Hand Shake #2 Energizing Brain Break

Hand Shake #2

You will be doing a lengthy handshake with your partner.
1. Stand up and find a partner. Decide who is A and who is B.
2. Tap your right elbows together. Tap your left elbows together.
3. Person A: Give a crossing over low side five to your partner with your right hand. (right hand to right hand) Now do a fist bump with your right hand. (A fist bump is making a fist, and lightly touching finger sections that are closest to the wrist) Person B: Give a crossing over low side five to your partner with your left hand and then do a fist bump with your left hand.
4. Bump your right shoulders together. Bump your left shoulders together.
5. Person A: Make an X in the air with your right arm over your left. Person B: Make an X in the air with your left arm over your right. Now while slapping each other’s hands move them together back to their correct side.
6. Now do a double fist bump. (Opposite hands will be touching)
7. Repeat this handshake over and over as fast as you can.

Hand Shake # 1 that is a BRAIN BREAK

Brain Breaks are great to re-engergize your students


You will be doing a lengthy handshake with your partner.



1. Stand up and find a partner. Decide who is A and who is B.

2. Shake right hands. Shake left hands.

3. Now do a right hand fist bump, and then a left hand fist bump. (A fist bump is making a fist, and lightly touching finger sections that are closest to the wrist)

4. Now do a right hand hammer tap. Person A will put their right fist out. Person B will lightly tap A with the bottom of their fist. Now Person A will lightly touch the bottom of their fist to person B’s fist. Now do a left hand hammer tap.

5. Now while crossing your arms do a high ten.

6. Now do a double fist bump. (Opposite hands will be touching)

7. Lastly do a regular high ten.

8. Repeat this handshake over and over as fast as you can.



Be creative and make up your own handshake.

Slap Count + Say 21 and Win Brain Break

One of "BRAIN BREAKS" readers sent in a great suggestion as a comment. Greg Farmer - Traverse City Central High suggested that we combine "Say 21 and win" and "Slap Count". What a great idea! I tried it yesterday and it was terrific. The students loved the competition feature and it got them to cross the midline as well.

Here are the rules.

1. Stand up and find a partner. Decide who is A and who is B.
2. The goal is to be the person to say the number 21 while slap counting. Slap counting is when you have your hands out and palms up and the one who says a number crosses over and slaps the other persons hand.
3. You will alternately say and slap count consecutive numbers starting at one until someone says 21. However, at your turn you have your choice of saying only one number or two numbers at a time.
4. For example, if person A just finished their turn and said “7”, then person B could either say just “8” or “8” then “9”.
5. Person A will start counting at “1”.

See the video.

Thanks Greg Farmer for a great suggestion. I love it.

"FIVE" Brain Break

Kinesthetic Brain Breaks are something you should try to do every 25 minutes in your classes. In this Brain Break you will work with a partner. In this activity, partners will display the correct number of fingers so that both add to FIVE.

1. Stand up and find a partner. Decide who is A and who is B.
2. Face your partner.
3. Person A will put their arm out in one of the 12 clock positions. For instance, they could put their arm up directly in the air like 12 o’clock. Once their arm is out, they display a number zero to five with their fingers and thumb.
4. Now person B will put their arm out in the opposite direction as person A’s. For instance, since A was up at 12 o’clock, then person B puts their arm out straight down in the 6 o’clock position. Once their arm is out, they display the number of fingers to add to FIVE.
5. Once Person A has led for a while, switch and have person B lead.

Try to have students put their arms out in all different directions like the hands of a clock. They should also use different numbers zero to five and use either arm. Students should do this activity as quickly as possible.

Extension: Have student A hold out both hands in various dirctions. Now student B will have to put both hands out at opposite directions with fingers finishing "FIVE" on both hands.

See Video for a demonstration.

Say 21 and Win Brain Break

This idea was sent in by Sue McKay.
I have used it in my class and it worked great. My students were leaving the class saying "I have to play this at lunch"

“Say 21 and WIN”
Here are the rules…
The object is to say 21 and win.
You have the option when it is your turn to say the next consecutive number or two.
For example…. I go first
I say 1
You can say 2 or 2…3. You say 2.
Then I can say 3 or 3…4. I say 3 ... 4 and so on until someone says 21 and wins.
If I start with 1…2.
You can say 3 or 3…4
And so on. The person who says 21 wins. For a change, make the person who says 21 the loser.
There is a strategy and some kids get it right away.

Slap Count Brain Break

Slap Count

Face each other with your palms up.

Person A should take their right hand and cross over and hit person B’s right hand and say 1

Then person A should take their left hand and cross over and hit person B’s left hand and say 2

Person B does the same except says 3 and 4.

This repeats until you reach 30.

Variations

Go up by 3’s 5’s, or any number.

Start at a number and go down by another number (like start at 34 and go down by 3’s)

Start at one and double each number

Each person spells their own name or any other vocabulary from class

Make a pattern like the left hand always adds 2 and the right hand always adds 3

Each person spells a word. Both try to figure out the other person’s word.

Thanks to Jean Blaydes Madigan for this idea

Hook Ups Brain Break

One person should
Clap and miss
Thumbs down
Hands together
Scoop the ice cream (like pictured)

The other person should
Point out a finger or thumb for the other person to move (don't touch the finger)
Try pointing to a few fingers before switching roles

This Brain Break crosses the mid-line of your body and helps both sides of your brain work together.

Thanks to Jean Blaydes Madigan for this idea.