Mental Warm-Ups

Research shows that mentally warming up makes for more effective learning.

"I like nonsense - it wakes up my brain cells!"
Dr Seuss

You wouldn't expect a sprinter to go out and run a race without limbering up first would you? Well, it's the same for the brain.

Increasingly teachers are becoming aware of the benefits of mental warm ups in the lesson. Even the powers that be have latched on to it with "Lesson Starters" a vital part of the literacy and numeracy strategies. (Just make sure they don't last all lesson like some we have seen!)

One secondary school that has introduced such activities across all areas of the curriculum reported back that the students who used to be late weren't late any more as they were the first ones to want to solve the lateral thinking challenge or the Dingbat put up at the beginning of the lesson as the students were coming in.

It also works to reduce the 'down time' at the beginning of a lesson as the learners wait for something to happen, a time that research shows is a time particularly vulnerable to poor behaviour.

Below are some starters that we use and recommend. Please feel free to use them and adapt them. In return, if you have some of your own let us know so we can add them to this page and help teachers by saving time and improving their lessons simultaneously.

Here's the answer, what's the question?

• The answer's blue/green/yes/often/never - what's the question?
• The answer's deeply/before you start/Sundays/a small child - what's the question?
• The answer's no there was a dog in it/he tried but it was heavy/not with the car open/once with a fish - what's the question?

• When ducks cry! Five ways to make a duck/squirrel/spoon/block of flats sad?
• Bewildebeast! Five ways to confuse a badger/kettle/train?
• Ask for a household object and an animal - then look for five differences between them?
• Then ask for five things they have in common?
• Ask for the name of an animal - then ask for five things that we would see if that animal ruled the world? (One group of students identified that if zebras ruled the world there would be no racism!)
• Five things you couldn't fit in a garage?
• Which is heavier love or hate? Fish or chips? French or History? Joy or sorrow? Football or hockey? Dancing or running? Salt or pepper?

What Would Win?

This is a lovely idea a teacher gave me recently and is game that his four-year-old son came up with. Choose any two items and ask the question, what would win...?

• ....David Beckham or McFLy? McFLy because there's more of them
• ...An elephant or a dolphin? A dolphin because it has a blowhole
• ...A spoon or a fork? A spoon becauseit has two 'o's in it
• ...A chair or a bucket? A bucket because it has a handle.

Putting yourself in someone else's shoes to solve a problem is a good way of bringing the best out of your creative side.

Try these exercises for size:

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