The Get Movin' Thumball is designed to give groups the energy breaks they need after sitting still for a while. It's perfect to get the blood flowing, re-energize, and re-focus during meetings and training events! The Thumball provides 32 prompts to get mobile – stretching, dancing, balancing and moving about in playful ways.
ENERGY BREAK Thumball Prompts:
- Strike a yoga pose
- Do a few jumping jacks
- Practice your golf swing
- Twist your waist side to side
- Rotate your arms in large circles
- Moon walk, Michael-Jackson style
- Pretend to run up a flight of stairs
- Lift your knees to touch your elbows
- Hop on one foot, then the other
- Mimic walking on a tight rope
- Turn yourself around three times
- Sway like a tree
- Breathe in deeply through your nose, open your mouth and sigh it out (3x)
- Stand and stretch your legs muscles
- Share your favorite “touch down dance”
- Slowly reach your arms to the sky, look up and gently bend backward
- Put your right foot in and shake it all about
- Hang down and reach toward your toes
- Squat down and stand back up as slowly as you can
- Use an invisible jump rope (forward and back)
- Pat your head and rub your belly at the same time
- Swirl a hoola hoop around your waist or arms
- Inhale slowly, hold your breath for 6 seconds, then slowly exhale
- Raise your arms above your head and slowly stretch side to side
- Balance on one foot with your arms to the sides
- Touch your head, shoulders, knees and toes
- Rotate your neck three times in each direction
- Forward lunge with your arms raised overhead
- Lunge backward and raise your arms to your sides
- Do a favorite dance move: Floss, Twist, Twerk, YMCA
- Raise your heels, stand on your toes, and reach to the sky
- Alternating legs, tap your toe in the front, to the side, and back
** TIPS **
FACILITATION SUGGESTIONS
- Explain the goal: Moving around is an excellent way to stimulate and reinvigorate the brain, as it gets the blood flowing and spreading nutrients throughout the body. In a spirit of transparency, explain these benefits to your group so they understand the goal is to get moving.
- Invite modifications: Welcome your group to make any alterations to the suggested movements in order to accommodate physical limitations, protect themselves from injury, or even save themselves from embarrassment. Invite them to participate “if they are able.”
- Go for balance: remind your group to treat both sides equally, repeating movements on their right and left sides.
- Start playing: Movement can be beneficial at any time during a learning event or meeting, such as:
- Energize the group after lunch -- Toss the ball to a recipient and have them read the prompt and demonstrate the movement to the whole group. Encourage all who can to join in for 1 to 3 minutes.
- Learning review – Pick a movement and relate it to something the group has just learned. Alternatively, toss the ball and have the recipient perform the movement while they think up their answer to a review question.
- Break the ice – Have the ball recipient do the movement described the panel, then have others in the group share a moment that the movement reminds them of.
©Trainers Warehouse – Trainers Warehouse holds the copyright for this set of questions. Reproductions cannot be made without express approval.
