As we get closer to the finish line and the weather gets nicer my Little Darlings’ attention spans are shrinking and I’m looking for new ways to refocus them. Here are 3 Brain Breaks that have been working well in my classes lately. I don’t remember learning these from anyone but they’re so simple surely they’ve been around for a million years. I may or may not be able to take credit for them but I’ll happily teach them to you!

I would NOT teach all of these on the same day….teach one, try it a few times, then introduce the next one, then the third. (In the video below I did them all at once, but I just did it for you, dear readers, to catch everything in one video!) Also, the break itself doesn’t use any language, but you, of course, will explain it and narrate it in your slow and comprehensible language, because even during a break, we want to fill their little brains up with as much comprehensible input as we can because that is what we do!

Circle up your Little Darlings and let’s jump in:

A La Vez (At the Same Time): Without any counting or other cues, everyone has to clap at the same time. It’s hard and funny but they feel extremely accomplished when it (finally!) happens.😂 Then explain that we will send the “aplauso” around the circle, with 2 people clapping at the same time. Give them a chance to practice clapping in unison with the students standing on either side. Then the teacher starts and claps “a la vez” (At the same time) with the student standing directly to their right or left. Then that student turns and claps “a la vez” with the student standing on their other side and so on until the aplauso goes all the way around the circle and back to the teacher. If it’s a perfect aplauso match, they continue passing it. If it’s not quite in unison, they try again (and again) until they get it, then pass it along. If two students are having a hard time clapping at exactly the same time, after a few tries, the teacher counts to help them out and it moves on) Having a hard time visualizing this one? Check out the video at the bottom of this post 🙂

Rápidisimo (Super fast): This time, the goal is NOT to clap at the same time, but to send the aplauso as fast as possible around the circle without clapping at the same time as someone else. The teacher picks a direction around the circle and then starts. The student standing directly to the left or right claps next and it moves around the circle all the way back to the teacher. Of course the teacher gives them lots of language between rounds. “Wow! That was fast! Do you think we could do it faster? Should we try? Ok, get ready! Is everyone prepared? Let’s try going the other direction this time.“

Then, when they’ve got that one down, the teacher explains that that we’ll try it again but instead of just going in one direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) it will radiate in both directions starting with the teacher. When the two aplausos meet at the opposite side of the circle, they’ll cross over each other and continue around the circle. This variation was suggested by a Little Darling during the filming of the video below and you can just see my face light up in sheer delight at the suggestion. I don’t know who has more fun, them or me! (Actually I’m pretty sure it’s me who has the most fun in my classes everyday!😂)

Double Aplauso (Double clap): The teacher explains that everyone can choose to clap once or double clap when it is their turn. If they clap once, the aplauso keeps moving around the circle (as in the previous version) however, if someone double claps, it changes the direction of the aplauso and goes back to the person who just clapped. It’s like this: (and if this confuses you, just skip it and watch the dang video.)

• Teacher (announces which direction to start): 👏
• Student 1: 👏
• Student 2:👏
• Student 3:👏
• Student 4: 👏👏 (Double clap switches direction)
• Student 3:👏
• Student 2:👏
• Student 1:👏👏
• Student 2: 👏
• and so on👏👏

The goal is not to get someone out (Like if a student double claps but the person next to him or her claps, but they weren’t supposed to because the direction changed) but rather to go as long as possible until someone messes up. (When they get too good at this Brain Break and it feels like it could go on forever, I mess up so the game stops and we can get back to business😂)

I also add in another rule, so the aplauso doesn’t just bounce back and forth between students who love to double clap and no one else gets to participate- You can ONLY double clap ONCE per round.

Wanna see us in action?! This is with my Spanish 4 Little Darlings last week, but the only difference with my 1s or 2s is how I explain it: slower and with more comprehension checks! Remember, everything we say to them ought to be comprehensible because we’re really about the serious business of building language in their brains (even though it looks like we’re just out to have fun with our Little Darlings!)

I set up my tripod in the middle of the circle…you can’t see everyone, but you can hear the aplausos moving around the circle. Also, please pretend like I said “aplaudió” and not “aplaudó”😳.