Brain+Breaks

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Brain Breaks*:
According to brainbreaks.blogspot.com, "Our students should have a kinesthetic brain break every 25-30 minutes. Brain breaks are refreshing to students and teachers alike. They do take some time out of class, but the efficiency of our students goes up when we incorporate them." Find something: Name things that... 1. climb. 2. grow. 3. flow. 4. go. 5. come in red. 6. come in sets. 7. you can hear. 8. you can smell. 9. go together. 10. give off heat. 11. wiggle. 12. are taller than you. 13. jump. 14. are white. 15. wet. 16. you see in the winter. 17. give off light at night. 18. have wheels. 19. are sticky. 20. cause pain. 21. are beautiful. 22. are stretchy. 23. are cold. 24. are confusing. 25. make people angry. 26. give comfort. 27. have numbers on them. 28. are read. 29. are tied. 30. fly. 31. hop. 32. are black. 33. are round. 34. have handles. 35. have hair. (The above 35 are from "101 Ideas for Daily Transitions" page 8) || If any score is kept at all, the traditional method uses the letters of the word "Ghost" in the same fashion as the basketball game horse, with each loss giving the player the next letter of the word, and a player being eliminated when they have all five letters. In some versions of the game, players that obtain all the letters of "ghost" continue to participate by trying to distract other players and turn them into ghosts. If a player does not have all the letters of the word "ghost" and he or she talks to an existing ghost, they immediately become a ghost. This rule serves to accelerate games of Ghost with many players. || ~ One large circle with people facing either direction. ~ Two interlocking circles ~ A figure eight ~ A circle within a circle || ||
 * 1 || **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.
 * 1) round
 * 2) soft
 * 3) wide
 * 4) high
 * 5) square
 * 6) hard
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">rough
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">narrow
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">quiet
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">cold
 * 11) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">made of metal
 * 12) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">tall
 * 13) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">made of wood
 * 14) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">made of plastic
 * 15) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">recyclable
 * 16) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">expensive
 * 17) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">cheap
 * 18) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">thirst-quenching
 * 19) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">short
 * 20) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">rectangular
 * 21) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">pretty
 * 22) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">useful
 * 23) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">movable
 * 24) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">purple
 * 25) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">hungry
 * 26) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">prickly
 * 27) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">shiny
 * 28) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">sharp
 * 29) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">tough
 * 30) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">with holes
 * 31) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">mysterious ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 || **Part to Part** || In this game students mill about the classroom until the teacher calls out a body part. For example, "right pinky finger" or "both knees". Students must touch the just announced body part with another student until the teacher says mingle, mingle. Then they mill about again until a new body part is called out. They have to match up with a different student each time. Variations:
 * Instead of having players just switch body parts; you can have them keep everything connected. For example; if you say, ‘hand to hand,’ and then toe to toe, they would have their hands and toes connected at the same time. If you then added elbow to elbow, they’d have all three body parts connected.
 * Turn this game into a tag game by calling out a body part (i.e. Shoulder, elbow, toe, knee, etc.) and their job is to tag their partner on that spot before their partner tags them. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3 || **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Groups of... ** || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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 five 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. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 || **Freeze and Thaw** || Students mingle around the classroom until the teacher says "Freeze". Students must freeze in whatever position they are in. Then the teacher says "Thaw" and students slowly //melt// down to the ground. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 || **Gotcha** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Purpose: Try to grab another person’s finger on one side of you, while at the same time avoid being grabbed by the person on the other side of you. Stand up and get into groups of 3-10 people. Form a circle with your group. Each person should hold out their left hand with their palm flat and facing up. Now take your right hand index finger and point it directly into the palm of the person to your right. When the instructor says “Gotcha”, you are to try to grab the person’s finger that is in your palm, and at the same time avoid being grabbed by the person you are pointing to. Repeat with your arms crossed. Watch on youtube. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6 || **Pass the Chicken** || <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In this game, nobody wants to hold the rubber chicken -- the game's only prop! <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.5;">To begin the game, all students sit in a circle. Select one person to be It. That person holds the rubber chicken. The teacher or a "caller" says to the person holding the chicken, "Name five presidents of the United States"( for example). Pass the chicken!" As soon as the caller says, "Pass the chicken," the person holding the chicken passes it to the right. Students quickly pass the chicken around the circle. If it returns to the original holder before he or she can name five presidents of the United States, the holder is still It. Otherwise, the person holding the chicken when It finishes listing five presidents is the new It.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7 || **Around the World** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Students sit in a circle, and a starting person is selected. The starting person stands behind the student next to him or her. The teacher holds up a flash card. The student to say the answer first moves on to challenge the next student. If a sitting student says the answer first, the students switch places. This process continues until at least one student makes it completely around the circle. