Pedometer Activities

Estimation Fun

• Learning about estimation in math class? Why not combine an estimation activity with some physical movement? With your class, brainstorm a list of different activities the kids could do that would require taking steps, and estimate how many steps each activity would take (walking to the other side of the room, running across the playground, skipping from the room to the bathroom). Give each child a pedometer and demonstrate how to use them. Then have them wear the pedometers while completing each activity. Have them record their steps and compare the actual results to their estimates.

Pedometer Race

• Give each student a pedometer, and break them into pairs. Have each pair run, walk or move in any way they'd like, and challenge them to see who can get the highest results on their pedometer in a certain amount of time. (60 seconds is a good starting point.) If you'd like, suggest that the students compare their results with the class to see which student took the most steps of all.

Burning Calories

• Hand out a box full of nutrition labels, and have each student choose one label from the box. Make sure to include labels from some foods that contain many calories and other foods that contain few calories. Show students how to put their pedometers on calorie count mode. Hand out various pieces of equipment conducive to physical activity (e.g., balls, jump ropes), and tell students that their goal by the end of class should be to burn off the number of calories that they would consume if they ate one serving of the food that their label comes from. After the time is up, quickly discuss what students have discovered about the difficulty of working off calories through exercise.