Ice-Breakers, Anticipatory Set, and Brain Break Ideas

• "Beginning of the Year Autobiographical Activities for Elementary Students"

Have students complete six of the activities included in this hyperlinked Google Doc. These activities include using Book Creator, Flipgrid, PicLit, and many more.

• "Ice Breaker Grid"

Have students roll dice to land on and select conversation starters.

• "Name Tag Activity"

Have students (or teachers) introduce themselves by creating a digital name tag on a shared Google Slides presentation.

• "5 Mystery Hooks to Engage Students" (pictured right)

This list of mysterious hooks (or ways to catch your students' attention) are fun and can be used all year round. I especially like the mystery package delivery and mystery envelope ideas.

• "Brain Activity Before and After Exercise" (pictured right)

• "Air Jump Squats"

Some of the most effective exercises can be done without equipment and simply use your own body weight. While regular squats are great, squat jumps offer a new take on the traditional--one that you're definitely going to feel in your quads. Learn how to do them below!

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Start by doing a regular squat.
3. Then engage your core and jump up explosively.
4. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep. Land as quietly as possible, which requires control.
5. Do two to three sets of 10 reps.

• "Calf Raises"

Stand on your toes to work out your calf muscles. Two ways you can do this are as follows:

• Raise up on your toes as many times as you can in a minute.
• Lift yourself up on one leg and hold the position for 45 seconds. Then switch legs and lift yourself up on it for another 45 seconds.

• "Fierce Pose"
  1. Put your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees until you are in a squatting position.
  2. Then raise your hands as high as you can into the air, reaching away from yourself. You should feel the muscles in your back stretching. Hold this pose for at least 30 seconds.

• "Full Boat Pose"
  1. Sit on the floor.
  2. Keeping your legs straight, raise them in front of you.
  3. Lift up your torso, keeping your back straight, until your body makes a "V" shape.
  4. Extend your arms in front of you. You may rest your thumbs on your calves to balance yourself, but you cannot hold your legs.
  5. Maintain this position for at least 30 seconds.

• Power Jacks

This is a modified jumping jack, but instead of merely moving your arms and legs out from the center of your body, you are going into a squat during every other motion.

1. When you move your legs out, your knees have to be wider than your shoulder-width and in line with your feet. This is when you go into a squat.
2. Then, as you bring your arms and legs in, stand erect, trying to place the majority of your weight on your toes.
3. Repeat 20 times (or modify as needed).

• "Split Squat Jumps"
  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Take your left leg and step back approximately two feet, standing on the ball of the back foot.
  2. Your feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with your head and back erect and in a neutral position.
  3. Lower your body by bending at your right hip and knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor. Then immediately explode vertically.
  4. Switch your feet in the air so that the back foot lands forward and vice versa.
  5. Prior to takeoff, extend the ankles to their maximum range (full plantar flexion).
  6. Do this a total of 10 times.