1

50 Strategies to Implement Brain and

Movement Break into the Classroom

Lauren Connellan
Professional Inquiry Project, PSIII
University of Lethbridge
Spring 2017
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Table of Contents
Contents
1. Over, Under, Around and Through ................................................................................... 4
2. Card Fitness ................................................................................................................................ 4
3. Sports Galore .............................................................................................................................. 5
4. As If ................................................................................................................................................. 5
5. Space Jam..................................................................................................................................... 6
6. Stop and Spell ............................................................................................................................. 7
7. Morning Routine ....................................................................................................................... 7
8. Body Part to Body Part .......................................................................................................... 8
9. Memory Lane .............................................................................................................................. 8
10. The 12 Days of Fitness ............................................................................................................ 9
11. Yoga Deck ..................................................................................................................................... 9
12. Dance Breaks ............................................................................................................................ 10
13. Trading Places ......................................................................................................................... 10
14. Freeze Dance ............................................................................................................................ 11
15. Six Spots ..................................................................................................................................... 11
16. 54321 ............................................................................................................................. 11
17. Would You Rather................................................................................................................... 12
18. Name Moves .............................................................................................................................. 12
19. Physical Challenge ................................................................................................................. 12
20. Chair Action .............................................................................................................................. 13
21. Cross Crawls ............................................................................................................................. 13
22. Thats My Song! ........................................................................................................................ 13
23. Mime Drill .................................................................................................................................. 14
24. Jammin Minute....................................................................................................................... 14
25. Quiz Me ....................................................................................................................................... 14
26. Super Bowl: Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenge ............................................................ 15
27. Rock-Paper-Scissors with Feet ......................................................................................... 15
28. Minute Masters ........................................................................................................................ 16
29. Textbook Aerobics .................................................................................................................. 16
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30. Acting Out .................................................................................................................................. 17

31. Higher or Lower ...................................................................................................................... 17
32. Touchdown Dance .................................................................................................................. 17
33. Feel the Beat ............................................................................................................................. 18
34. True or False Simon Says .................................................................................................... 18
35. Future Trainer ......................................................................................................................... 19
36. Do the Conga! ........................................................................................................................... 19
37. Fitness Spelling ....................................................................................................................... 20
38. Workout Videos........................................................................................................................ 20
39. Physical Activity Jeopardy ................................................................................................ 21
40. Limbo ........................................................................................................................................... 21
41. Human Knot .............................................................................................................................. 22
42. Plank High 5s........................................................................................................................... 22
43. Handshakes ............................................................................................................................... 23
44. Toe Tapping Energizer ......................................................................................................... 23
45. Crocodiles and Crabs ............................................................................................................ 23
46. Make it Rain .............................................................................................................................. 24
47. Color Song.................................................................................................................................. 24
48. Dont Fall .................................................................................................................................... 24
49. Shake it ....................................................................................................................................... 25
50. Ninja ............................................................................................................................................. 25
References ............................................................................................................................................. 26
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1. Over, Under, Around and Through

Have students line up around the perimeter of the room. The teacher creates
a pattern where students go over, under, around and through imaginary or
real objects. Students are led around the room, following this pattern for a
couple of minutes. Example Over a mountain, under a fence, around the
puddle and through the berry patch.

(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015).

2. Card Fitness
Form a circle around the room. Hand out playing cards (1-10) to each
students, you might need more than one deck. Students will look at the
number and perform the exercise that corresponds with the number. After
doing the exercise, students will pass their card to the person on the right
and repeat with a new card. Some examples might be:
1: Five squats
2: Five push-ups
3: Five jumping jacks
4: Five sit-ups
5: Five seconds of planking
6: Five tricep dips
7: Five burpees
8: Five jumps
9: Five kicks
10: Five jabs

Variation: use card suits instead of numbers. Write four different activities
for the four card suits.
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3. Sports Galore
Have students stand next to their desks. The teacher will call out the
following sports to mimic for at least 10-15 seconds:
Shooting a jump shot
Running through tires
Batting a baseball
Serving a tennis ball
Snowboarding
Slalom skiing
Spiking a volleyball
Swinging a golf club
Throwing a football
Juggling a soccer ball
Shooting an arrow
Shooting a hockey puck
Swimming underwater
Fielding a ground ball and throwing it to first base
Dunking a basketball
(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015).

