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Let’s face it, elementary students can be squirmy. Like, roll around on the floor or hang upside down from their chair squirmy. This has only increased in the last few years! Our job as elementary Spanish teachers is to help students capture that awesome energy and focus it on our learning goals. Instead of feeling frustrated when students move at inopportune times, I started planning for movement in my lessons. Looking for all the possible ways to get my students moving for a purpose has helped immensely.
We know that kids need to move. It’s not just a nice thing to include in our teaching, it’s necessary. Moving helps students focus, creates a positive mood, and can ultimately help students learn.
4 Ways to Include Movement in Your Lessons
- Planned brain breaks
- Unplanned brain breaks due to necessity
- Transitional movement
- Lesson activity that has movement
Let’s talk through each place movement can occur in class.
Planned Brain Breaks
Brain breaks. It’s been a buzzword for a while now and that’s a good thing!
My lessons are only 30 minutes but if I know the length of a certain activity will push students’ ability to focus, I’ll plan a brain break either part way through or right at the end of that activity.
If you haven’t seen ¡Vamos, Go Noodle!, they have fun songs and activities that invite students to follow along.
That said, I’m more likely to pull up one of my favorite 1,2,3 Andrés songs and play freeze dance. When I stop the music, kids freeze, I say a word we’ve been working on and we all repeat and/or act it out. Then we’re back to dancing.
Unplanned Brain Breaks
We’ve all been there. You look around the room and for whatever reason, it’s not happening. The kids are acting like bumps on a log or they’re a bit too wound up.
For these unplanned movement breaks, I usually refrain from using video brain breaks. Instead, I opt to do a quick & focused teacher-led movement break.
All students stand and we start by marching in place while we count to 10 in Spanish. Then we do another action and count to 9. We work our way down to one, which is always “give yourself a big hug.” Actions I like to include are stomping, tip toes, jumping, clapping, big claps, tiny claps (just pointer fingers), crocodile arms in various sizes. I also do silly voices along with the sizes (low voice for the big crocodile or the stomping feet and high voice for the baby crocodile and tippy toes).
This kind of movement break doesn’t disrupt the timing of our lesson too much. I find it allows the group to refocus together and get back on track.
Transitional Movement
It might seem like a bit much to actually plan out movement that happens during transitions.
I will admit to being an overplanner, but stay with me on this. I’ve found it so helpful to intentionally think about and plan for how I use the transitional time in my lessons. Students definitely get squirrely if I ask them to sit in one spot for the whole lesson. SO, I try to plan activities that will have them moving from one spot to another.
Perhaps we start as a whole group at the carpet and then I send them off around the room to work on something with a partner. Or they head back to their desk or table spot for an individual task. If they need some extra motivation to get moving, I task them with specific directions.
- Walk on your heels back to your desk
- Bunny hop to the carpet
- Tip toe to line up
- Crab walk to your group spot
The simple act of moving from one place in the room to another can be enough of a movement break to allow students to reset and focus on their next activity.
Lesson Activity that Includes Movement
Perhaps the most obvious place to plan for movement within our lessons is within the instructional activity itself. There are a number of different activities I use throughout the school year that ask students to move for a language purpose (while also achieving the goal of overall movement as well!).
4 Corners
Opinion Corners
Opinion Corners is also an easy one to set up and it’s adaptable to a variety of topics. Students simply move to a sign to demonstrate their opinion of whatever the teacher brings up. Learning sports vocabulary? Show pictures of different sports (one at a time) and students move to a sign (I like it, I don’t like it, etc.). Learning different colors? Food? Activities? Use it over and over again!
Walk to Read
Walk to Read activities are something I came up with because I’m seriously always looking to get my students moving. Do I sound like a broken record yet?
Basically, students have to move to find a clue (hanging on the wall of your classroom or in the hallway). Once they read the clue, they head back to their desk to color something on a poster (they’re using information from the clue here). Then they’re up looking for the next clue!
Freeze Dance
I love to plan a Freeze Dance session when we’re just starting to work on a new vocabulary topic. It’s a great way for students to continue receiving target language input but in a new way. Plus, we get to move around AND listen to música in Spanish. Win, win, win!
We listen to part of a song and then I pause the music. Everyone freezes and then repeats a word after me. If there are actions that go with the words, do those too. An extension of this activity is to have student leaders shout out a word for the class to repeat. This works well once students are a bit more confident with their new words.
*I encourage you to be mindful of your specific students for this activity. There are some class groups I choose not to play Freeze Dance with as the unstructured movement time causes some issues.
