Getting a Hand on Holiday Jitters

We all get those holiday jitters when there is a holiday break coming up—students and teachers alike.  It gets hard to focus and the chaos starts to take over.  Movement supports self-regulation, increases oxygen flow, and gives jittery bodies a productive outlet.  Instead of fighting it, channel the energy into some quick, fun, low-prep movement activities to boost engagement, strengthen focus, and (hopefully) deepen learning in these last few days.

1.Vocabulary Statues: Play some winter or holiday music and let students move or “float” around the room like snowflakes.  Stop the music and show a vocabulary word (have it on a card that you hold up, write it on the board, unhide it on the smart board, etc.).  Students must freeze in a statue that represents the word’s meaning.  It’s silly, memorable, and academic!

2.Holiday Theme Pantomime: [First, pantomime is telling a story using body language and movement without using your voice.] Pick a topic you’re teaching -theme, plot structure, states of matter, place value, etc. and challenge students to work together to create a 15-20 second pantomime to show the topic related to some holiday theme through movement without words.  (Ex. States of matter-build a snowman, then it melts into a puddle of water.) Students can talk while they create, but not when they present.

3. 12 Days of Mystery Moves: (or however many days you have left until your break) Create an advent calendar type display (envelopes in the shape of a tree work great)-it could also be some sort of digital reveal on your smart board.  Have a “Mystery Move” to be revealed each day and students do that move first thing in the morning, then periodically as they or you need a quick break throughout the day.  You can even have them repeat previous days’ movements a la “12 Days of Christmas” style.  Examples: 12 jumping jacks, A silent (tip toe) walk through the snow (around the room and back to their seats), 10 candy cane twists, 5 reindeer kicks…The possibilities are endless, and it can be used repeatedly as needed.

4.Merry Stretch-mas: Play a slow instrumental holiday song (instrumental so they won’t sing along) and lead a 1-minute stretch.  Have students stand behind their desks (push chairs in to allow a little more room).  Lead a slow, full-body stretch, holding each stretch for 5-8 seconds.  Reach up to the ceiling, touch toes, shoulder and arm circles forward and back, lunge stretch (front leg bent and back leg straight then reach for toes, repeat on both legs), torso twists (stand with feet slightly wider than shoulders, hold arms out straight at shoulder height, twist to right wrapping arms around torso and look over right shoulder without moving feet, repeat on left; you can also reach right hand down to left foot and reach left arm straight up, then repeat that on the other side as well).

5.Merry Math Human Number Line: Turn the hallway into a giant number line.  Students solve problems and move to the correct spot.  You can step it up a bit by using comparison problems, fractions, integers, or place value.  In other subjects, you can order events in the plot of a story or put historical events in order on a human timeline. 

Bonus Simple Solutions:

• Hot Cocoa Breathing: Sitting at their desks, students hold their hands like they’re holding a cup of hot chocolate.  Take a deep breath in like you smelling the cocoa, then slowly breath out like you’re trying to cool it down to drink.  Repeat 3-4 times.
• Brain Break Blizzard: Call for a “snowfall” and students stand up and act like they’re floating snowflakes.  When you call “freeze,” they return to their seats.  This can be as short as 30-45 seconds or as long as 2 minutes.  With a longer “Blizzard” I would recommend adding in some various tempos to avoid boredom and mischief.

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Don’t dread December.  It doesn’t have to feel like a marathon sprint to winter break.  Use creativity and movement to help your classroom become festive, focused, and fun.  Embrace the wiggly energy—it’s part of the magic of the season!

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Author

Melissa McCrary is a lifelong dancer and educator who began training at age three and later earned her B.A. in Dance from Winthrop University, a Master of Education from the University of South Carolina, and is completing a Ph.D. in Global Leadership. She taught dance in South Carolina public schools for 15 years and now serves as the Training Coordinator for the Spark program at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts & Humanities, as well as the dance facilitator for the SC Arts Leadership Success Academy. A past SCDA Dance Educator of the Year, Melissa is deeply involved in statewide arts leadership through curriculum development, assessment work, and service on multiple boards and committees.