4. As If
The teacher will read sentences to the class. Have students act out each
sentence for 30 seconds.
Move your feet as if you were skating
Shake your body as if you are a wet dog
Swim as if you are swimming in the ocean
Jump in place as if you are popcorn popping
Run on the spot as if a bear is chasing you
Reach up as if you are grabbing balloons out of the air
Walk forward as if you are walking through a field of daisies
March in place and play the drums as if you are in a marching band
(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015)
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5. Space Jam
The teacher will read this story to the class and students will act out the
action words. Teacher will pause during reading while the class acts out each
verb. Prompt students if needed. Continue throughout the story:

Hello, my name is Zippy and I live on a space station. Today, I will

lead you on a tour through space. First, we need to put on our moon boots.
They will allow us to walk through space. The first stop will be Mercury, the
closest planet to the sun. Mercury is very hot . . . so, OUCH, be careful and
step quickly so your feet do not get burned. Mercury also has many craters. On
the count of 3, lets jump into a crater and see what we find. 1 2 3, JUMP!
Climb out of the crater so we can march to Venus. Venus is the second planet
from the sun. This planet has very strong winds and volcanoes. See if you can
walk through the wind without blowing over. A lot of the surface of Venus is
covered with lava, and here comes some . . . RUN! The next stop is Earth, the
third planet from the sun. Seventy-one percent of the Earths surface is water,
so hop in and start swimming. See if you can do the front crawl and the
backstroke. Our next stop will be Mars. Mars is known as the red planet. The
largest mountain in space, Olympic Mons, is located on Mars. See if you can
climb to the top! Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun. It is made up of
mostly gas and you can see clouds when you look at this planet. Find a cloud
and see if you can float on it.

Our next stop is Saturn, the sixth planet from the sun. It has a rocky
core and there are areas of ice throughout the planet. There are also rings of
gases around Saturn. WHOA, there is a huge piece of ice, be careful and slide
across it. Hop on one of the rings surrounding Saturn and spin around in
circles. Uranus is our next stop. It has a small rocky core. Can everyone tiptoe
across Uranus watching out for the ice? Next, lets visit Neptune. Neptune has
four rings and large storms with fast winds. It also has 13 moons. Quick,
duck! Here comes a moon, move to the left so you do not get hit. Pluto is our
next stop. It is the smallest planet and is furthest from the sun. It is a cold
planet because it is furthest from the sun. Shiver and rub your hands together
to stay warm. This ends our tour of space. Grab a partner and hop back to the
space station

(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015)

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6. Stop and Spell

Students will stand at their desks with a partner. Each pair will need a scrap
piece of paper. The teacher will call out a physical activity (jumping, jogging,
jumping jacks, high knees, etc.). Students will do that activity until the
teacher calls out a spelling word. Students will
freeze and work together with their partner to try
and spell the word correctly on their paper. After
15-20 seconds, the teacher will call out a new
activity. Continue until all spelling words have
been completed. After, write all the spelling
words down on the board for students to check
their work.
(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015)

7. Morning Routine
Get students into the habit of beginning the day with a series of simple
activities lasting 30 seconds each:
Jumping jacks
Knee lifts
Flapping arms
Hopping
Scissors

Follow each activity with a basic stretch:

Reach for the sky

Touch your toes
Butterfly stretch
Knee to chest
Rotate ankles

(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015)

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8. Body Part to Body Part

Have students spread out throughout the room. Students will wander around
while the music is playing. The teacher will stop the music and call out body
parts. Students must find a person close to them and do the pose as fast as
they can. Possible poses include:
Elbow to elbow
Foot to foot
Knee to knee
Forearm to forearm
Forearm to elbow
Foot to elbow
Knee to elbow
Forehead to knee
Back to back

