Best Brain Breaks and Warm-Up Activities Every Teacher Should Try in the Classroom

Games are a tried and true way to engage students. Whether teaching in-person or remotely via a live session like Zoom or Google Meets, teachers know that games, brain breaks, and icebreakers are an awesome way to get students actively involved in learning. With the ever-changing landscape of education, I thought it might be nice to compile some versatile activities that challenge students in really fun ways. Best part? These activities are very low prep and work in a variety of settings.

These activities encourage students to listen, solve problems, be creative, and practice critical skills. They're designed to be easy to do with little to no prep. You can easily add one of these games to any lesson as a warm-up, closure, community building activity, or lesson extender. 

 GAMES & ACTIVITIES 

⭐How Many? Give students a category and then challenge students to see how many different things they can fit within that classification. At first students will respond with obvious ideas. However, as they brainstorm, their ideas will stretch and their creativity will grow. Students can jot their ideas down on scrap paper and earn points for each unique response when they share out.

Here are some categories to get started: occupations, things that are slimy, things that roll, animal noises, articles of clothing

⭐Listen Carefully: Read a short passage out loud to students. Then, have them answer questions based on what they can remember. Make it especially fun by awarding points for every answer that students get right. You can change up this activity by reading two versions of the same story. Mix up some of the details in the second version for students to listen for.

Give this activity a try with the passages in this set of FREE Brain Bursts. Add your information below and then check your inbox!

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⭐Silly Silent Spelling: Practice spelling words in a super silly way. Explain to students that you are going to be giving them a practice spelling test (definitely NOT the real thing). Just like a typical practice test, they'll listen for the word and write it down. However, here's the catch: you're only going to silently mouth the words. Students will need to read your lips to figure out what word they will need to write down. Of course, figuring out a word from a silent cue is not easy. That's what makes this fun. Students will write down some wild guesses as they spell their way through this game.

⭐One Word: Pose a fun question to the class and have them all think of a one-word answer. Then, give every student a chance to share their responses as you call on each of them. Here are some questions to get started:

--- If you were a type of dessert, what would you be?

--- Where do you feel happiest?

--- How would a soccer ball describe its day?

--- Where is somewhere that you would like to visit?

--- What would be the perfect gift for you? 

⭐Mystery Item: This activity is quick and easy to play. To prepare, write 5 or 6 clues about an object. Make the clues gradually increase in their specificity. Then, read the clues to students as they jot down their guesses for the mystery item until you reveal the answer.

⭐Punchline: Start telling a joke to students, and then have them guess the punchline. Find a ton of jokes for kids here.

⭐Strike a Pose: Explain to students that they are going to pretend that they are in a photograph. They will need to imagine that the photo was taken at the height of the event. All they have to do is strike a pose after you give them a situation. For instance, you might say, "haunted house," and then students would freeze in a pose that shows them frightened or terrified. 

Here are a few situations to try: Dentist Office, Roller Coaster, Last Day of School, Scary Movie, Food Fight, Race

⭐Timed Writing Activities: Engage students with a creative writing prompt. Then, "amp up" the fun factor by adding a timed element. Challenge students to race the clock as they write as much as they can in a fixed time period. Find my favorite prompts here.

⭐And Then...: This is a listening game for the entire class. Students will need to listen to and add to a growing story. You'll start the story with an opener like, "At the zoo, I decided to open the lion's cage, and then..." Next, you'll call on a student to explain what happened next. That student will add one line and the phrase "and then" before selecting another student to add to the story. 

⭐Listen and Draw: Students love this activity! To prepare, create a simple illustration filled with shapes and designs. Then, write out the directions for students. Have students complete the activity on a piece of paper. Read each direction to students and challenge them to replicate the illustration you instructed them to draw. (These are included in the exclusive freebie below.)

⭐Class Pet: Pretend that you have a new class pet. Explain to students that they will need to guess the type of animal. Students will need to ask questions and write their guesses on a piece of paper when they think they have figured out the new class pet.

⭐Add the Ending: Engage students as they practice writing and storytelling skills with this activity. First, students will listen to the beginning of a story that you read to them. Then, they'll take over the writing and complete the story. The story starters are a fun way to motivate students to write. 

⭐Alien, Tiger, and Cat: Here's an improvisational theatre game that works in the classroom. Explain to students that they can be one of three things: an alien, a cat, or a tiger. If they choose to be an alien, they need to hold their pointer fingers next to their head (like antennae) and say "bleeb, bleeb." To be a cat, they need to rub their wrist along their face (like a cat cleaning itself) and say "meow." Finally, to be a tiger they need to push their hand forward with a claw stance and roar. On your cue, every student will choose and act like an animal. The goal is to get everyone to choose the same animal (which is nearly impossible, but fun to try).

