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A resource center for teachers to enhance learning through integrating movement, exploration and mindfulness into classroom lessons. Many of the activities can be adapted to be used on a playground, at home, in the boardroom and beyond.
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Fast Hands
Short description of the activity: Players race to count how many fingers are shown on their hands.
Type of activity: Content Connection; Energizer; Team Building
Minimum Time Needed for Activity: 5 Min
Grade Level: K – 12th
Subject Area: Math
Materials:
- None
Set up:
- Divide the group into pairs.
Play:
- Players in each pair face each other with hands behind their back.
- On the signal, each player puts one hand out between them with some, none or all fingers extended (play is visually similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors).
- First player who can add the shown fingers on both hands correctly wins that round
Variations:
- Use subtraction where the lower number is always subtracted from the higher.
- Use multiplication rather than addition.
- Each player uses two hands.
- Divide players into teams of two, where each person only shows one hand. Teams play against other teams of two (so that four hands are shown altogether).
- The team that adds the total first wins that round.
- Teams can strategize what they will put out so that they do not have to calculate how many fingers they are displaying, they only need to calculate the other team’s.
- Team play using subtraction or multiplication.
- The sum of Team A’s hands are subtracted from/multiplied by the sum of Team B’s hands.
- Team play where all eight hands are shown. Use addition or subtraction.
- Use a white board for multiplication
- Any variation used in Rock-Paper-Scissors games.
- Around The World
- Rock-Paper-Scissors Spelling and Vocab
- Super Champion
- Use this to divide the group into two random, equal teams. Have Winners pair off and Did-not-winners Pair off and play again to divide into four random, equal groups.
Standards:
Math > Operations & Algebraic Thinking > Add and Subtract within 20; Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction; Represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division.
P.E. Standards> Standard 4E/M: The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others.