Clapping Games

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Clapping Games
By George

Here are two clapping games that can be used during transitions to focus students' attention. These can be quite noisy.

GAME 1: Clap out a pattern with your hands. Right after you finish, the students must repeat the
pattern in exactly the same way. Start out with very easy patterns (example: three slow claps) followed by increasingly challenging ones. You can vary both the speed and the loudness of your claps. I saw a similar exercise being done in a Waldorf school once. They drummed the patterns out on the backs of their wood chairs. It was quite beautiful.
GAME 2: Hold your arms out in front

of you like you're going to clap. But instead of clapping, pass your hands past one another in an up and down manner (not clapping). Explain to your students that each time they see your hands pass each other they should clap. Like the other game, start slowly and get them clapping in a uniform manner. Then, suddenly, "fake them out" by abruptly stopping just before your hands pass. Of course, many students will clap by mistake. The game is to NOT clap unless they see your hands pass each other. They must watch you very closely and not be too quick to clap! At the very end, pass your hands faster and faster past each other. The students clapping will become applause and you can take a bow.