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8 || **Buzz** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This game is used to review a specific fact family and can be played in a small group or with the entire class. Choose a number between 2 and 9. The first student says 1, the next student says 2, and so on. Instead of saying a multiple of the selected number, the student says "buzz.” If a player forgets to say buzz or says it at the wrong time, he or she is out. Continue until the group reaches the last multiple of the number times 9. For example, if “2” is chosen. The first students says “1,” the next student says “buzz,” the next students says “3,” the next student says “buzz,” and so on until 18 (2 x 9) is reached. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">9 || **Greedy** || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">All students stand up. The teacher rolls a die twice. These rolls are free – everyone gets the total of the rolls with no risk. Before each subsequent roll, the teacher asks whether anyone would like to sit down. Students who sit down keep the points they have accumulated. Students who remain standing receive the points from the next roll – unless that roll is a 2. If the roll is 2, the students standing lose all of their points for the round, and the round is over. If the roll is not 2, they add the points to their total. The round continues until everyone is sitting or a 2 is rolled.The game is played for a total of 6 rounds. Each round begins with everyone standing and 2 free rolls. The teacher should keep a running total during each round so students can record their scores when they choose to sit. At the end of 6 rounds, have students find their cumulative total. The highest “grand total” wins. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">10 || **Clean House** || This is a fast-paced, frenzied game. Give each student a balled up piece of scrap paper. Divide students into two teams. Send teams to opposite sides of the room. When the teacher yells "Go!” students throw the paper balls to the other side of the room, then quickly pick up any balls that have landed on their side and throw them as well, thus cleaning their house. Play continues until the teacher yells “Stop!” at which point all players have to now pick up all the balls remaining on their sides. They count how many balls they have and the team with less is the winner. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">11 || **Ghost** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A player is chosen at random to start the game, and begins by naming any letter of the alphabet. Players then take turns to add letters to this fragment, with the aim being to avoid completing an actual word. The player whose turn it is may - instead of adding a letter - challenge the previous player to prove that the current fragment is actually the beginning of a word. If the challenged player can name such a word, the challenger loses the round; otherwise the challenged player loses the round. If a player bluffs, or completes a word without other players noticing, then play continues. When a round ends, play generally passes to the left.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">12 || **Four Corners** || This is my variation of the classic game. I play it as a content review. Post 4 different signs in each corner of the room, for example: imperative, interrogative, declarative, exclamatory. Tell students to choose a corner. Read a question or give a problem. All students who are standing in the corner where the answer is located are out. Remaining students go to new corners and the process continues. (All corners must be occupied until such time as there aren't enough students.) Play continues until one student remains. He is the winner. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">13 || **Make it Rain** || Watch on youtube. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">14 || **Human Pretzel** || No materials are needed for this activity. Divide the students into teams of 6- 12 members (even numbered), depending on how difficult you would like to make the exercise. Have each person join right hands with another person in the group, but it has to be someone who is not standing immediately to the left or right. Then have each person join left hands with another person in a group, but it has to be someone who is NOT standing immediately to the left or right and someone other than before. Now the groups have to untangle themselves without letting go of hands. They may have to loosen their grips a little to allow for twisting and turning. They may also have to step over or under other people. The first group to untangle their knot is the winner. There are four possible solutions to the knot.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">15 || **Would You Rather** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">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 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #6131bd; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[|20 free Would You Rather Questions] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> to get you started. (Thanks to Minds In Bloom - see below*.) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">16 || **Trading**
 * Places** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">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." For fun, call out "Fruit Salad" and everyone has to trade seats. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">17 || **Hand Jive** || Glee's version on youtube ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">18 || **Group Juggling** || Put students in groups of 5. Have everyone stand in a circle. One person begins with a ballor beanbag and then passes the ball to the person who would benext if they were making the shape of a teacher's star. Passing continues to someone else and so on until everyone is getting the ball/beanbag passed to them without repeats. Then start the ball/beanbag around again and slowly add more and more balls/beanbags. If you have 6 players, refer to the picture below for throwing order.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">19 || **Keep it Up** || <span style="color: #000033; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.5;">Students must keep a beach ball or balloon from hitting the ground. Add two or three balls or balloons to make it even more fun. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">20 || **Rock, Paper, Scissors** || Play the traditional game but students use their whole bodies to make rock (crouch down to the floor covering your head with your hands), paper (spread your arms and legs as wide as you can), and scissors (use both arms to make huge cutting motions). Best out of 5 wins.

