Got this from a JTE awhile back and has become a regular in my lessons! Hope you enjoy!
Why I love it:
- No prep
- Can take as long or as short as I want
- The kids get excited, and wake up
- JTE thinks it is genius listening practice because Up and Tap are somewhat similar (but this was by accident not design)
The Game:
- Everyone has a partner. They stack their fits on top of eachother alternating fists.
- If I say UP, the fist on the bottom of the stack moves to the top
- If I say DOWN, the fist on the top of the stack moves to the bottom
- If I say TAP, the hand on the BOTTOM tries to tap the opponents hand on the TOP. But the opponent tries to pull away before slapped. If they successfully slap the opponent's hand, they win. If not, the top hand opponent wins.
- Loser sits down, winner finds new partner.
Tips:
- For explaining, I usually choose one of the rowdier/class clown types to be my partner in the front of the class. Hardest part to explain is that the BOTTOM hand tries to tap the TOP hand and not just a free for all slap fest. Best to have the kids practice a round or two and practice with your JTE ahead of time.
- I like to throw in some UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP UP in there, especially when it is the final two.
- I have only ever used in middle school through adult levels, so I cannot speak for elementary, but it is always a hit.
This sounds like a lot of fun. I will definitely try it with my elementary class.
This looks like fun! I can't wait to try it out with my wild second graders. Thank you!
My SHS students have been going absolutely feral for this. I've been using it for my current 1年生 lessons. When I came to class today and started writing "up, down, tap" on the board, some of my boys started excitedly saying "up down game, up down game". I asked how they knew it and apparently their friends from the other classes had taught them about it and played with them. I'd say it's a hit!
A new favorite with my JHS 2年生 and 3年生! They want to play it in every class now 😂
I just used this in my warm-up in elementary class. It was great! Thank you for sharing this activity.