Finger catch1 minute. Stand in a circle. Hold your left hand out flat, palm up, and rest your right pointer finger on your neighbor's palm. On the word go, try to catch the finger on your palm and pull your own finger away. Tease with near misses first: goat, gold, good.
Count the thumbs2 minutes. Groups of four hold out both fists. One player calls a number from 0 to 8 while everyone shows no thumbs, one or two. If the call matches the thumbs in the air, the caller takes one hand out of the game. The call moves around the group. The first player with both hands out wins.
Letter by letter2 minutes. Choose a word of eight letters or more and draw a blank for each letter. Fill in one letter at a time, in any order, and pause after each. Every table gets one guess per letter. The first table to say the word scores. Play three words.
Number machine3 minutes. Think of a secret rule, such as double it and add 1. Pupils feed a number in and you write what comes out: 3 gives 7, 10 gives 21. A pupil who thinks they know the rule does not say it: they predict the next number out. After three right predictions, the rule is said aloud.
Point to the door1 minute. Everyone stands, closes their eyes and turns around slowly three times on the spot. Say stop. With eyes still closed, everyone points to where they think the door is, then looks. Play again for the clock and for the teacher's desk.
Syllable detective2 minutes. Pick something everyone can see and clap its syllables: three claps for win-dow-sill. Pupils point to what they think it is. If nobody has it, give the first letter as a second clue. Whoever gets it claps the next object.
Which fist?2 minutes. Hide an eraser in one fist behind your back, then hold both fists out. Everyone stands and points left or right. Open your hands: whoever pointed at the empty fist sits down. Repeat until one pupil is left, who hides the eraser for the next game.
Circle and passing games 10
Bear, fish, mosquito3 minutes. Split the room into two teams. Bear (claws up) beats fish, fish (hands together, swimming) beats mosquito, and mosquito (one finger out) beats bear. Each team huddles and picks one. On three, both teams show their pose. The winning pose scores a point. First team to 3.
Beat the wave1 minute. Start a wave at one side of the room: each pupil stands with arms up and sits again as the wave reaches them. Time it from the first pupil to the last. Run it twice more to beat the time, then send it back the other way.
Circle splat3 minutes. Stand in a circle with a caller in the middle. The caller points at someone and says splat. That pupil ducks, and the two neighbors turn and say splat to each other. The slower neighbor sits down, and so does anyone who ducks late. The last two standing win.
Clusters2 minutes. Everyone walks slowly around the open part of the room. Call a number, and pupils make groups of that size and crouch down. Anyone left over picks the next number. Finish on a number that divides the class with nobody left over.
Finger catch1 minute. Stand in a circle. Hold your left hand out flat, palm up, and rest your right pointer finger on your neighbor's palm. On the word go, try to catch the finger on your palm and pull your own finger away. Tease with near misses first: goat, gold, good.
Pass the face2 minutes. Everyone in the row or circle looks away except the first two. The first pupil makes a face at the second, who taps the next pupil on the shoulder and passes it on. The last pupil shows the class the face that arrived, beside the one that set off.
This is not a pencil3 minutes. Pass a pencil around the circle or along the rows. Each pupil says this is not a pencil, it is a ... and shows what it is in mime: a toothbrush, an oar, a flute. No repeats. A pupil who is stuck says pass and gets another turn at the end.
Trunk or branches3 minutes. Stand in a circle with one pupil in the middle, who points at someone and calls elephant or palm tree. For elephant, that pupil makes a trunk with one arm and the two neighbors make big ears. For palm tree, that pupil stretches up and the neighbors lean out as branches. The slowest of the three goes to the middle.
Zip, zap, zop2 minutes. Stand in a circle. One pupil claps toward another and says zip. That pupil claps toward someone else and says zap, the next says zop, and then it is zip again. Keep the order and pick up speed. Count the clean passes in a row and try to beat the class record.
Zoom and screech2 minutes. Stand or sit in a circle. Send the word zoom around it, each pupil turning to the next. Anyone may say screech instead, which sends the zoom back the other way, but only once each. Time a full lap and try to beat it.
Word games 8
Countdown list1 minute. Ask for a volunteer and give a category: five things that are round, five words that start with B, five things in a pencil case. The class counts down from 10 aloud while the volunteer names five. That pupil chooses the next category for a new volunteer.
Forbidden letter3 minutes. Ban one letter, such as E. Ask pupils easy questions in turn: what did you eat today, what is your favorite animal? A pupil whose answer has the banned letter in it, or who takes longer than five seconds, sits down. Change the letter after each lap of the room.
Longest word wins2 minutes. Call a letter. Everyone has 30 seconds to write the longest word they can spell that starts with it. Pupils stand, and you count up from 3: sit down when the count passes your number of letters. The last ones standing read out their words and the class checks the spelling.
Questions only2 minutes. Partners hold a conversation in which every line is a question: Where are you going? Why do you ask? A statement, a repeat or a pause of three seconds gives the other partner a point. First to 3, then change partners.
Rhyme knockout2 minutes. Everyone stands. Say a starter word with plenty of rhymes: cat, light, play. Go along the rows, and each pupil gives a new rhyme within three seconds. A repeat or a pause and the pupil sits down. When the rhymes run dry, the pupils still standing choose the next starter.