OR play it with your feet. Watch this video on youtube. || 2. Tasks should be called out in the order provided. High five right High five left Low five right Low five left High ten Low ten Backwards ten high Backwards ten low Tunnel ten (feet apart, back to back, reach between legs and hit low ten) Sole of shoes right Sole of shoes left Elbow right Elbow left Both elbows 3. Partners repeat the tasks beginning with the first task each time. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">21 || **Limbo** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All you need is a long stick and a pair of kids to hold it. Music is nice too. Chubby Checker's Limbo on youtube ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">22 || **5,4,3,2,1** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">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 __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">five __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">jumping jacks, spin around __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">four __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> times, hop on one foot __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">three __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">times, walk all the way around the classroom __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">two __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> times, give your neighbor __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">one __<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> high-five (pausing in between each task for students to do it). ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">23 || **Bean Bags** || * Throw a beanbag in the air, turn around, and catch it again.
 * Throw the beanbag up and backwards over your head and try to catch it behind your back.
 * Throw the beanbag in the air and clap your hands under your right leg before catching it. Now try with your left leg. Now clap behind your back. Invent some more challenges.
 * Throw the beanbag up, jump, and try to catch it. Jump twice. Jump three times!
 * Throw it up, kneel down and try to catch it.
 * Throw and catch with just your right hand, then with just your left.
 * Try throwing it up and catching it with your eyes closed!
 * Balance the beanbag on your right foot, then throw it up and catch it from there. Can you do it with your left foot too?
 * Can you throw the beanbag up and catch it on your left foot?
 * Can you run with a beanbag balanced on your head? Can you jump? Can you twist around? Can you kneel down and stand up again, or sit down? Can you climb the stairs? Can you do any of these things with two beanbags balanced on your head? Or three?
 * Try balancing a beanbag on each shoulder while you walk, run, jump etc.
 * Clap N’ Catch – Have your child throw the beanbag in the air, clap his hands, and then catch the bag. Challenge your child to clap two, three, four times, or more while the beanbag is in the air. Each time he is successful, he can try the next highest number.
 * Bean Balance – See how many different body parts can be used to balance the beanbag. If your child can balance on a body part pretty easily, have him move in different directions. Have him try balancing the beanbag on these body parts: forehead, top of the head, back the of neck, shoulder, bent elbow, wrist, top the of thigh, knee, top of the foot, heel of the foot (with his leg bent). Which one is easiest? Which is more of a challenge?
 * Catch Me If You Can – With a partner, use just one beanbag and decide who will start first with the bag. Stand about three feet apart and toss the bag underhand back and forth to each other. If you both catch the bag you each take one step further back slightly increasing your distance. Repeat this process until one person drops the bag. At that point, you can start over or decide to step closer to each other for a retry. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">24 || **Zip, Zap, Zop** || Everyone gets into a circle. One person says “zip” and points clearly to someone in the circle. That person then points at someone else and says “zap.” That person then points to another and says “zop”. That person then says “zip” to someone else and so on. If a person says one of the words out of order or says the next words back to the same person who just sent it to them or takes too long to send the word to someone else, then they must step out of the circle. Those out of the circle can go around saying “zip zap zop” in a regular volume voice on the outside of the circle to try to help people who are still in the circle mess up the order ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">25 || **Double This...That** || Watch on youtube. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">26 || **Race to 20** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Any number can play, but it's best for 2 people. It's a counting game. You take turns. When it's your turn, you may count 1 or 2 numbers. So the first person says, "1" or "1, 2." And the second continues with 1 or 2 more numbers. Whoever gets to 20 first wins. ||
 * 27 || **Six Spots** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">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. ||
 * 28 || **Snatch It** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Students can play this game by sitting at a desk or getting down on the floor on their hands and knees. Pair students. The teacher gives each pair an object (e.g., a ball, beanbag, or an eraser) to place in the center of them. The students must place their hands an equal distance away from the ball or object. The teacher will then say one of two commands: right or left. If the teacher says right, the students must react quickly to try to snatch the ball with their right hand. If the teacher says let, the students must react quickly to try to snatch the ball with their left hand. The goal is for students to try to snatch the ball before their partner does. ||
