Fitness Through Play: How to Reimagine Physical Education for Lifelong Wellness

Can play be exercise? Does exercise have to be associated with a negative connotation to be effective?

Traditional approaches in physical education can lack joy, choice and relevance to students’ lives. Students disengage when they don’t enjoy the process or understand the “why.” The negative association with fitness can affect students’ perception of physical activity and the value of physical education.

I often ask my students, “How do you improve your fitness?” Almost every time, they respond, “run.” When I ask for other examples, the gym falls silent. This moment reveals a critical gap in understanding — and a chance to expand their perspective.

As physical educators, we have the opportunity — and responsibility — to rewrite the narrative by connecting fitness to fun and purpose.

What if students could build fitness through joyful, purposeful movement? What if fitness wasn’t something they have to do — but something they get to do?

The steps outlined below may help you change the narrative in your own physical education program.

1. Identify and Stop Your Outdated Practices

Many of us — myself included — have incorporated fitness into our classes in ways that, in hindsight, did more harm than good.

I’ve had students run laps simply because “that’s what we’ve always done,” without a clear purpose or connection to their learning. I’ve used practices that may have unintentionally shaped negative views of fitness, rather than fostering a lifelong appreciation for movement.

How can you identify what isn’t working? Reflect and listen.

The first step to evolving your approach is simple, but powerful: reflection. Take time to examine your practices with curiosity, not judgment. Ask yourself:

• Are my students enjoying this activity?
• Are they moving because they have to — or because they get to?
• Do they understand the why behind the movement?
• Do they have personal fitness goals and a plan to reach them?

Don’t stop there. Ask your students directly. Their feedback can offer insights we might never see from the front of the gym.

TIP: Create a quick, anonymous survey to gather student reflections. Their responses can guide your planning and help you create a more meaningful experience.

Consider including questions such as:

• What do you enjoy most about our class?
• What could improve our class to make it more meaningful to you?
• Is physical education an important class for kids to take? Why or why not?

Reflection and feedback aren’t just tools — they’re catalysts. They open the door to a more student-centered, purposeful PE environment where everyone feels seen and heard.

2. Begin With the Standards

Curriculum development should always start with the most current standards. The new SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards provide a clear roadmap for creating a student-centered curriculum that embeds meaningful physical education experiences and honors student voice and choice.

Beginning with the end of students’ K-12 educational journey in mind, I identified the key standards within each of the four grade spans that offer opportunity to integrate play-based fitness to deepen learning at each grade level.

• Grades 9-12
  • 2.12.7 Applies the principles of exercise in a variety of self-selected lifetime physical activities.
  • 4.12.1 Selects and participates in physical activities (e.g., dance, yoga, aerobics) that meet the need for self-expression.
  • 4.12.2 Selects and participates in physical activities that meet the need for social interaction.
  • 4.12.4 Chooses and participates in physical activity based on personal interests.
  • 4.12.5 Chooses and successfully participates in self-selected physical activity at a level that is appropriately challenging.
  • 4.12.9 Reflects on movement experiences during physical education to develop understanding of how movement is personally meaningful.
• Grades 6-8
  • 4.8.1 Describes how self-expression impacts individual engagement in physical activity.
  • 4.8.4 Connects how choice and personal interests impact individual engagement in physical activity.
  • 4.8.4 Connects how choice and personal interests impact individual engagement in physical activity.
• Grades 3-5
  • 4.5.1 Explains how preferred physical activities meet the need for personal self- expression.
  • 4.5.4 Explains the rationale for one’s choices related to physical activity based on personal interests.
  • 4.5.4 Explains the rationale for one’s choices related to physical activity based on personal interests.
• PreK-2
  • 2.2.6 Identifies physical activities that contribute to fitness.
  • 4.2.8 Recognizes the opportunity for physical activity within physical education class.
  • 4.2.10 Reflects on movement experiences during physical education to develop understanding of how movement is personally meaningful.

3. Move From Standards to Practice Through Goal Setting

The CDC recommends that children and adolescents engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. But simply sharing that fact isn’t enough — we must build it into our instruction in ways that are relevant, realistic and empowering.

A great place to begin is helping students identify activities they already enjoy. Physical activity doesn’t have to mean a gym workout or structured HIIT circuit. Activity can — and should — feel like play.