Tour the School
Teaching about the different places at school? Go there! Every year my second graders learn how to talk about where they’re going at school. On our first day of the unit, I line my class up and we take a field trip around our school building. At each stop, students hear me talk about the place in Spanish. I ask a bunch of yes/no questions to keep them engaged with Spanish. Then we move on to another place.
Our final project in this unit has students moving to the different places in school taking pictures that they then use to create a video. More movement!
Scavenger Hunt around School (or at least part of it)
Learning about the rainforest and different rainforest animals is a favorite unit in my first grade classes. I love to hang photos of rainforest animals in the first grade hallways. Then during class I send small groups out on a “rainforest adventure.” They are tasked with finding animals and taking a photo with their iPad. They can then use those photos for another activity in class.
This type of activity can be done with a variety of different topics. Once you start brainstorming and intentionally planning for movement within your lessons, it gets easier and easier to find ways to include it often.
Final Thoughts on Planning for Movement
Some students need to move more often than others. Allowing certain students to move in non-distracting ways can be a game changer. I have found that one on one conversations with students about positive ways they can move during whole group instruction to be quite helpful.
I can think of some students who prefer to do their individual work while standing instead of sitting. Years ago I would have asked them to sit but I now realize, it doesn’t matter!
Another student likes to stand and move around in the back of the classroom while we do whole group work. That way he has tons of room and is not distracting to those around him.
Our job as teachers is always a work in progress. I encourage you to start small and just try one new movement activity–see how it goes!
Are you looking for a fun way to get your elementary Spanish students moving during class? We know kids benefit when we incorporate movement into our lessons at school. One of my favorite ways to do that is a simple movement game: 4 Corners.
I’ve heard about a variety of different ways to play 4 Corners and I thought I’d share how my students and I like to play. When I plan to play this game in class, I have two goals: get students moving while engaging with Spanish.
Movement Game Set Up
I love this movement game for several reasons…but my favorite might be the easy prep. All you need in order to play are signs to hang around the room. I tend to put the signs in plastic page protectors and then hang them up with masking tape.
If you travel to different classrooms, make sure to have a student help you remember to take them down at the end of the lesson. It’s easy to forget them!
What goes on the signs?
Images or images plus text!
Depending on the content you’re working with, you can have anywhere from 3-6 signs. I always use at least 3 signs at a time. If you plan to use more than 4 signs, I encourage you to only use 4 at a time. Switch out a few signs part way through the game or the next time you play.
It never fails that the lesson after we play this game, students are asking to play it again! I often plan to play it the second half of one lesson and then just a few rounds at the start of the next lesson.
Student Instructions
Since the main idea of this game is that students are MOVING, it’s very important to review the rules each time you play. I remind students that we have to follow these rules for safety and if we don’t, the game will end.
#1: Use walking feet
#2: Be near a sign by the time I get to 10. If you’re not, you’re out. (No hiding somewhere being goofy).
After reviewing the rules, have students check around their desks and put away anything that could get stepped on or tripped over. I ask students to push in their chairs and stand behind their table spots when they’re ready to play.
During the Game
The game starts when I start counting slowly to 10 in Spanish. During that time I “keep my eyes closed” and students move to a sign. I cover or close my eyes so I don’t know who is where when I call a sign. *I usually need to give a few reminders about walking feet as students get quite excited to start the game.
Once I get to 10 I pause and listen for all the little feet to stop moving before I call one of the signs. Whoever is standing by that sign sits back at their table spot and helps me count for the rest of this round. Play resumes when I start counting to 10 again.
I used to play this game until there was only one person still standing. That is definitely always an option. When you play that way, make sure to tell students once there are fewer students than signs, there cannot be two kids at the same sign.
I found that after a while, the students who were “out” had trouble waiting until the next round. Asking them to wait in their seats all that time felt counterproductive. So, I came up with a new version that restarts when there are still several students who are “in.” You can restart at any time but I usually do it if I call a sign that has no students standing by it.
Playing 4 Corners with Kindergarten Classes
Teaching this game to kindergarten students at the start of the year can be hit or miss. They definitely enjoy the game but it also comes with some challenges.
I like to introduce this movement game after we’ve been in school for at least a month. We play it when we’re learning to describe our basic feelings with this freebie set. During the game set up, I stress that there are no winners in this game and when you “get out,” remember you’ll be back “in” soon.
I tend to monitor students a bit more when playing with kindergarteners. There are always a few students who never sit down when they’re supposed to. This can be frustrating for others who are trying to follow the rules.
Overall, kindergarten students love this game and as the year goes on, they do quite well with it.