⭐Rapid Recall: Create a list of random words. Then, read the list of words to students. As you read the words, you might have students put their hands on their heads so that you know for sure that they aren't taking notes. Once you've read the words to students once or twice, wait about a minute before letting students write down every word that they remember. (Find ready-made lists in this complete resource.)

⭐Finish the Fact: Share the beginning of a fact with students. Then, challenge them to complete the fact. Have them share their guesses before revealing the complete fact. Find a collection of random facts here.

Want a free set of virtual classroom activities designed to be NO PREP and NO COPIES? Just add your name and email below.

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BONUS: Here's one more idea:

⭐Paper Airplanes: Help students practice following directions by challenging them to fold a paper airplane by following your directions. To get started, choose a paper airplane design to have students fold. Then, have students take out a piece of paper. They'll need to listen carefully to each of your directions to make their paper airplane. 

Wishing you tons of fun in your (virtual) classroom,

Mary Beth

P.S. Find a TON of ready-made activities HERE.

The Socially Distanced Classroom: Learning Activities that work with Social Distancing

 

When I first imagined a socially distant classroom, I had an overwhelming sense of sadness. I was flooded with images of classrooms under "normal" circumstances. I had flashbacks of kids rotating through fun learning stations, playing games together, reading in small groups, completing learning fact hunts, doing hands-on projects, and getting imaginative with their learning. For an instant, I felt like those days were over. 

Then, I remembered the most fundamental truth about educators: "Teachers are innovative." 

I knew it was time to think creatively about instruction. So, I took a deep dive into some of my favorite ways to get kids learning, and guess what? With small tweaks, we can still make learning engaging, motivating, and meaningful...and if it means that kids will have to do it 6 feet apart, no problem! The learning activities may be a little different, and we may need to get a little creative, but I'm hopeful that you'll be able to find some ideas below that just might work in your socially distanced classroom.

I love fact hunts! They're a great way to introduce or review material with students. Under "normal" circumstances, you would hide a ton of facts around the classroom or school. Then, students would rotate around and collect the information. Since students move around freely to collect facts, I thought that this might not work in a socially distanced classroom, but then I realized that with a few more parameters and a bit more planning it could work. Here's how:

• --- Write facts about a topic on 1/2 sheets of paper.
• --- Tape the facts around the classroom or along a hallway, spacing the facts at least 6 feet apart.
• --- Explain to students that they will be collecting facts as they rotate around the classroom.
• --- Designate where each student will begin.
• --- Then, after collecting the first fact have students move on your cue to the next fact as they rotate through every fact.

Adding a little movement to learning is a powerful and easy way to make learning fun. I've created fact hunts for back to school, literary devices, ancient civilizations, and holidays. They're always a blast. Check them out here.

Let's be honest, kids are always requesting to have class outside. Now is the perfect time to do just that. To prep, just set out flags, blankets, or cones to designate where kids can work while remaining socially distant. Then, have students bring their work outside. 

Since the kids are outside, they can also be a bit louder, so you can make it especially fun by...

• --- Letting students shout their spelling words
• --- Challenging students to read out loud in a way that everyone on their blankets can hear them
• --- Creating cheers to help remember important content
• --- Teaching new information and encouraging students to yell their responses

One of the troubling things about the socially distanced classroom is the fact that kids will have less opportunities to collaborate and work together. However, interacting with peers and working together is such a powerful part of the "normal" classroom. That's why this next idea is perfect! 

Jenny from Art with Jenny K and I created a series of collaborative anchor charts. Each student is responsible for creating an element of the chart independently. Then, the teacher assembles the collaborative anchor chart. The cool part is that not only is it creative and collaborative, it is also a powerful way for students to learn. When they see their own work as part of the chart, they're more connected to the learning.

We've created anchor chart parts on Finding the Main Idea, Sequencing, Summarizing and Growth Mindset.

I know what you're thinking, "Learning stations in a socially distant classroom?! Yeah, right!" I'm with you. At first, I thought learning stations would have to go away. But, then I realized that it's still possible to do the fun and engaging learning station activities with a small tweak. Specifically, instead of setting up different learning stations and having students rotate to each one, everyone in the class could stay in their seats and work on a single station's tasks at the same time. In other words, on the first day, everyone would complete station one. The teacher could serve as the "leader" of the station, reviewing the directions and ensuring that students have the right materials. 

While the rotations would be gone, many of the benefits of learning stations would remain because they still keep students engaged while chunking instructional material. Since stations also include a variety of activities, students will still be able to learn in various ways.

Some of my favorite stations teach critical study skills, reading comprehension, social studies, and even celebrate holidays. You can see them all here.

One of the concerns about socially distanced classrooms is that students will have to learn in a "sit and get" environment. As educators, we're always striving to move away from traditional lectures. That's where 3-D projects come in. When students can turn their learning or research into a 3-dimensional project engagement and buy-in soar. 