 * 29 || **Silent 1 to 10** || <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Have people count from one to ten, however, everyone has their eyes closed and cannot say two numbers in a row. If two or more people say the number, then it restarts. ||
 * 30 || **Tic Tac Toe** || Students play with a partner. Best out of 5 wins. ||
 * 31 || **3 to 15** || Write the numbers 1 to 9 across the top of a piece of paper. Pair students and give each student a copy and 2 different colored markers. Partners take turns circling one of the numbers. The goal is to get a total of 15 using no more than 3 of the numbers they circled. ||
 * 32 || **Linking Dots** || Starting with an empty grid of dots, players take turns linking any 2 dots that are next to each other, side-by-side (above or below). A dot may be linked to ONLY 1 other dot. The winner is whoever makes the last link. ||
 * 33 || **Pigs in a Pen** || Starting with an empty grid of dots, players take turns, adding a single horizontal or vertical line between two unjoined adjacent dots. A player who completes the fourth side of a 1×1 box earns one point and takes another turn. (The points are typically recorded by placing in the box an identifying mark of the player, such as an initial). The game ends when no more lines can be placed. The winner of the game is the player with the most points. ||
 * 34 || **Heads or Tails** || Students stand. They declare "heads" by placing their hands on the heads or "tails" by placing their hands on their backsides. The teacher then flips a coin and calls out what it landed on. Anyone who declared that side remains in the game. The rest are out and sit. Play repeats and continues until there is one student standing. ||
 * 35 || **Night at the Museum** || One student is chosen to be the “Night Guard”. To start, he turns his back to the rest of the room, counts down “5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Frozen!”, and turns to face the class. For the remaining students: when the Night Guard is looking at you, you must remain frozen. When his back is turned, you are free to move around. Ways for players to get out: moving while the Night Guard is looking at them or making any kind of noise. ||
 * 36 || **Sixes** || This game requires 1 die per group of kids (6 kids works well), 1 pencil, and a piece of paper. The die is passed around the group and each person rolls, trying to get a six. The person who rolls a 6 takes the paper and pencil from the middle and starts writing the numbers 1-50 on a piece of paper (1, 2, 3, 4...). This person continues to write while the rest of the group passes the die still trying to roll a 6. When another person rolls a 6 they get the paper and pencil and begin where the last person left off in writing the numbers to 50. This continues until someone writes the number 50 and is declared the winner. It doesn't matter that the person before them wrote 1-49 and they only wrote the 50. The game sounds like it wouldn't be interesting but my kids LOVE to play. We have made it harder and more educational by having the kids write multiples of 2 up to 100 or 3's up to 150. My kids think it is a brand new game when we play 4's instead of 6's. I also bought foam dice the same size as normal dice to make it a quieter game and less time spent searching for bouncing dice. ||
 * 37 || **Memory Lane** || 1. Teacher calls out one task at a time and partners complete that task.
 * 38 || **Litterbox** || 1. Have partners ball up a piece of paper and place it on the floor. 2. Ask the partners to pick up the paper using the body parts called out by the teacher: Elbow and elbow, Foot and foot, Knee and knee, Forearm and elbow, Foot and elbow, Knee and elbow, Forehead and back of hand, Toe and finger 3. Students can place the paper ball back on their desks, or move it to other parts of the room. ||
 * 39 || **Beauty and the Beast** || Watch on youtube. ||
 * 40 || **Elbow Virus** || Watch on youtube. ||
 * 41 || **Plates** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000033; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">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 keeping his or her own plate in place, of course). ||
 * 42 || **Clap, Snap, Stomp** || Watch on youtube. ||
 * 43 || **Sid Shuffle** || Watch on youtube. ||
 * 44 || **Legs** || Have everyone stand around. Then say, “You can only have 10 limbs on the ground.” Then say 9 limbs, and so on until it can’t be done. Make sure to start with an appropriate number to the size of the group. (Put large groups of students into smaller groups.) ||
 * 45 || **Squeeze** || Split everybody into to two equal teams and have them sit opposing each other at a table. Everyone on a team holds hands and lays their head facing the cup at one end of the table except for those at the other end of the table with the referee. All remain silent. The referee flips a coin and if it turns up heads, then those looking at the coin squeeze the next persons hand and sends the squeeze down to the end of the table. Whoever, at the end of the line, feels the squeeze and grabs the cup first, their team wins and everyone rotates up a position. If the coin turned up tails and someone grabs the cup, then that team gets a penalty and everyone rotates back one position. The referee can call a hand check at any time to see if there is any cheating going on, like string being pulled. If there is cheating, then that team gets a penalty. The game ends when one team has rotated everybody through. (Variation: have teams sit back to back and everyone closes their eyes except for those at the end of their teams looking at the coin flip.) ||
 * 46 || **Steal the Bacon** || Great Group Games (This is an outdoor game.) ||  ||
 * 47 || **Stop & Scribble** || Formation: Standing at desks with partners

