Mirror Me: The 5-Minute Game I Teach First

Every teacher needs a few tricks for those random five minutes that pop up during the school day. You finish a lesson early. You're waiting to leave for specials. Everyone is packed up, but it's not quite time to go.

Having a small toolbox of 5-minute games means you don't have to figure out what to do on the spot. Teach a some simple games early in the year and you always have something ready.

Mirror Me is a great place to start—and usually the first one I teach.

How to Play Mirror Me

Mirror Me couldn't be much easier. One student is the leader and does a series of slow, simple movement - touch your nose, tilt your head, put a hand on your hip. Everyone else tries to mirror the leader exactly.

That's it. No partners to find, no materials to pass out, and very little explaining.

The first time we play, I model what I mean by slow, simple movements. Students need enough time to watch the leader and copy each movement.

Why I Teach This One First

Mirror Me gives kids a chance to move without making the classroom louder. Everyone has to watch closely and pay attention to the leader, so the movement itself requires focus.

It's also easy to stop. If I suddenly need everyone ready to line up, sit down, or move on to the next lesson, we're done. There's no round to finish, no score to tally, and no materials to collect. Students can go straight from the game into whatever comes next.

Once students know how to play, I can pull it out when we have a few extra minutes. I choose a leader, everyone starts mirroring, and we're playing. When it's time for the next thing, we stop.

That's exactly what I want from a 5-minute game: movement, very little noise, almost no setup, and an easy transition back to whatever we're doing next.

Build a Toolbox Students Can Run

Mirror Me is just one example of why I like having a collection of these games. Once you've taught a game, you don't have to be the one running it. Pick a student leader and let them take over.

Over time, students learn several games and you have a ready-made toolbox to choose from. Have four minutes before lunch? Choose a leader and play. Need a quick movement break? Let a student pick a game. You can even put a student in charge while you finish what you need to do before the next activity.

Teach the games once, and they become something your class can use again and again.

If you'd like a ready-made toolbox, I've put together 5-Minute Classroom Games with quick activities designed for exactly these little pockets of time. The games are simple to teach, require little or no prep, and give you a variety of options for movement, brain breaks, transitions, and those unexpected extra minutes. Print the cards, keep them handy, and once your students know the games, let them take the lead.

Mirror Me is the one I'd start with.