Seven D in a W3 minutes. Write short codes on the board for pairs to crack: 7 D in a W is 7 days in a week. Then 12 M in a Y, 26 L in the A, 60 M in an H, 4 S in a Y and 24 H in a D. The first pair to crack all five reads them out.
Thirty seconds, no ums2 minutes. A volunteer talks about a plain topic, such as socks or soup, for 30 seconds. The class listens for um, er, a pause of two seconds or a repeated sentence, and claps once on hearing one. A clap passes the topic to the next volunteer, who gets the seconds that are left.
Word tennis2 minutes. Two pupils face each other. Give a category, such as fruits or things in a kitchen. They take turns saying one word each, back and forth, with no repeats. A pause of three seconds loses the point. The winner stays and a challenger steps up to a new category.
Quick contests 7
Desk edge slide2 minutes. Partners share a desk. They take turns sliding an eraser from one edge toward the other with a single push. The eraser that stops closer to the far edge without falling off scores a point. First to 5.
Egg to eagle3 minutes. Everyone starts as an egg, crouched low. Find another egg and play one round of rock, paper, scissors. The winner becomes a chick, half standing with elbows flapping, and looks for another chick. Win again to become an eagle with arms wide. A loss drops you one stage. An eagle who wins sits down, finished.
Longest pencil spin1 minute. Everyone lays a pencil flat on the desk. On go, spin it with one flick. At each table, the pupil whose pencil is still turning last wins. Table winners spin again at the front for the class title.
Longest strip3 minutes. Each pupil gets half a sheet of scrap paper. Tear it by hand into one unbroken strip that is as long as possible; a spiral works. Stop at 2 minutes. Lay the strips side by side on the floor to find the longest.
Look away duel1 minute. Partners face each other. On three, one points up, down, left or right, and at the same moment the other turns their head one of those four ways. If the head goes where the finger points, the pointer scores. Five turns each, then swap.
No-blink duel1 minute. Partners sit face to face. On go, both keep their eyes open, and the first to blink loses the round. Laughing is allowed. Play best of three. Winners then find another winner for one more duel.
One-sheet tower5 minutes. Each pair gets one sheet of scrap paper and nothing else. They have 3 minutes to build the tallest tower that stands on its own: fold it, roll it or tear it. Hands off at the signal. Count to 5, and stand the towers that are still up side by side.
At your desk 6
Alphabet dash1 minute. On go, everyone writes the alphabet from A to Z as fast as they neatly can, then stands. The first three standing hand their paper to a neighbor, who checks for all 26 letters in order. A missing letter passes the win to the next pupil who stood.
Build the biggest number2 minutes. Everyone draws four blanks in a row. Call four digits, one at a time. Pupils write each digit in a blank before the next is called and may not move it afterward. The biggest four-digit number wins. Play again for the smallest.
Dot snake3 minutes. Partners draw a grid of 5 by 5 dots. The first player joins two neighboring dots with a line across or down. Players then take turns making the snake one dot longer from either end, never touching a dot that is already used. The player who cannot move loses.
Dot tally race1 minute. On go, everyone taps dots onto scrap paper with a pencil for 10 seconds. Stop. Circle the dots in groups of five and count them. Before the second round, each pupil writes a guess, then taps again to see how close the guess was.
The lonely number2 minutes. Everyone secretly writes a whole number from 1 to 20. Count down from 20, and pupils raise a hand when their number is called. The highest number that only one pupil wrote wins the round. Play three rounds and watch the choices change.
Roundest circle1 minute. Everyone draws one circle freehand in a single stroke. Each table holds its circles up side by side and votes for the roundest by pointing on three. Table winners hold theirs up for a class vote.
How it works
These brain break games each have a round and a winner or a laugh, and none is played on a screen. They take 1 to 5 minutes and need nothing more than scrap paper, a pencil or an eraser.
Read the full guide
Pick a game and start the clock
1. Press Pick another brain break. The menu that then reads All brain breaks narrows the pick to one kind of game.
2. Read the rules aloud.
3. Press the timer link over the rules. The clock takes the length of the game on screen and stops at zero.
Five kinds of game
Most Guessing games and Word games run from the front of the room. Most Circle and passing games need the class standing. Quick contests are played in pairs, at tables or by the whole room at once. At your desk holds pencil games for a room with no space.
Circle games such as Zip, zap, zop also work along the rows when there is no room for a circle.
Questions and answers
What are fun brain break games with no equipment?
Zip, zap, zop, Circle splat, Rhyme knockout, Questions only and Look away duel need nothing but the class. The pencil games, such as Dot snake and Roundest circle, need scrap paper.
Are these brain break games online?
The page is online and the games are not. Each one is played in the room, with its rules on the board. Nothing here is a video or a game on a screen.
Which brain break game is best when nobody can leave a seat?
Choose At your desk in the menu. The lonely number, Build the biggest number and Dot tally race are played by the whole class at once, each pupil on scrap paper.
How long does a brain break game take?
From 1 to 5 minutes. Finger catch, Beat the wave and No-blink duel fit in 1 minute, and One-sheet tower is the longest at 5. The length opens each line and is set on the clock.