Energizers are usually more about giving children quick movement and breathing breaks than they are about academics. Still, it’s possible to work in a little academic practice, as long as the focus remains on fun, refocusing, and relaxation. The “Spelling Stroll” energizer fits that bill very nicely, especially for children in grades 3-6. It’s a lively variation on musical chairs, from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser.
Spelling Stroll
- Before you begin, establish what “strolling” will look like and talk about what to do if two people reach a chair at the same time.
- Children stand up at their desks.
- Choose a spelling or sight word with which all students are familiar, and tell the class which word you have selected.
- Together, you and the students spell the word aloud, taking one step for each letter as you move about the room.
- At the last letter, each person quickly and carefully sits down at the seat they’re nearest to.
- One person will be left standing. That person becomes the caller and chooses the next word for the group to spell together. He or she rejoins the stroll as the word is spelled.
- Repeat as many times as you’d like.
Variations:
- You can do this energizer with skip-counting and math facts, too! For example, the caller says “7×12!” The group then skip-counts by 12’s as they take 7 steps: 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 94.
Read other posts in the Energizers! series:
- Using Quick Movement Breaks in the Classroom (February 9, 2010)
- Tips for Using Energizers (February 16, 2010)
- Energizers! Double This Double That (February 24, 2010)
- Interruptions, One with an Academic Twist (March 2, 2010)
- A Follow-the-Leader Activity for All Ages (March 8, 2010)
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Babs Freeman-Loftis is a Responsive Classroom professional development specialist. She lives in Tennessee.
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