Keeping Kids in Motion
Building a community where fitness and play are the foundation for all families.
Tag Team Fitness: A simple format certain to motivate your students
Keeping students motivated for fitness can be a challenge. I find myself regularly researching and designing new and improved workouts that are not only engaging but also functional and purposeful for each child. Throughout the last two years, I’ve been occasionally implementing what I call, Tag Team Fitness.
What is Tag Team Fitness?
Simply stated, Tag Team Fitness is a partner workout where each partner takes turns doing a particular movement. Typically, one partner will do a muscle strengthening or endurance movement while the second partner performs a locomotor movement across the floor. The second partner doubles as the stopwatch. When she returns from performing the locomotor movement, she tags her partner and they switch roles.
How long is each workout?
The length of each Tag Team Fitness routine is determined by several factors.
- Grade level/age-appropriate
- Chosen movements – some movements are more exhausting and place more stress on the body than others. In this case, a Tag Team Fitness workout will be shorter than one with less intense movements.
- Time constraints – the amount of time with a class can be a factor. For a 30-minute class period, you may have to budget a smaller amount of time for fitness in order to accomplish the rest of your lesson plan.
The combinations of movements are unlimited making this such a versatile fitness format. You can even add movements or skills related to a particular unit as you’ll notice in the workouts below.
Along with the physical benefits of Tag Team Fitness, students are engaged and encouraging to one another. The advantages of working together toward a common goal, while having fun are limitless.
Here are a few examples of Tag Team Fitness workouts from my classes.
Modify the Tag Team Fitness to increase the challenge
TagTeam Fitness can also be done in groups of three or more with a couple of varying formats:
- Assign a number to each of the three students. While student number one is moving across the floor or around the gym, numbers two and three are holding a static pose such as a plank. When number one returns, number two then runs while number one gets into a static pose and number three continues to hold the pose. So each student is holding the pose for twice as long.
- You can also assign three different exercises for each of the three students. For example, number one does 10 burpees, number two hold a plank, and number three does a wall sit. When number one completes 10 burpees, the three students rotate exercises.
The combinations for Tag Team Fitness are unlimited. You can customize each workout to fit your students and curriculum. Let us know how Tag Team Fitness works for you and your kids!
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