Quick Brain Break - Q and A Body Game

Need a quick game to rest and refresh your student's brain?  Try this Q and A Body Game:

Purpose: Promote body awareness, motor skills and listening skills.

Materials: none

Activity: This can be played with one player or a group of children. The adult faces the group. Explain the directions of the game. The adult is going to ask the children to move certain body parts based on questions. The children are not to answer the questions. They should move the body part that is the answer to the question.

Here is an example:
Question: What body part waves hello?
Answer: Children wave hands in air.

Here is a list of several questions and answers or make up your own. See what questions the children can come up with.

Q: What body part makes funny faces?
A: Child moves mouth or tongue

Q: What body part wears socks?
A: Child moves feet.

Q: What body part uses crayons?
A: Child wiggles fingers.

Q: What body part smells skunks?
A: Child moves nose.

Q: What body part climbs ladders?
A: Child moves arms and legs

Now change the game and request actions based on different noises:

Make a clapping sound with your body.
Stomp your feet
Snap fingers
March in place
Smack lips
Slap knees
Tap shoulders quietly

Now have children close their eyes. Make one of the sounds with your body that you practiced together. Can the children guess what body part you are using to make the sound.

Need brain break ideas? Check out all of our Brain Break downloads at http://yourtherapysource.com/brainbreaks.

Or order our Brain Breaks Card Set at http://yourtherapysource.com/growingplaycards.html



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Motor Characteristics of Children with Possible Autism

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on a retrospective chart review of 30 children (mean age 31.57 months (plus or minus 6 months) who were referred to an autism clinic.  According to scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III), the children exhibited a mean delay of 6 months in gross motor skills and 8 months in fine motor skills.  Although, overall there was no difference between in total score or item analysis between children who were or were not diagnosed with autism.  The researchers concluded that motor skill delay is a characteristic of young children who are referred to an autism spectrum disorder clinic.  

Reference:   Lane, Alison; Harpster, Karen; Heathcock, Jill. Motor Characteristics of Young Children Referred for Possible Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pediatric Physical Therapy. 24(1):21-29, Spring 2012. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e31823e071a