Thumb War or Peace: Energizing Brain Breaks

Brain Breaks are helpful in the middle of class to help get students refocused and energized.  They are great when they break up an hour long class right in the middle.  They are excellent breaks in a meeting or presentation.


Thumb War or Peace is a brain break done with a partner.

1.  Thumb War is easy:  Simply lock fingers together and then tap alternately with your thumbs to the chant:  "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war".  Then you can get started with the war.  The first person to pin the others thumb down for three seconds so they can't move it is declared the winner.

2.  Thumb Peace:  Lock your fingers together.  You will try to work together to outline the numbers 0-9 with your thumbs one at a time.  Your thumbs will need to work together while making each number.  So You will have to decide who will be writing the number forwards and who will write it backwards.

ENERGIZING BRAIN BREAKS
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ITSY BITSY SPIDER Energizing Brain Break for Students

ITSY BITSY SPIDER Energizing Brain Break for Students

You know the old rhyme that goes "The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout..."

1. Stand up.

2. Put your hands out in front of you.

3. Take your right hand thumb and touch it to your left hand index finger.

4. Now take your right hand index finger and touch it to your left hand thumb.

5. Rotate both hands to move upward so that you can now reach your right hand thumb to your left hand index finger. Then keep rotating your fingers and thumbs so that you are "walking up the water spout"

6. Now do this behind your back. Try going "down the spout" as well.

7. Once you've mastered this, then do the same process with your index finger and your pinkie. This is tough.

I have not done this one yet with my students, so once I have, I will video-tape it and post it.

There is a Brain Break Book available. It has 50 activities that incorporate movement, crossing the mid-line, and brain challenges. Click here for more information. Also, 50% of the profits from this book go to great causes like building schools in Angola or also giving away books to underprivileged schools.

Thumb and Pinkie Brain Break

Brain Breaks are great to take every 25 minutes in class.

This one is great for getting students to "think" about their movement.
Take your left hand and have your fingers in, and your thumb up.
Then take your right hand and put your thumb in and all your fingers in except your pinkie.
So in other words, your thumb up and pinkie out.
Now switch the roles of your hands.

See the 50 second video for how this actually looks.

Happy Brain Breaks,
Dave