Inside: Cultural brain breaks for Spanish class, perfect for kids in elementary classes. 

Today I’m welcoming Carolina Gómez, an elementary Spanish teacher from Colombia. She is the blogger behind Fun for Spanish Teachers, a space where she shares teaching tips and resources. She loves spending time with her family and two dogs.  In this post she shares three Brain Breaks to use right away with your students!

(Looking for older student and more game ideas? See brain breaks to use with high school Spanish classes or a big list of Spanish learning games!)

THREE CULTURAL BRAIN BREAKS FOR SPANISH CLASS

Brain breaks are quick activities meant to re-energize or focus the class, and they last no longer than 5 minutes. I like using Brain Breaks that are low prep and engage the whole group. I teach elementary school, and brain breaks come in handy usually with my afternoon classes or when I see the class is low in energy and children seem sluggish or less likely to engage in class.

Here are three cultural brain breaks for Spanish class I have used successfully, and are definitely student approved!

PARES Y NONES

This is based on a traditional Latin American game. Assign a student to call out the numbers.  Students make a circle and sing a simple chant that goes like this:

A pares y nones,   To even and odd numbers

vamos a jugar, we will play.

El que quedo solo, The one who ends up alone,

Solo quedará, alone will stay.

When the group is done chanting, the  designated student will call a number and everyone else has to make groups according to the number. I usually suggest they call numbers lower than eight, but it all depends on the size of the group. The students who are left without a group will be out of the game. Continue playing the game until the group is down to two people standing up.

TIERRA Y MAR

This is a great game to practice left and right in Spanish. The class makes a line. Anytime you or a designated student says “tierra” o “mar” the students in the line must jump. Let’s say you’ve assigned tierra on the left and mar on the right. The students in the line will have to jump to the correct side. The students who jump on the wrong side will be out of the game.

EL DIRECTOR DE LA ORQUESTA

The orchestra conductor, a game that can also be played under the name “el líder,” is a fun game where everyone participates. The class makes a circle. One student leaves the room. While the student is out of the room, another student gets appointed to be conductor of the orchestra. The conductor is in charge of making movements or sounds that the other students will imitate. The student who has left the room is called back in, and his/her task is to figure out who the conductor is. They normally get three turns (but you can modify the number) to guess who is “conducting” the class. Once the student finds the conductor, choose a new student to leave the room as well as a new conductor. You and the class can decide when to end the game.

Ready to try these brain breaks for Spanish class next time you see your students? I promise your class will have a lot of fun!

Check out Carolina’s posts on energizers, chants, and breaks for even more ideas!