Equipment: Piece of paper and pencil for every 2

students

Rules/Directions:

1. Teacher calls out physical activity:

¾Jumping

¾Twisting

¾Jogging

¾Jumping jacks

¾Hopping

¾Knee lifts

¾Playing air guitar

¾Marching

2. Students begin activity and continue for at least 30 seconds or until the teacher calls out a spelling word.

3. Students freeze and partners work together to try to spell the word correctly on a piece of paper.

4. After 10 to 15 seconds, teacher calls out new activity.

5. Continue until all spelling words are used.

6. As students cool down, teacher will write correct spelling on board and students will check their work.

7. Variation: Same activity using sidewalk chalk instead of paper and pencil (outside) ||
 * 48 || **Seven Up** ||  ||
 * 49 || **Move Your Body** || watch on youtube ||
 * 50 || **500 Shakedown** || What you need:

2 players

2 dice

paper and pencil for each Each player starts with 500 points. Player #1 rolls the dice and makes the biggest two-digit number he/she can. Now he/she subtracts this number from 500. Example: Player #1 rolls a 2 and a 4 and makes 42. Now he/she subtracts 42 from 500. Player #2 rolls the dice and does the same. Players continue to alternate turns. The first person to reach 0 wins. There’s only one complication! When you throw a 1, the rules change. You don’t subtract. Instead you make the smallest two-digit number you can and add. Example: If the player throws a 1 and a 5, the smallest two-digit number is 15. So he/she adds 15 to the total. Variation: Start with 5,000 points and use three dice or start with 50,000 and use 4 dice. || 1 die per team/player Recording sheet
 * 51 || **Bump** || This is a worksheet review game. Check Teachers Pay Teachers for many options. ||
 * 52 || **101 & Out** || ** 101 and Out **
 * Materials: **

