Purpose: A quick activity to mark a transition time, re-focus a listless group and remind students how easy it is not to notice things around us unless we are paying attention.
Directions:
Quickly change three or four things about your appearance without the students noticing. ex. take your tie off (if you're wearing one), put your watch on the opposite wrist, take earrings out, brush hair to side, roll sleeves up, etc.)
Tell your class that you have just made some changes. Can they guess what they are?
This is a great way to settle students back in after a transition and get them to focus. If you would like to make a full activity out of training them to notice things, you may follow up with this...
After they guess, put students into pairs telling each on who is "A" and who is "B".
Invite the "B's" to close their eyes and count to ten slowly and all together.
While "B's" eyes are closed, "A" should change something about his/her appearance.
On the count of 10, "B" can open his/her eyes and try to identify the difference.
Then give "B" the chance to adjust something and let "A" guess.
If there is time, allow students to change partners and do again.
Regularly incorporating short movement activities into the instructional
day not only allows children to get their ‘wiggles’ out, but energizes
them and increases their ability to focus on the next learning activity
as well. Check out these fun brain breaks I've come across online...
The Happy Teacher writes these brain break ideas on craft sticks and draws them out when her class is having a hard time attending.
1. Simon Says: It’s a classic and
students love it!
2.Crab Walk around the Room: Put on a
song and have students walk in the CRAB POSITION around the room.At some point, have students go in
reverse.
3. Macarena: Teach students the hand
movements for the old-school song!You
can find the song for free on YouTube.
4.Ants Go Marching: Most kids know this children’s song.Play the song and let the kids march around
the room at different speeds...Slow-motion march, fast march, etc.
5. Cupid Shuffle: This dance isn’t just
fun at weddings!You can find the song
and dance on YouTube.It may take
students a few tries to learn it, but you will inevitably have a natural dancer
in the group that can help other students learn.
6. Doodle Time: Give students some
blank paper and markers and let them DOODLE and talk for five minutes.It sounds simple but students love to draw
and doodle.
7. Dance Party: Turn on the radio and
let students DANCE until the song ends.
8. Tic-Tac-Toe: Give students some
blank paper to play tic-tac-toe with a friend.It’s a simple game that won’t cause a mess or a distraction for your
neighbors!J
9. 50 Jumping Jacks: Get students’
heart rates up with this QUICK physical exercise.
10. Bingo: Depending on time…the song
OR the game!
11. Heads Up, 7-Up: Another classic
that is easy and exciting for students!
12. Cha-Cha Slide: Find the lyrics and
dance moves on YouTube!
13. Stretching: Choose a student to
come up and lead a minute of stretching.All of the kiddos know various stretches from gym class, and they will
enjoy leading their peers!
14. Congo Line: Turn the radio on and
form a Congo line to move around the room.
15. Push-Up/Sit-Up: Have students pick
a partner and let them count out each other’s push-ups and sit-ups.Another great physical exercise for kids that
will provide a break from learning and strengthen their muscles at the same
time!
16. Pantomime: Choose a student to act
out an activity WITHOUT talking.The
class must mimic the leader and then guess what the activity is.(Swimming, flying, sleeping, laughing,
jogging, singing, etc.)
17. Mirror-Mirror: Have students pair
up and mirror the actions of their partner.Students will get a kick out of this activity!
5-4-3-2-1. In this simple game, students stand up and the
teacher (or leader) has them do five different movements in descending
order. For example the teacher would say: "Do five jumping jacks, spin around four times, hop on one foot three times, walk all the way around the classroom two times, give your neighbor one high-five (pausing in between each task for students to do it).
Trading Places Have students stand behind their pushed-in
chairs. Call out a trait and everyone who has that trait must change
places with someone else (students who do not have the trait stay where
they are). Examples: "Everyone with curly hair." "Everyone who ate
cereal for breakfast." Everyone who is wearing stripes."
Six Spots Number six spots around your room from 1-6. Have
students each go to a spot of their choice. Choose a student to roll a
die (if you can make a big one out of foam, it adds to the fun). All the
students at the number rolled must go back to their seats. Students
that are left go to a new spot and the die is rolled again. Continue
until only a few students are left.
Mingle, Mingle, Group! In this game students mill about the
classroom saying, "mingle, mingle, mingle" in soft voices until the
teacher says "Groups of 5," at which point the students must quickly
group themselves into groups with the correct number of people. Students
who are left over must do three jumping jacks before the next round
starts. The teacher can call out any number for the group size. You can
also add rules such as: as soon as a group is complete, all members must
sit down in a line.
Dance Party! Put on some rockin' music and dance! If you can
make the room semi-dark and have a black light or other special effect,
your kids will love it!
Freeze Dance! Similar to Dance Party except that every so
often the music stops and students must freeze and hold the position
they are in until the music begins again.
Name Moves Students stand behind their chairs. In turn, each
student says his or her name accompanied by a special movement. For
example a student might say, "Kayla!" while dramatically dropping to one
knee and doing Jazz Hands. After the student does his or her move, the
rest of the class says the students name in unison and imitates the
move. Then it is the next student's turn.
Keep it Up: Students must keep a beach ball from hitting the ground. Add two or three balls to make it even more fun.
Simon Says An oldie but a goody!
Movement Songs Sing a song with whole-body movements such as,
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, Father Abraham, Toe-Knee Chest-Nut,
Shake Your Sillies Out (Raffie), Grand Old Duke of York, My Bonnie Lies
over the Ocean etc.
Recorded Movement Songs Older students might enjoy a simple Zumba routine, YMCA, or the Macarena.
Animal Pretend Younger children will enjoy pretending to be
various animals (or even objects such as lawn mowers or airplanes). Call
out a few in sequence.
Would You Rather Ask a would you rather question and have
students show their choice by moving to one end of the room or the
other. Have a few kids share why. Here are 20 free Would You Rather Questions to get you started.
Find it Fast Call out a color or other trait (something
round, something made of wood), and students must find an object in the
room that fits the trait and get to it quickly.
Physical Challenges Challenge students to do something
physically difficult such as standing on one foot with arms extended or
this one: grab your nose with left hand and grab your left earlobe with
your right hand,then quickly switch so that your right hand is on your
nose and your left hand is grabbing your right earlobe. Yoga poses could
also be a good variation.
Plates Give each student a paper plate. Students must walk
around the room balancing the plates on their heads. If a student drops
his or her plate, the student must freeze until another student picks it
up and places it back on the student's head (while keep his or her own
plate in place, of course).
Line Up! Have students line up using a specific criteria such
as age (use day and month, not just year), height, alphabetically by
middle name, hair length, etc.
Limbo All you need is a long stick and a pair of kids to hold it. Music is nice too.
Human Knot Divide students into groups of about eight
students. Have students each grab right hands with someone who is not
directly next to them. Then do the same with left hands. The challenge
is to untangle and become a circle without releasing hands.
Jump Skip Counting Have students count by twos, fives, tens etc. while jumping with each count. You could also practice spelling words this way.
If you want to encourage kindness in the classroom these
Random Acts of Kindness templates will help! I found them in the Teachers
pay Teachers Store. Each individual is credited on the download.
