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Humanising Language Teaching
Year 6; Issue 1; January 2004
Crazy Brain Gym
Primary, secondary and adult
MS PA AR
Time: 5 minutes
Level: All levels
Material: None
Focus:
This activity is a variation on Dr. Paul Dennison's model of Brain Gym. Its purpose is to stimulate students who are tired, have been sitting too long, or who need to focus more on the lesson. Its purpose is to aid students' concentration.
Procedure:
- Ask students to stand in a circle if possible.
- Ask them to do the following sequence of actions:
- Tap left foot
- Move right hand in a concentric clockwise motion around on the stomach.
- Do the same movement in an anti-clockwise direction on the top of the head.
- Imagine you are eating the most delicious ice cream cone / piece of fruit.
- Imagine there is a monkey riding a bike around and around in a cirle.
- Sing the chorus of The Yellow Submarine.
Variation:
Ask students to lead the class in performing other commands, in which they must use all of their senses.
Acknowledgement:
Jenny Vanderplank, a great Suggestopedia teacher taught us this variation of Brain Gym. It takes only a few minutes, but it really wakes up students who are tired due to
Lack of movement and stimulation.
For more about Brain Gym: Brain Gym by Paul and Gail Dennison Edukineasthetics, Inc. Ventura , California 1994
