Activity: Walk Stop

Activity

Walk Stop

Physical activity is important for learning. It improves concentration, boosts engagement, reduces disruptive behavior, and helps students stay on task. Here’s a quick activity you can do anywhere. It helps learners move (and laugh) between less active assignments!

1. Invite participants to spread throughout your activity space.
2. Instruct everyone to start walking when you say “WALK,” and stop walking when you say “STOP.” You can demonstrate the commands as well, which may be helpful for younger participants.
3. Issue a series of these commands, in any order, for 20 to 30 seconds to help your group practice responding.
4. Begin the activity! Walk, Stop, Walk, Walk, Stop, etc.
5. Once the group has the hang of it, announce that you will now swap the meaning of these commands. “WALK” now means people should stop walking, and “STOP” means they should start walking. Challenge your group and each individual to accurately respond to each command as quickly as possible.
6. Now it gets really hard. When ready, announce two new commands: “NAME” invites each participant to say their own name out loud (all at once), and “CLAP” invites everyone to simultaneously clap one time. Practice these two new commands with “WALK” and “STOP.”
7. Maximize the challenge. Announce that you will now swap the meaning of the last two commands, i.e. when you say “NAME” everyone claps, and when you say “CLAP,” everyone yells their own name.

Inclusive Facilitation: If a group member’s disability precludes them from walking, but they can move with an assistive device, consider using “GO” instead of “WALK.” Other commands can be adjusted in a similar fashion.