It might look like dancing in your room, walking the dog, shooting hoops with friends, riding a bike, or playing tag at recess. These are accessible, enjoyable forms of movement that students can see as part of their everyday lives.

Next, encourage students to practice those enjoyable activities more frequently or for longer durations. You can embed this through goal-setting practices like the FITT principle to guide students toward personalized, achievable fitness goals.

When we teach both the why and the how of physical activity, we move beyond compliance — we create connection. That’s the real foundation for lifelong habits. We’re not just promoting movement — we’re empowering students to become active, informed, lifelong movers.

4. Highlight Mental, Social and Emotional Benefits

Fitness through play benefits various dimensions of health and wellness beyond physical. Purposeful games and activities help students:

• Build perseverance and problem-solving skills
• Practice teamwork, communication and empathy
• Experience positive peer interactions

Reflection is key for students to transfer the learning from a physical to a cognitive level. After the activity, ask students:

• How did that movement make you feel?
• Did you feel challenged? Energized? Successful?

5. Feel the Beat: Help Students Discover Fitness Through Play

Fitness becomes personal when students can connect what they feel to what they’re learning.

A simple way to start? Build in short “pause and pulse” moments during your lessons to help students:

• Understand that the heart is a muscle — and movement makes it stronger. (This is how I teach the “intensity” as it relates to the FITT principle.)
• Practice taking their pulse using a 6-second count (and multiply by 10).
• Learn how to identify their target heart rate zone (and understand why staying within that zone can improve cardiovascular endurance).

These quick check-ins help students build awareness and ownership. They’re no longer just doing the workout — they’re understanding the why behind it. That shift transforms fitness from something passive to something powerful.

Here are the National Physical Education Standards relative to heart rate:

• 2.2.8 Identifies the heart as a muscle that gets stronger with physical activity.
• 2.5.12 Identifies location of pulse and provides examples of activities that increase heart rate.
• 2.8.15 Demonstrates knowledge of heart rate and describes its relationship to aerobic fitness.
• 2.12.10 Applies heart rate concepts to ensure safety and maximize health-related fitness outcomes.

6. Empower Students Through Voice and Choice

Motivation soars when students have a say in how they move. By offering voice and choice in physical education, we invite students to take ownership of their fitness journey — and that ownership fosters lifelong habits. After all, they’re the ones who will have to make these choices once they leave our classrooms and gymnasiums.

Here are some ways to incorporate voice and choice into your lessons:

• Include varying levels of challenge in your activities.
• Let students design a warm-up, fitness activity or game that will enhance an area of fitness.
• Offer 5–10 minutes of “selected activity time” at the end of class, where students choose from safe, inclusive options such as tag games, dance, stretching, or partner ball challenges.

Let’s be clear — this isn’t free-for-all or “roll out the ball” time. This ispurposeful play. Students move in ways they enjoy, explore their strengths, and reinforce skills that transfer to recess, sports and recreational life.

During self-selected activity time, students are expected to stay active, make safe choices, and include others. I set up a variety of play stations with suggestions for movement, including a 5K tracker. If students choose to walk or run, they can track their laps as progress toward completing a 5K — a strategy that’s helped many set and achieve short-term fitness goals.

Others use this time to enjoy activities they love but wish we did more often, such as basketball or volleyball.

I love this approach because it gives students the opportunity to engage in their favorite activities every class, instead of waiting for a short unit to cycle through.

GOAL: Different paths, same destination. Every student works toward their fitness goals in a way that resonates with them.

By weaving voice and choice into fitness through play, we create space for joy, autonomy and personal growth. When students feel seen, heard and empowered, they’re more likely to embrace physical activity — not just in class, but for life.

Conclusion: Redefining Fitness Starts With Our Practices

It’s time to move beyond outdated models and redefine what fitness looks and feels like for our students. Let’s write a new story — one where fitness is fun, movement is meaningful, and every student develops the knowledge, skills and confidence to be lifelong movers.

We are not just teaching games. We’re teaching how to move and why to move … and developing a love of movement — for life.

TRY THIS: Swap one traditional fitness activity this week for a play-based activity. Watch what happens. The smiles will tell you everything you need to know.

Because when students love to move, fitness follows.

Additional Resources

• National Physical Education Standards Resources
• National PE Standards Educator Kit
• All Work, No Independent Play Cause of Youth Declining Mental Health

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