Brain Break/Game Idea: Snap, Clap, Face, Steal!

This week, I learned about a brain break/game called, “Snap, Boom, Snatch.” However, there are just some words you don’t use in middle school (check your urban dictionary), so I changed the title and the movements. It is now called, “Snap, Clap, Face, Steal.”

This is a great game if you have an extra 5-10 minutes of class. I used it as a listening activity, and it filled the last ten minutes of class when we finished our speeches.

Here are the steps:

1. Have the students get in partners. I usually tell them, “Put your hand in the air, like you just don’t care, and high five a partner.” If they don’t have a partner, they need to find someone with their hand still in the air. They need to sit on the floor facing each other, and they need one pen or pencil between the two of them. When I saw a partner group was ready, I gave them a scratch piece of paper to keep score.
2. Tell them the directions. When I say “clap,” they clap once. When I say “snap,” they snap once. If I say, “face,” they make a funny face at each other. When I say, “steal,” the first person to steal the pen/pencil that is place between them earns a point.
3. If they do the wrong motion (person steals the pen instead of snapping), they lose a point. I also learned that it’s helpful to have the pair decide ahead of time where they want to keep their hands each time to keep it fair (on knees, on head, behind back).
4. Then you just starting naming actions in any order that you want. The person with most points wins!

Here are two examples. The first one is a 7th/8th grade class. The second one is a 6th grade class.

Your students will enjoy this little brain break/game from the regular routine. We did trying using “stand” as one of the options, but that just didn’t go well. Can you think of any more actions that would be fun to include