9. Memory Lane
The teacher will call out one task at a time and partners have to complete
that task. Tasks should be called out in the order provided. Partners repeat
the tasks beginning with the first task each time. Have students repeat the
sequence as fast as they can with accuracy.
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

(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015)

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10. The 12 Days of Fitness

Use the holiday tune, The 12 Days of Christmas for this activity. Students
will act out the following fitness song:
On the first day of Christmas my trainer gave to me
12 jumping jacks
11 raise the roofs
10 knee lifts
9 side stretches
8 jogs in place
7 jabs/punches
6 kicks to the front
5 hula hoops
4 jumping ropes (imaginary rope)
3 muscle poses
2 scissors (feet apart then cross in front, feet apart then cross in back)
* 1 stork stand (balance on one foot)
(North Carolina Healthy Schools, 2015).

11. Yoga Deck

Create a deck of cards that have a variety of yoga poses on them. Poses can
include mountain pose, downward dog, warrior, tree pose, bridge pose,
triangle pose, seated twist, cobra, childs pose, etc. Have a picture of the pose
on each of the card for students to mirror. Every so often, have a student
draw a card and have the whole class try the pose together.
(Braley, 2014).
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12. Dance Breaks

Every 20-30 minutes, have students take a break from their work to follow a
dance routine. Dance routines on YouTube are great as you can find difficulty
levels that are appropriate for your class. Routines also make students feel
more comfortable as everyone is doing the same dance and no one has to
worry about making something up on the spot. Here are some examples:
Stretching Song
Childrens Hip-Hop
Shake Break Song
Chicken Dance
Macarena
Cha Cha Slide
Juju On That Beat
The Gummy Bear Song
Go Noodle
Boom Chicka Boom

13. Trading Places

Students stand up behind their pushed in chairs or beside their desk.
Teacher will call out a trait and whoever has that trait must change places
with someone else who has that trait. Students who dont have that trait stay
in their spot. Here are some examples: Everyone with/who.
Curly hair
Blonde hair
Blue eyes
Ate cereal for breakfast
Lives on a farm
Has younger siblings
Was born outside of Alberta

(Number One Pencils, 2012)

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14. Freeze Dance

Students will dance to music and freeze when the music stops. Students who
do not freeze on time will do an exercise such as jumping jacks, squats,
pushups, sit-ups, etc. Students resume dancing when the music is turned
back on.

15. Six Spots

Number six spots around the room with signs or sticky notes. Have one
student roll a dice. Anyone standing at that spot must do the physical
consequence. Near the end, teachers can introduce the elimination version.
During these rounds, students standing at the spot must sit in their desks.
Play until there is only one student left standing.
(Number One Pencils, 2012).

16. 54321
Students stand up beside their desks. The
teacher has students do movements in
descending order. For example, do 5
jumping jacks, 4 push-ups, 3 squats, walk
around the class 2 times and give 1 high
five.
(Number One Pencils, 2012).
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17. Would You Rather

Have students stand in the middle of the classroom. The teacher asks a
would you rather question. Students move to the side of the classroom that
aligns with their response. Examples:
Would you rather be hot or cold?
Would you rather go to the beach or the mountains?
Would you rather have a dog or cat?
Would you rather eat cake or iced cream?
Would you rather chocolate or vanilla?
Would you rather be a superhero or supervillain?
Would you rather climb Mount Everest or walk the entire Great Wall
of China?
Would you rather play basketball or hockey?

18. Name Moves

Students stand beside their desks. One at a time, students say their name
and does a movement to go with it. The rest of the class says the name and
does the movement. Repeat for every student.
(Number One Pencils, 2012).