Here are some simple ways to make learning a little more 3-dimensional:

• --- Have students turn their notes into paper airplanes.
• --- Turn a single piece of paper into mini-books filled with notes.
• --- Let students create cootie catchers to review important concepts.
• --- Provide students with interactive notebook activities.

I love making learning more hands-on. Some of my favorite lessons are back to school mini-books, 3-D monuments for ancient civilizations, 3-D research projects and even 3-D writing lessons.

Doodling is a great way to engage students (even when they are socially distanced). Give students an opportunity to doodle during the school year and watch their engagement soar! Not only is doodling fun, it’s also been shown to help our brains process information. 

You can have students create doodles to showcase their learning at any time. Let students create doodles:

• --- To help them learn vocabulary
• --- As a way to review for a test
• --- For a book report
• --- As they learn about a new topic
• --- When they answer a test or quiz question

You might want to introduce Doodle and Do resources into your classroom. First, students complete doodle-style notes. Then, they practice their learning as they "do" different activities. You can get students doodling as they learn new vocabulary, nonfiction text features, study skills, novel studies, fact hunts, and even reading skills. 

The fact is, doodles are so adaptable and fun! Get inspired RIGHT HERE. 

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I hope you've found a few instructional ideas to bring into your socially distanced classrooms. These sure are challenging times for educators, but there's one thing we all know for sure: Teachers are innovative! I know that your students are so lucky to have you! If there's anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out to me at brainwavesinstruction@gmail.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Beth

Connecting with our Community - How to Create a Robot Hunt

My family needed a project. Nearly a month into social distancing, it was time to figure out a way to connect with the friends that we all missed desperately.

So, I recruited our two boys and my husband to create a robot hunt. I thought we could make some robots, hide them around our town, write some clues for the hidden robots, and share the Robot Scavenger Hunt with our friends. 

Turns out, it worked! Our friends and their families got outside, hunted down some robots, and shared photos with us along the way. We had such a great time doing it, I thought you might want to try it in your own community.

(Click HERE to download the Robot Hunt template for FREE.)

Here's how we put together our Robot Hunt.

First, we gathered some materials. We scoured the house for bits of junk (there was plenty of that), scraps of wood, nails, screws, and rope.

Then, we spent the good part of an afternoon building robots. It was so much fun! It was incredible to see how each robot seemed to get more creative or whimsical as the day went on.

Here are some of the things we used:
--- Wood - 2 x 4, 2 x 1, 1 x 1
--- Wooden dowels and PVC pipe
--- Hardware - screws, gears, nails
--- Small bits of things like golf tees, clothespins, paper clips, keys, buttons, beads

Tools
--- Drill
--- Hammer
--- Hot glue gun

We also labeled each robot with a number. We used an old set of leather punches. However, you could easily designate each robot by writing numbers on them, painting them different colors, or just letting their individually differentiate them.

By the end of the afternoon, we had 10 robots ready for the robot hunt.

The next day, we gathered the robots and took them to our village. We brought some rope and scissors to secure the robots in place. We also brought some paper to write down clues for each robot as we went. 

We hid the robots in a single "loop" around the village to make it manageable for our friends. However, we also hid one off of the beaten path as a BONUS.

Since we were conscious of germs, we made sure that all bots could be visible and no one would need to touch them to see the numbers or write a description. 

Oh, and since we have a canal in our town and bridges, you know that my boys were very into the idea of having one robot "bungee jump" off a bridge.

After we hid all the robots, we typed up the robot clues for our friends. 

We also included some directions for our friends. These included:

--- Where to begin the hunt. 

--- Places to write their "start" and "end" time.

--- A note about recording their answers.

--- Instructions to take a group selfie with at least one robot in the background (and who to share the selfie with - which was us, of course!)

--- A reminder not to touch the robots.

If you'd like to use the template we created, you can download it for FREE here. There are blanks so that you can customize it for your community.

This was the best part! Once the Robot Hunt was ready, we couldn't wait to share it with our friends. We placed the directions and clues in some of our friends' mailboxes. We texted photos of the hunt to some other friends. We even created a PDF that we could email to some other friends. 

Then, the photos and texts started rolling in. As our friends completed the hunt they sent photos of their papers and their cute faces with robots. They all commented on how much fun they had. 

Connecting with them made our hearts burst. It was so nice to "play" together - even remotely!

If this inspires you to put some robots around your town, we'd love to hear about it! Connect with us by...

• - Posting images on social media with #robothunt2020
• - Tagging @brainwavesinstruction
• - Emailing updates to marybeth@brainwavesinstruction.com
• - Adding comments and/or images to this blog post

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Mary Beth

P.S. If you're looking for another way to get creative these days, check out this "Watch and Write" video. Kids can watch a short video for creative writing inspiration. My sons helped me with this too!

P.P.S. Here's a quick photo of my boys, the dog, and I while we were hiding the robots.

Oh, and don't forget to grab the printable Robot Scavenger Hunt materials HERE.