Brain breaks as an idea has been showing up a lot in the Facebook groups that I follow, as well as the conferences I have been attending lately. People are starting to catch on to how much our students sit every day! TOO MUCH
I’m finding that it’s helpful for me to build them into the lessons at natural in-between points. These are the gear-shifting moments of a lesson – when you’re moving from input to a Write and Discuss, or between segments of input on different subjects. This guarantees that we do them, and I can experiment with specific brain breaks to see if the kids like particular ones.
Here’s one that’s been a hit recently in class! Kids love competing with friends, and I get to review body parts with them. I heard about this one while I was at the WAFLT-COFLT Bi-State Conference in Portland this October.
Peluche
I bought 10 stuffed animals the other day (at the dollar store, hollaaaaa) and have a little basket I keep them in. Children LOVE stuffed animals, no matter the age.
In this game, pairs of students get a stuffed animal and place it between them. The teacher then says some body parts, rapid-fire. The kids are listening and touching the body parts the teacher names with both hands. (“Head! Nose! Arms! Knees! Shoulders!”)
When the teacher says “Peluche!” (or “stuffed animal” in your language!), the students try to be the first to grab the stuffed animal between them. Having students use both hands prevents them from hovering over the stuffed animal…you know how we all get when competition is involved. After there are winners…you keep going with the body parts! I imagine you could keep score or something, but my kids were content to just compete and play multiple rounds without too much extra.
Easy, quick, and the kids have fun! A winner in my book – I hope you and your students enjoy it.