19. Physical Challenge

Leader or teacher gives a physical challenge to the rest of the class. Should be
something that determines who can do it the longest or who can do the most
of it. For examples:
Who can stand on one foot and hop up and down the longest?
Who can hold this yoga pose
the longest?
Who can do the most burpees?
Who can do the most sit-ups?
Who can balance on one foot
the longest?
Who can wall sit the longest?
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20. Chair Action

Have students sit on the edge of their chair or desk while keeping their back
straight. Play music with a strong beat and have students do the following
actions:
Hiking: Students swing their arms and reach left and right while
tapping their toes and lifting their knees.
Swimming: Students move their arms as if doing the front crawl and
kick their legs in a flutter kick
Cycling: Students hold on to the seat of their chairs and pedal their
legs as if riding a bike
Paddling: Student use an imaginary paddle to paddle a canoe (both
sides)

(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

21. Cross Crawls

Have students stand up. They will bring one knee up,
touch it with their opposite hand and then switch. The
next step is having students touch their hand to their
opposite foot behind their back. This works the corpus
callosum which helps connect the two hemispheres of
the brain.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

22. Thats My Song!

Great signal for starting and stopping brain breaks. Have each student write
down their favorite song. When it is played in class, students know that they
can get up and dance around the classroom. This really increases classroom
energy when students hear their favorite songs!
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).
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23. Mime Drill

Have students get into pairs and mime each others actions. There should be
no talking during this activity. Specify who will be the leader to start and
signal when students should switch the leader and follower.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

24. Jammin Minute

Workout Routine: Standing Exercises (10 seconds of each). Make sure to play
an upbeat song. Have students repeat 2-4 times after a few seconds break.
March in place
Face chair, tap toes on chair
Feet together, hop side to side
Tap your bottom on chair and
stand up
Hand on abs, squeeze and
release abs
March in place

(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

25. Quiz Me
While reviewing for a test, give students a series of true or false questions to
ask their partner. Will need two different sets of questions for each set of
partners. If the question is true, students should jump in place for 15
seconds. If it is false, they should touch their toes. Teachers can also do this
activity as a group by asking everyone the same question at once.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).
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26. Super Bowl: Rock, Paper, Scissors Challenge

Have students find a partner. Partners compete in one round of traditional
Rock, Paper, Scissors. Repeat round if there is a tie. The winner from each
pair moves on and finds another winning student to play. The non-winner
must choose one football consequence to do. They can choose from: 10
pushups, 10 side lye ups (each side), 10 squats or 10 chair tricep dips. Once
they complete the exercise they join the team of the person who beat them
and cheer for them in their next competition. Each round, the winner
advances and non-winner continue to follow the winner and cheer for their
team. The game continues until there are only two winner left. Announce
that this is the Super Bowl and that this final round will determine the
overall Champion.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

27. Rock-Paper-Scissors with Feet

Have students stand up and pair up. Rock is with the feet together. Paper is
with the feet spread apart. Scissors is placing the feet in a crisscrossed
position. To start, jump three time (during the rock paper scissors lead up)
and on shoot, students jump into one of the three positions. To increase
movement, have students find a new partner every 30 seconds.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).
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28. Minute Masters

Display a list of different exercises for all to see on the board or wall. Set a
timer for the designated time and at each minute the students perform an
exercise of choice. Each student may choose a different exercise or stay on the
same one for each minute. Let the choice be the students. This will help give
students ownership and they will be more likely to perform the activity. List
exercises that are appropriate, yet challenging for the age group.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

29. Textbook Aerobics

Have the students take out their textbooks and use them to do the following
exercises:
Bicep curls: Hold the textbook in one hand and bend the elbow to
raise the book towards the shoulder
Tricep push backs: Hold the textbook in one hand and lean forward
over the desk with the other hand
holding the desk. Hold the arm
with the textbook parallel to the
body, bend the elbow to 90and
raise and lower the book
extending backward up to
shoulder level.
Overhead lifts: Hold the
textbook in one or two hands and
lift it above the head in one
smooth motion
Russian Twists: Sit down on the
floor and lift your legs slightly off
the ground. Hold the book to the
chest with both hands and twist
slowly from side to side.