To roll to 100 without going over.
 * Objective: **

|| 1  ||  1 or 10  ||
 * Directions: **
 * 1) 1. One person rolls the die. There will be a total of 6 rolls. Every roll counts.
 * 2) 2. Each number on the die represents the following value:
 * 2 ||  2 or 20  ||
 * 3 ||  3 or 30  ||
 * 4 ||  4 or 40  ||
 * 5 ||  5 or 50  ||
 * 6 ||  6 or 60  ||

The team or player must decide on the value of the roll and record the decision onto the recording sheet. Player A or Team A || ** Roll 1 **
 * 1) 3. Continue with next roll, adding the determined value to the preceding roll.
 * 2) 4. Winner is the team/player rolling closest to 100 without going over within 6 rolls of the die.

Player B or Team B || ** Roll 1 **
 * ** Roll 2 ** || ** Roll 3 ** || ** Roll 4 ** || ** Roll 5 ** || ** Roll 6 ** || **__ Total __** ||


 * ** Roll 2 ** || ** Roll 3 ** || ** Roll 4 ** || ** Roll 5 ** || ** Roll 6 ** || **__ Total __** ||


 * 53 || **Numbers Up!** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;">Corkboard Connections says, "Seriously, hands down, my class' favorite game to play! This game is perfect for inside recess as the whole class can play at once and everyone is excited for the game. This game requires some "brain sweat", so it works well for grades 2-5. There are two different versions of this game. Supplies needed are minimal: a writing surface, writing utensils, and someone who is quick with their math facts for a "caller."
 * 53 || **Numbers Up!** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;">Corkboard Connections says, "Seriously, hands down, my class' favorite game to play! This game is perfect for inside recess as the whole class can play at once and everyone is excited for the game. This game requires some "brain sweat", so it works well for grades 2-5. There are two different versions of this game. Supplies needed are minimal: a writing surface, writing utensils, and someone who is quick with their math facts for a "caller."

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;">The object of the game is to guess the other player's number before they guess yours. To play, two students come up to the board and stand back to back (hence the name). This allows for the students to write on the board, but blocks their view of the other person's number.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;">The "Caller" states, "Numbers Up". This signals the two students write a number of their choice on the board. I usually play with numbers 2-9 to keep kiddos from dwelling in the 0's and 1's easy train, but you can play with numbers as high or as low as needed for your group of kids.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;">The caller then states the sum (for younger students) or product (3rd-5th) of the two numbers. The students use their understanding of math facts to figure out what they other person's number is when added or multiplied by their number. The player to say the other person's number first wins the round. The "loser" gets to choose the next person to come to the board. Please be warned... this game can get a little rowdy as students win and lose rounds and somehow the teacher always gets pulled up to "clear out" a player who's been up a little too long... But it's a lot of fun and well worth the 10-20 minutes! Beats the repetitious practice drills of flashcards!" ||
 * 54 || **Scoot** ||  ||
 * 55 || **Thumb War** ||  ||
 * 56 || **Secret Handshake** ||  ||
 * 57 || **Balloon Bop** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 14px;">**Balloon Bop:**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 14px;">@http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/cooperative-games-younger-students <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 14px;">//This is such a fun game for all students! Great for the younger students to begin learning cooperation, but also great for the older students as they begin to master skills! You can play this as a whole class or in groups (your choice in number of students, size of group).// <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 14px;">**Materials:** Balloon(s) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 14px;">Students begin by standing in a circle, holding hands. The teacher drops one balloon into the circle. The goal is for students to see how many times they can tap the balloon into the air (**//students may tap the balloon with hands, arms, heads, shoulders, chests, or knees—but NO feet//**), keeping it up in the air, without losing connection (**//all students must continue holding hands//**). In order for this to work effectively, students have to work cooperatively, each of them making sure they are not letting go of their neighbor’s hands. They will soon figure out that they must all move together, as a circle, so to make sure they do not lose connection. If the balloon falls to the ground or a student taps the balloon with their feet, the count begins again. Depending on grade level, you can add more balloons to make it more challenging! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica,Arial; font-size: 14px;">//**Before playing:**// Teacher can model how to tap the balloon lightly in order to keep the balloon up in the air. Try this with the students individually and then in partners. Once they are successful at keeping their balloon in the air without dropping their partner’s hands, add more students to the group until they form one whole circle. Let the game begin! ||
 * 58 || **6,5,4** || Materials: 3 dice. Rules and Play: The object of the game is to get a 6, 5, and 4 on 3 rolls of the dice. Players compete against the house. Each player gets 3 rolls. For example, if a plaer rolled a 3, 4, 1 on the first toss the player would hold the 4 and rool 2 dice on the second toss. if the results were 5, 2 on the second toss the player would hold the 5 and roll the 1 die on the third toss. If the result is 6 the player wins. If the result is any other number, the player loses.

