At the start of winter or Christmas season, this activity offers students a chance to improve their physical fitness and also decorate the gym! Tell students that they are going to be working on the fitness components and striving to reach their highest level of achievement, which will be rewarded with a paper ornament or winter decoration. Set up stations around the gym, posting the name of the exercise and the levels of achievement.

Examples:
Cardiovascular Endurance: Jump rope
Level 1 – jump for 1 minute
Level 2 – jump for 2 minutes
Level 3 – jump for 3 minutes

Muscular Strength (upper body): Push ups
Level 1 – 5 push ups
Level 2 – 10 push ups
Level 3 – 15 push ups

Muscular Strength (abdominal): Partial curl ups
Level 1 – 25 partial curl ups
Level 2 – 50 partial curl ups
Level 3 – 75 partial curl ups

Flexibility: Sit to Reach Your Toes
Level 1 – fingertips reach the toes
Level 2 – fingers reach 3 inches beyond the toes
Level 3 – fingers reach 6 inches beyond the toes

Muscular Endurance: Rope Climbing
Level 1 – climb 1/3 the way up
Level 2 – climb 1/2 way up
Level 3 – climb to the top

When a student achieves their goal, they receive an ornament (or decoration) with their name on it and what they did to earn it. Then they place it on the tree or wall to show what they have achieved. The day before the winter break, pass them all back to the students so they can take them home!

Students can take the paper ornament home or to the classroom to decorate more elaborately, using glitter, beads, etc., and then return them to physical education class to decorate the gym.

Record the achievement levels reached by each student in each fitness area.