(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

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30. Acting Out

Read a paragraph or page of a book. Every time an action verb comes up, the
students have to act it out.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

31. Higher or Lower

One student comes to the front of the room. The teacher writes a 3 digit
number on the board behind the student so he/she cannot see it. The student
calls out a number while marching in place.
The remainder of the class marches in place
until the number is called out. If the
number is too high, the class squats (guess
lower). If the number is too low, the class
jumps up and down (guess higher). When
the correct number is identified, select a
different student to come to the front and
repeat.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

32. Touchdown Dance

Have students get into groups of 3 or
4. Give students a few minutes to
create a touchdown dance. Once the
time is up, have each group perform
it for the rest of the class.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).
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33. Feel the Beat

Have every student get a partner and sit cross legged on the floor facing their
partner 2-3 feet away. Place an object between them (e.g. hacky-sac). Turn on
some music and have students perform the following actions to the beat of
the music:
tap knees
tap shoulders
clap
clap partners hands (both, right-right, left-left)

When the music stops, students try to be the first to grab the hacky-sac.
Repeat 5 times. Have students create their own challenges.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

34. True or False Simon Says

The teacher will lead the class as Simon. The leader will say Simon says,
then give an activity suggestion, such as:
If water is a healthy drink, jump 3 times.
If skateboarding is a strength activity, touch the front of the room
If stretching is a good stress
management technique,
reach for your toes.
If the answer is true, the students
complete the suggested activity. If
the answer is false, they stand still.

Cross-Curricular Linking:
Language Arts - Use the activities to reinforce vocabulary and
grammatical elements.
Social Studies and Science- Ask true and false questions related to
the social studies and science curriculum.

(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

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35. Future Trainer

Have a student lead a 3-5-minute physical activity break doing any activities
or games of the class's choosing be creative and have everyone in the class
get involved.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

36. Do the Conga!

Have students line up, placing their hands on the shoulders of the student in
front of them. Start some music and lead students around the classroom.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).
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37. Fitness Spelling

Post an activity for each letter of the alphabet a sample list is included
below. Ensure that all students are able to perform each activity. Challenge
students to spell their first and last name. You can also have partners
practice spelling or vocabulary while the other partner guesses each word, or
have a leader assign each pair of students a word that they will then
complete the activity for each letter in the word.

(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

38. Workout Videos

Find a workout video for children or beginners depending on your class age
level. Although most videos are between 12-60 minutes, focus on one or two
moves that only last a few minutes. You can always work through the video
over the course of a week.
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39. Physical Activity Jeopardy

There are Jeopardy Templates available on Google Slides. For each value,
have a physical exercise that the class has to do. Make the physical exercise
harder as the numeric value increases. Ex. 100: boxing jabs, 200: tricep dips,
300: pushups, 400: jump squats, 500: burpees. Categories could include:
arms, legs, abs, cardio, etc.

40. Limbo
Get a long stick such as a broom. Have yourself and another student hold it
horizontally. Students must bend backwards to walk under the stick. Get
progressively lower as students successfully walk under it. Music makes it
more entertaining!
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41. Human Knot

Divide students into groups of 5 or 6. Have students each grab right hands
with someone who is not directly next to them. Then do the same with left
hands. The challenge is to untangle and become a circle without releasing
hands. Make it competitive by giving the losing team a physical
consequence of the other teams choice.

42. Plank High 5s

This activity works well while doing spelling or vocabulary. Have students
find a partner and get into a plank position. They should be on their hands
instead of elbows and facing their partner. Give students a word to spell.
They must spell the word out loud at the same time. For every letter said,
students will lift their hand and high 5 the opposite hand of their partner.
 23

43. Handshakes
Have your students find a partner. Give the class 5 minutes to create the best
and most creative handshake that they can. Encourage students to
incorporate lots of movement into their handshake. After the 5 minutes is up,
have students show it to the rest of the class.

44. Toe Tapping Energizer

Have the class stand up and find a partner.
Both students will put their right leg out
and tap their feet together once and say 1
out loud. Next, they will tap their other foot
together 3 times and say 3 out loud.
Finally, they will switch back to the other
foot, tap twice and say 2 out loud.
Continue the 1, 3, 2 toe tapping pattern
alternating feet. See how fast students can
go without messing up the pattern.
(Sladkey, 2010).