1. Play at least 20 games of 6, 5, 4. Tally the number of wins and losses. || Choose 1 player to be the Leader. All other players line up facing the Leader. On GO, the Leader calls out a command from the list below and all other players must complete the opposite action. Up – Squat down in a ball
 * 59 || **Mulitplication Roll 'Em** || Player 1 rolls 2 dice. He or she multiplies the numbers together to find the product. Player 2 does the same. Circle the math fact with the highest total. The player who had the highesst total wins the round. Play all 18 rounds. Get worksheet here. ||
 * 60 || **Rapid Hand Shakes** || media type="youtube" key="Zqu6wbK0Swg" width="560" height="315" ||
 * 61 || **Mirror, Mirror** || Have students pair up and take turns mirroring the actions of their partner. ||
 * 62 || **Up, Down, Stop, Go** || == How to Play ==

Down – Jump up

Stop – Run on the spot

Go –Freeze in place If a player doesn’t do the correct action he is out. The last player to be out is the winner and becomes the new Leader.

Change the Fun
Add more commands and actions. || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Players pair off facing each other 6 steps apart. Give each pair a ball. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Players toss the ball back and forth with their partners. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If a player misses the ball, he must Drop to the floor in this order: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Drop 1 –1 knee
 * 63 || **Drop, Drop, Drop** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Drop 2 – both knees

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Drop 3 – both knees and 1 elbow

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Drop 4 – both knees and both elbows

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Drop 5 – both knees, both elbows and chin <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If a player reaches Drop 6, he takes 2 steps backwards and the pair restarts the game. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The object of the game is to work as a team and avoid a Drop for the longest time. || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Players pair off and stand back to back. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Each pair of players press their backs together and sit down slowly without using their hands or separating their backs. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Once a pair of players sit down they stand back up with their backs still pressed together using only their feet. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">After each pair has tried sitting and standing again at least once players switch partners and try again. || Decide on a course for the players to run, such as to a tree and back or once around the house. All players line up side by side on the start line and place a snowball on the top of their feet – like a penguin holding an egg. On GO, players race around the course. If a player drops her snowball she must return to the start line and begin again. The first player to complete the course without dropping the snowball is the winner.
 * 64 || **Back to**
 * Back Get Up** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==
 * 65 || **Penguin Shuffle** || == How to Play ==

