Brain Breaks
Brain Breaks

Brain Breaks

Quick-to-play games and activites to help reset and refresh

This collection features ideas for quick-to-play games which are perfect to use as brain-breaks. Ideal for the last five to fifteen minutes of a school classroom lesson or great for an ice breaker at youth group. Brain breaks should be simple to learn and fast to play, with the aim to provide a chance for students brains to rest, reset and refocus, ready for the next activity.

Celebrity Head Mania

Grab a whole bunch of sticky labels or masking tape and write the names of celebrities on the non-sticky...

icebreakers relaxed large-groups play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

Mute Organisation

Simply announce that you want everyone lined up across the room by birth-date. Only catch: no talking. Once they...

team-building icebreakers relaxed no-prep play-anywhere cooperative quick no-mess no-cost

House of Cards

Pretty much self explanitory, as the name suggests - get each player/team to build a house of cards....

small-groups mini-olympics duel relaxed non-contact indoors up-front-duel quick some-mess no-cost

Silent Ball

Get everyone to stand around the room in random places. Then it's as simple as telling everyone to be...

sports relaxed non-contact play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

Bible Drill

When youth leader says "draw weapons", each person sits on a pew or chair with their Bible held up...

memory relaxed large-groups video-call play-anywhere all-on-all standard no-mess no-cost hot-topic

Jell-o-rama

Using gellatine, make a slab of jelly in an ice-cream container (you have to increase the consistency to enable...

food outdoors multiple-teams quick extreme-mess under-20-dollars

Secret Dancer

A fun group game, sure to provide a whole lot of laughs. Might be suitable for a disco night...

music active no-prep video-call play-anywhere cooperative quick no-mess no-cost hot-topic

True or False?

A great way to reinforce what has just been taught... Instead of the traditional pop-quiz to see how much...

small-groups junior relaxed video-call non-contact play-anywhere cooperative quick some-mess no-cost

Heads or Tails?

A good game for revising what has been learnt. Similar to heads or tails, person up the front asks...

junior relaxed large-groups video-call non-contact play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

If I Went to Mars...

Group is seated in circle. First person begins, 'My name is ... If I went to Mars, I would take....

icebreakers relaxed large-groups no-prep non-contact play-anywhere cooperative quick no-mess no-cost

Poetry in Motion

This is a nice quiet activity when you've got a small cozy group and have some time to kill....

junior icebreakers relaxed artistic circle play-anywhere up-front-duel standard no-mess no-cost

Trains

Everybody sits in a circle holding hands, you nominate 2 people to be 'stations' and 1 person to sit in the...

junior relaxed no-prep play-anywhere cooperative quick no-mess no-cost

Mr Squiggle

This is a rip off of the old TV show Mr. Squiggle. We used this activity as the finale...

junior duel artistic video-call indoors up-front-duel quick no-mess under-20-dollars

Rock Paper Scissors Evolution

This game is a fantastic group mixer ice breaker activity. Players must wander around the room and battle each...

icebreakers active large-groups no-prep non-contact play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

Poetry Jumble

The goal is to make poetry from the words provided. Out of 100 interesting words, cut-out into little squares big...

relaxed artistic duel play-anywhere up-front-duel long no-mess under-20-dollars

What If?

You give each person the two pieces of paper. Tell them to write on one piece a random question...

icebreakers relaxed video-call play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

Tongue Twister Slip Up

Take 5-6 volunteer. Ask them to say a tongue twister or something that can be difficult to say. ie....

food memory duel video-call play-anywhere all-on-all quick some-mess under-20-dollars

Spot The Difference

Divide your group into two teams. Stand the first group in a line facing the second group. The second...

team-building icebreakers relaxed video-call non-contact play-anywhere multiple-teams quick no-mess no-cost

Rock Paper Anything

This game could work really well as an "up the front duel" type of game or as an "all...

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Who Am I?

Give everyone in the group a piece of paper and pen, then get them to write down three facts...

small-groups icebreakers relaxed video-call indoors all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

to-yo-ta

Let everyone stand in a circle facing inwards. one person should start by saying the first phrase "TO" (like...

icebreakers circle indoors cooperative quick no-mess no-cost

Logic

This is not an active game but it is ideal for any down time such as bus rides, waiting...

relaxed circle small-groups video-call non-contact indoors all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

The Invisible Ball

This game might sound weird but I have never played with people who didn't like it. It is a...

circle small-groups relaxed indoors all-on-all standard no-mess no-cost

Tap

1. Have everyone gather around a table or flat surface. 2. Have players place each of their hands on a table...

small-groups junior circle indoors up-front-duel quick no-mess no-cost

Category Chaos

This game can be played as individuals or in teams. Each player (or team) will need a piece of...

no-prep small-groups relaxed icebreakers team-building video-call non-contact play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

Beanbag Toss

Mark a line and then arrange a collection of targets a few metres away. The targets could be buckets,...

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Hot Potato

A classic classroom game that can be used as a brain break

icebreakers relaxed small-groups junior music play-anywhere all-on-all quick no-mess no-cost

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