rate.
Everyone should stretch a bit, have a rest, and have a drink of water. Then, when the person leading the activity tells them to, they should move on to the next base.

Obstacle race

Everyone should get into small teams that all have about the same number of people in.
Each team should stand in a line behind the obstacle course.

You can have as many teams as you like; you may just need to make some more routes through the course.

When the helper at the base says go, the first person should complete the obstacle course, then run back to the start.
When the first player gets back to the start, they should touch hands with the second player. The second player should then complete the course and run back to the start. They should touch hands with the third player, and everyone should keep going until everyone’s had a turn.
As soon as each player has finished their go and set the next player off, they should test their heart rate. They should do it as soon as they can, so they measure before their heart rate slows down again. They should write their heart rate on their sheet and notice whether it’s higher than their resting heart rate.
Everyone could play again, until it’s time to move bases.
Everyone should stretch a bit, have a rest, and have a drink of water. Then, when the person leading the activity tells them to, they should move on to the next base.

Cool down

The person leading the activity should run a gentle cooldown activity. They could use a gentle walk, or some stretches.
Everyone should gather together to reflect.

Reflection

This activity was a chance for everyone to find out more about living healthily. Everyone should look at the heart rates they’ve written down. They should think about why their heart rate may have increased after they’d been active and share their ideas. When you’re exercising, your muscles need more oxygen to work, so your lungs work harder to breathe and your heart works harder to transport the oxygen around your body. Everyone should think about their hearts – how did people know they were working hard? When our hearts are working hard we can feel them in our chest and we feel out of breath. When we rest we can often feel our hearts slowing down again.

It’s important to exercise to keep us fit and healthy. Does anyone know why? When we exercise, our bodies get stronger. People’s hearts also exercise and gets stronger, so they get better at their everyday job of moving blood (which contains things such as oxygen) around the body.

This activity also gave everyone the opportunity to be active. Everyone should think about which of the bases was their favourite. There are so many different ways to move and be active. What sort of physical activity do people do? Some people may walk or cycle to school, play active games a playtime, or join in with an arranged sport and activity. Everyone should think about what the most important things are when being active. It doesn’t matter how fast you are, or whether you win. What’s most important is that you have fun, enjoy what you’re doing, and do your best to work hard and keep your body healthy.

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games: The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.