Using Theater Games and Activities as Brain Breaks

Theater games and activities make great brain breaks for preschool and elementary students—short tasks or activities that redirect their focus and can help with transitions in the classroom. Brain breaks are for those moments when you can tell that your students are quickly and repeatedly getting off-task or for times when your class appears sleepy and in need of a wake-up.

When theater comes to mind, many might associate the term with performing, acting, and the stage. However, theater games and activities are more than that. They’re opportunities for creative play and use of the imagination. Theater games and activities use movement, creative expression, and pretend and are perfect for preschool and early elementary students.  

Tongue Twisters

One example of a theater activity that can be used as a brain break is tongue twisters. Tongue twisters are silly sentences that have alliteration or assonance (repeated consonant or vowel sounds). Repeating these sentences with increasing speed can provide the opportunity to work on speech articulation with various sounds, as well as provide a good laugh.

Here are some examples of tongue twisters: Red leather, yellow leather. Any noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster most. Is there a pleasant peasant present? How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? She sells seashells by the seashore.

Imaginative Movement

Two examples of short, imaginative movement breaks that are similar to each other are seeds, roots, trees and ice cream, worm, popcorn. They both utilize visualization, and both require some space for students to move so they don’t bump into one another.

For seeds, roots, trees, guide students to pretend they are tiny seeds, then that they are growing roots and sprouting into tall trees. They should start crouched down and stretch and wiggle upward until they’re reaching for the ceiling.

Similarly, for ice cream, worm, popcorn, guide students to pretend they are a melting ice cream cone, a wiggly worm on the ground, and then popping or jumping up like freshly popped popcorn.

Freeze!

Freeze dance is another theater game that can be used as a brain break. This movement break can be as long or as short as you want it to be. Simply pick a song or clips of a couple of songs that are school-appropriate and well-known by your students.

Then, play the song and have students dance freely. When you pause the music, the children will need to freeze like statues in their places. This activity allows children not only to move their bodies, but also to practice their listening skills.

Museum Night

A fourth example of a theater game brain break is night at the museum. This is a role-playing game where students take turns being the museum night guard and statues or museum exhibits.

To play, pick one student to be the night guard, or play that part yourself. The rest of the participants will remain frozen in a position of their choice until the night guard looks away or turns their back. At that moment, students playing the role of the statues or exhibits may choose to move ever so slightly and quickly so as not to be caught by the guard. If the guard believes a statue or exhibit has moved, they may call out the statue or exhibit; however, if the guard is wrong, the guard becomes a statue and the wrongly accused becomes the new guard. This game can last as long as needed.

Charades

This is a game that can be used to practice action verbs or can include silly and fun scenarios or actions. Students take prompt cards that have actions or scenarios from a pile. They then perform their charade quietly while the rest of the class guesses what the charade is.

This could be played as a whole group, with or without turn taking, or in small groups or table clusters to ensure that all get a turn but that the game goes quickly. Examples of charade prompts include swimming, singing, drawing, napping, and acting like a zoo animal or superhero.

Mirroring

Another brain break idea is the mirror game. In this game, students partner up and take turns mimicking or mirroring each other.

For example, two students will stand looking at each other. One will start moving, perhaps raising their arms and sticking out their tongue playfully. The mirror student will repeat the actions as if they are one person looking at themself in the mirror.

Truth/Lie

Two truths and a lie is another theater game that can be used as a quick brain break, and like charades, it can be done as a whole class, with turn taking, or in small groups. To play this game, individuals take turns sharing two truths about themselves and one lie.

The goal is to trick the guessers, or the rest of the group, into believing the lie about you. This game functions as an icebreaker too. 

ABC Pizza

Lastly, the ABC pizza game is a whole group brain break that requires quick, creative thinking; visualization; and memory skills. Students sit or stand in a circle, with each student, one at a time, sharing a topping or food that they would like to add to the giant, imaginary pizza that the group is surrounding. As students add toppings to the collective, imaginary pizza, they must repeat all the toppings that the person before them said before they share their addition.

Why is this game called ABC pizza? The ingredients must be shared and recalled in alphabetical order. For example, the first participant might say “anchovies,” the second will share “beets,” the third will share “chicken,” the fourth will share “dragonfruit,” and so on.

Theater games and brain breaks like tongue twisters; ice cream, worm, popcorn; charades; and the mirror game are great ways to add some movement and creativity to your daily routine in the classroom. Hopefully, these examples will be the springboard for your repertoire of creative play brain breaks for your students.