Heart Rate & Pulse: A Fun Lesson for Kids on Checking Their Pulse!
Why Learning to Check Your Pulse Matters
Understanding your heart rate helps kids learn how exercise affects their body. Knowing how to check their pulse teaches them about fitness, heart health, and how their body responds to movement.
- ✅ Helps kids understand their heart’s role in fitness
- ✅ Teaches how to measure intensity during exercise
- ✅ Encourages self-awareness of physical activity levels
- ✅ Builds lifelong healthy habits
What is Heart Rate & Pulse?
Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute (BPM). Your pulse is how you feel your heart beating in your body. Checking your pulse helps you measure your heart rate and understand how active you are.
How to Find Your Pulse
- ✋ Wrist (Radial Pulse) – Place two fingers on the inside of your wrist, just below the thumb.
- 🧑⚕️ Neck (Carotid Pulse) – Place two fingers gently on the side of your neck, next to your windpipe.
- ❤️ Count your beats for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get your beats per minute (BPM)!
What’s a Normal Heart Rate?
- 🏃 Resting Heart Rate (RHR): 60-100 BPM for kids & adults
- 💪 Active Heart Rate: 120-180 BPM during exercise
- 📉 Recovery Heart Rate: How quickly your BPM lowers after exercise
Try This Fun Heart Rate Activity!
1️⃣ Check your resting pulse before exercise.
2️⃣ Do jumping jacks or run in place for 1 minute.
3️⃣ Check your pulse again—how much did it increase?
4️⃣ Track how quickly your heart rate returns to normal.
When to Check Your Pulse
- ⏰ Before & after exercise – To see how activity changes your heart rate
- 🏫 During PE class – To learn about fitness levels
- 🛌 First thing in the morning – To find your resting heart rate
- ⚡ After a sprint – To see how high your heart rate goes!