Change the Fun
Use a ping pong ball or golf ball instead of a snowball. || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Choose 1 player to be the DJ. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The DJ turns the music on. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When the music starts playing all other players skate freely around the rink. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The DJ tosses the ball to a random player. That player must pass the ball to the first player to cross her path. The players keep passing the ball from player to player. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The DJ suddenly stops the music. The player holding the ball when the music stops is out. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The last player standing becomes the next DJ. || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Choose 1 player to be the Chaser. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Chaser tries to tag the other players. When a player is tagged she must freeze in place and put her hand up. The other players can free the frozen player by giving her a high five. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The game ends when the Chaser freezes all the other players || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Divide the play area in half and mark the center line. The center line is the Gutter. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Choose a least 2 players to be the Snakes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Snakes line up across the Gutter. All other players gather at 1 end of the play area. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Snakes face the other players. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">When the Snakes call out SNAKE IN THE GUTTER all other players run from one side of the play area to the other crossing the Gutter. The Snakes try to tag the other players without stepping off the Gutter. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If a player is tagged she becomes a Snake and stands along the Gutter. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The last player to be tagged by the Snakes is the winner. || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Set the cones up on the floor placing some upright and some on their side. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Divide the players into 2 teams: The Cleanies and the Meanies. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Set the timer for 4 minutes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">On GO, the Cleanies run around and clean up the cones by placing them upright, and the Meanies run around and mess up the cones by knocking them over with their hands. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The team with the most cones in its position after 4 minutes is the winner. || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">1 player is the Leader. All other players stand in a circle around the Leader. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Leader throws the ball to a player in the circle. The catching player must clap once and say his name before catching the ball. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If the catching player misses or drops the ball, doesn’t clap, or doesn’t say his name he is out. If a player claps when it is not her turn she is out. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The player with the ball throws it back to the Leader and the game continues. The last player standing in the circle is the winner. || l
 * 65 || **Ice Potato** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==
 * 66 || **High Five Tag** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==
 * 67 || **Snake in the Gutter** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==
 * 68 || **Cleanies and Meanies** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==
 * 69 || **Concentration** || ==<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Lato,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">How to Play ==
 * 70 || **Back to Back Balloon Race** || <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Have students pick a partner and line up on a starting line and have them prepare to race to the finish line. The two person teams will stand back-2-back and place a balloon between them and place their hands over their heads. They must then race together as a team to the finish line. You can also use the land mind challenge with this activity. ||
 * 71 || **Boom, Snap, Clap** || watch on youtube ||
 * 72 || **Big Picture Challenge** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">You can use this activity simply to teach group work skills and to alter the mood in your class, or you can use it to also reinforce a teaching point. Divide the class into two teams. Each team needs a large area on which to draw, such as a flip chart, half the whiteboard, or a large sheet of paper taped to the wall. By each team, put a selection of colored marker pens. Give the children a challenge, such as: An elephant taking tea, A rhino having a bubble bath, A rabbit getting married, A gorilla mowing the lawn, A giraffe riding a unicycle, a baby taking a selfie, a centipede trying on shoes, a shark riding a roller coaster, a turkey eating a Big Mac, etc. Each team must draw a picture. Children take it in turns to go to the board, draw for about ten seconds, then touch hands with the next player, who goes to the board to take his turn. Use a funny instrument or hooter to make the signal to swap places, and keep the pace fast. Each child should have long enough to draw a little, but the fun is from the feeling of speed. Work out a system for ensuring that turns are taken, and tell the children that at any time you will blow the final hooter and the game will be over. ||
 * 73 || **Telephone** || Read about it here ||
 * 74 || **MASH** || [[file:mash_game.pdf]] ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> *Brain Breaks are compiled from various resources, including:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Minds in Bloom <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brain Breaks Blogspot <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Multiplication.com <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Educational Materials Center <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ProTeacher <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Northwest Regional Education Service District <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teaching with Style <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Playworks.org <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Education.com <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Activity Village <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Kinesthetic Classroom <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eat Better Move More <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Math Games & Activities <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teach Hub <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">iplay/mathgames.com <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Happy Teacher <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Push 2 Play <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ice Breaker Ideas <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Super Teacher Worksheets <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wikipedia <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Scholastic's "Classroom Fitness Breaks to Help Kids Focus" by Sarah Longhi <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"The I Hate Mathematics! Book" by Marilyn Burns <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">various sources from youtube (links take you directly to the source)