45. Crocodiles and Crabs

Students start off by moving like crocodiles, which is essentially shuffling
around in a plank position. When students get tired, they can switch into a
crab walk. When crabs come across another crab, they must high 5 each other
with their feet. Students move around the classroom, switching between
crocodiles and crabs as directed by
the teacher. Here is a YouTube
video for a better visual of what
this movement break looks like.
(Stand Up Kids, 2016).
 24

46. Make it Rain

Have students stand up beside their desks. The teacher will model the class
through the rain process. The progression of the rain is as follows:
Soft, circular hand rubbing
Vigorous back and forth hand rubbing
Finger snapping
Thigh tapping
Loud clapping
Foot stomping

The teacher can do each stage for about 5-7 seconds. The rain will get louder
and louder in which the teacher will lead three thunder jumps. Reverse the
stages and the rain with get softer and softer until it stops. Here is an
example video.

(Sladkey, 2009).

47. Color Song

Have your students stand up next to
their desks. This song is great for
elementary kids who are learning their
colors. Throughout this song, students
do different movements depending on
whether or not they are wearing specific
colors. Here is a video to follow.

48. Dont Fall

Students will point their arms toward the ceiling and lift their right leg to the
side, trying to keep it straight. Students will then point their body in the
opposite direction. The goal is to get their body, arms and leg parallel with the
ground. Hold for 15 seconds. Now try the same sequence with your left leg to
the side.

(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

 25

49. Shake it
Students remain seated and raise their hands in the air. Get out any jitters
and have them start by shaking their:
Right hand 10 times
Left hand 10 times
Left foot 10 times
Right foot 10 times
Repeat counting down the number of shakes from 9-1. Speed up or slow down
the counting to keep it interesting.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).

50. Ninja
The object of the game is to avoid having your hand touched or slapped, thus
getting eliminated. The goal is to be the last Ninja standing. To begin the
game, everyone gets in a tight circle, shoulder-to-shoulder, with their hands
in the middle. On the count of three, they jump back into a "Ninja" pose (be
creative!). One-by-one going counter-clockwise, each person takes a turn
being the attacker and tries to touch another person's hand in a single
"Ninja" move. Continued on next slide Physical Activity Breaks for the
Secondary Classroom 93 The attackee, to avoid being touched, reacts with a
single Ninja move. Only the attacker and attackee may move; all others
remain frozen. Whether missing, successfully hitting or avoiding, only a
single Ninja move is permitted and both
must stay frozen in that pose (one foot is
always glued to the ground). If a
person's hand is touched, they must leave
the circle. The player to the right
automatically goes next and may choose
to attack any other player. The person
who is aimed for doesn't go next; the next
person is always to the right of the
person who just went. The game ends
when only one person remains.
(Colorado Education Initiative, n.d).
 26

References

Braley, P. (2014). Activities for kids: Movement breaks to help kids stay alert and focused.
Retrieved from http://theinspiredtreehouse.com/activities-for-kids-movement-breaks-
to-help-kids-stay-alert-and-focused/

Colorado Education Initiative (n.d). Take a break! Teacher toolbox: Physical activity breaks
in the secondary classroom. Retrieved from http://www.coloradoedinitiative.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/CEI-Take-a-Break-Teacher-Toolbox.pdf

North Carolina Healthy Schools (2015). Kindergarten 5th grade: Classroom energizers.
Retrieved from
http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/Energizers/Texts/Energizers_K-5_2015.pdf

Number One Pencils (2012). Brain breaks. Retrieved from

https://numberonepencils.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/brain-breaks/

Sladkey, D. (2009). Let it rain brain break. Retrieved from

http://brainbreaks.blogspot.ca/2009/10/let-it-rain-brain-break.html

Sladkey, D. (2010). Toe tapping energizing brain break. Retrieved from

http://brainbreaks.blogspot.ca/2010/12/toe-tapping-energizing-brain-break.html

Stand Up Kids (2016). Movement break curriculum. Retrieved from

http://standupkids.org/movement-break/