Brain Break- "Hello"

Sometimes kids just need a break.  Their minds are full and their bodies are restless.  Here's a great brain break to use when your students have been sitting and working for awhile.  Brain breaks only take about 5 minutes.  This brain break gets them up and moving and allows them to use their imagination.  

Brain Break:  "Hello"

1. Divide students into two lines- Line A and Line B.  Place them on opposite sides of the room.
2. Tell them that they are going to greet one another, saying "hello" in a special way.  One person from each line will walk and meet the person from the other line in the middle of the room.  The two students will say hello in their given "character". Then return to the end of their line.  For example, the first person from Line A will greet the first person from Line B, and so on.
3. Here's the twist.  The teacher calls out a fun way for them to say "Hello" to their classmate.
4. Some of the ways you can have them say hello include:  a little old man or woman, a busy waiter in a fancy restaurant, a business person on a busy street in New York City, an alien, a robot, a pizza delivery person, a hip hop dancer, a ballet dancer, etc...  Use your own imagination to come up with a fun way for them to act it out as they greet one another to say "Hello".
5. Students from Line A will greet students in Line B until all students have completed the designated "Hello".  If you  have an odd number of students, a student may have to go more than once.  
6. Repeat the same procedure with a different character, or save it for another day.  Trust me, they will want to do it again!

This brain break is hilarious.  My students really get into the characters.  It's a fun way to break up the day and give their brains a break for a few minutes.

If you have a great brain break, please share your ideas in the comments section.

-Karen