Wrap it Up
It always feels good to get students up and moving during Spanish class. Moving is such a big part of learning for kids at the elementary level; and, it serves us well as teachers to plan for movement.
Read more about planning for movement within your lessons here!
Finding balance is not an easy task for a teacher. The more we just say it’s important to have a good “work/life balance” or “practice self care,” the less impact they have.
The less we think about what it actually means to find balance in your life. It turns out, finding balance has been my saving grace this year. Finding balance as a teacher and a person might just help me continue on with teaching.
Reflecting on Balance
I have been reflecting on my relationship with the idea of balance. Comparing the first few years of my teaching career to the present day has been so interesting. Although I didn’t recognize it, I had very little balance in my life the first 5+ years of teaching. I loved my job and talked about it all the time; I just wasn’t thinking about the effect that had on my life.
I spent tons of time at work (after school and usually part of a weekend day) and work was always on my mind. Part of that extra time was simply because I was a new teacher and I was going through the process of learning so many new things.
However, I could have benefitted from implementing some boundaries and looking at the balance that was present (or not so present) in my life.
My Journey with Balance
My journey with balance improved a little bit here and there. Starting a family and having children meant I had to start finding ways to get work done more quickly. But it also meant I started bringing work home instead of finishing it before leaving school.
Progress is progress, though, and it felt good to switch from wearing the “teacher hat” to my “mama hat” everyday as I picked up my daughters from daycare.
Fast forward to our initial pandemic days and emergency virtual teaching threw away all the balance I had achieved over the years. All of a sudden I was trying to figure out how to teach online and provide feedback for 300+ students. Not. Enough. Hours. In. The. Day!
Forced to Find Balance
Ultimately, what we went through as teachers during the first years of the pandemic is what forced me to find a realistic balance in my life. When public perception of teachers went sour while the demands on our time and flexibility increased, it broke me. Almost every day it felt like I had nothing left to give.
Thankfully, I made it through and am solidly on the other side. Teachers have always operated under the premise of “we’ll figure it out” or “we’ll make it work.” At some point, this becomes impossible.
As I worked to rebuild and put myself back together, I found myself empowered to say “enough is enough” and “done is better than perfect.” No more working past contract hours (I don’t always meet this goal!), no more thinking about work all the time, no more feeling guilty for what didn’t get done today.
Is there another way?
I had no idea how freeing it could be to finally think about other things! Instead of thinking about what’s still left to do at work on the drive home, I started intentionally thinking about what I could do for myself that evening.
Was I excited to keep reading a particular book, did I want to get out for a walk or work on a knitting project? Thinking about and planning time for things I enjoy doing outside of work sure sounds like balance to me.
Life is less stressful now that I’ve found more balance. While my job is important to me, it doesn’t define who I am. Switching my focus from work to home has allowed those bad days to roll off my back. Students wouldn’t listen? Spent all day re-teaching behaviors? It simply doesn’t matter so much once I’m home and engaged with something else. Deciding to seek balance in my life has been so impactful.
So…how does one find balance in their life?
It definitely won’t magically appear. I have found that it has to be a choice I continually make for myself.
One place to start is accepting that you simply can’t do all the things.
Teachers are always coming up with creative and fun ideas but at some point there literally isn’t enough time to do it all. Additionally, teachers are kind and caring people. They generally want to help and say yes to the requests that are made of them. BUT, most often the time spent creating the new activity or attending another committee meeting is our own personal time.
When I started guarding my “yes-es” I realized that having unplanned time is so good for me! This unplanned time happens at school and at home. If I decide to not recreate the wheel or make a brand new review game, I might end up having time to plan ahead or finish grading something on Seesaw.
The same goes for at home. When I decided to step back from attending every PTO meeting, I gained an extra weeknight home with my family every month. It didn’t seem like such a huge commitment but those little things add up. And they can expand to additional responsibilities / projects.
I truly view the sense of balance in my life as an ongoing work in progress. My goal is to have balance more often than not. Some days I can leave work right away but other days I just can’t and that’s okay. Sometimes I find myself saying yes to a project I’m really excited about. (Scholastic Book Fair, anyone? I LOVE the book fair!) But, the important thing is understanding the time commitment and being prepared for a period of less balance.
One final thought about balance. We always talk about work/life balance…but what about balance at home? There’s nothing worse than working all day long only to get home and work all night long on household jobs. Finding a realistic balance between rest and household jobs is important as well.
Wherever you are in your relationship with balance, I encourage you to take some time to reflect. Make a list of things you enjoy doing, things that make you feel like your best self. If you haven’t done one of them in a long time, get to it!