Movement brain break · K–5

This or That Questions for Kids

Pancakes or waffles? Robots or dinosaurs? Kids pick a side by doing that side's move. 60 classroom-safe questions, each with two movements, sorted for K–2 and grades 3–5. Project them and the room is moving in seconds.

Present K–2 Present grades 3–5 Present all

How to play This or That as a brain break

Show one question on the board. Each choice has its own move.
On “go”, every student does the move for their choice for about 15 seconds. The presenter has a timer.
Look around: who picked the same thing? Then on to the next question. Five questions make a three-minute break.

This or That for K–2

1. Pancakes or Waffles?

Pancakes: Flip pretend pancakesWaffles: Pour syrup in big circles

2. Apples or Bananas?

Apples: Pick apples from a high branchBananas: Peel a pretend banana

3. Cookies or Cupcakes?

Cookies: Stir cookie dough in a bowlCupcakes: Shake sprinkles on your cupcake

4. Frogs or Bunnies?

Frogs: Jump like a frogBunnies: Wiggle your bunny nose

5. Elephants or Giraffes?

Elephants: Swing your arm like a trunkGiraffes: Stretch up tall like a giraffe

6. Penguins or Owls?

Penguins: Waddle like a penguinOwls: Turn your head like an owl

7. Crayons or Stickers?

Crayons: Color big circles in the airStickers: Pat stickers on your arms

8. Library time or Art time?

Library time: Turn pages of a giant bookArt time: Paint with a giant brush

9. Mittens or Snow boots?

Mittens: Rub your hands to stay warmSnow boots: March in your snow boots

10. Falling leaves or Snowflakes?

Falling leaves: Flutter down like a leafSnowflakes: Twinkle fingers like snowflakes

11. Planting seeds or Picking flowers?

Planting seeds: Plant seeds, then grow tallPicking flowers: Pick flowers and smell them

12. Slide or Swings?

Slide: Zoom down the slide, arms upSwings: Swing your arms high and low

13. Hopscotch or Jump rope?

Hopscotch: Hop on one footJump rope: Pretend to jump rope

14. Sun or Moon?

Sun: Make a big sun with your armsMoon: Make a crescent moon shape

15. Ponds or Oceans?

Ponds: Skip a stone across the pondOceans: Swim with your arms

16. Rainbows or Clouds?

Rainbows: Trace a rainbow with your armsClouds: Float slowly like a fluffy cloud

17. Robots or Dinosaurs?

Robots: Move like a robotDinosaurs: Stomp like a dinosaur

18. Castle or Spaceship?

Castle: Wave from the castle towerSpaceship: Count down and blast off

19. Trains or Airplanes?

Trains: Chug your arms like a trainAirplanes: Fly with airplane arms

20. Blocks or Puzzles?

Blocks: Stack blocks up highPuzzles: Fit puzzle pieces together

This or That for grades 3–5

1. Breakfast for dinner or Dinner for breakfast?

Breakfast for dinner: Crack eggs into a bowlDinner for breakfast: Twirl noodles on a fork

2. Dumplings or Burritos?

Dumplings: Pinch dumplings closedBurritos: Roll up a big burrito

3. Ocean animals or Jungle animals?

Ocean animals: Wave your arms like seaweedJungle animals: Climb a jungle vine

4. Fly like an eagle or Swim like a dolphin?

Fly like an eagle: Soar with wide eagle wingsSwim like a dolphin: Dive with dolphin arms

5. Science experiment or Art project?

Science experiment: Pour and mix pretend beakersArt project: Sculpt clay with your hands

6. Line leader or Class plant helper?

Line leader: March like the line leaderClass plant helper: Sprinkle water on the plants

7. Write a story or Draw a comic?

Write a story: Write giant letters in the airDraw a comic: Strike a comic hero pose

8. Hayride or Leaf pile?

Hayride: Bounce like on a bumpy hayrideLeaf pile: Rake, then jump in leaves

9. Summer heat or Winter chill?

Summer heat: Fan yourself like it's hotWinter chill: Shiver and shake

10. Kickball or Four square?

Kickball: Catch a high fly ballFour square: Bounce a pretend ball

11. Basketball or Soccer?

Basketball: Shoot a pretend basketballSoccer: Do quick soccer toe taps

12. Swimming or Gymnastics?

Swimming: Front crawl with your armsGymnastics: Strike a gymnast's balance pose

13. Hike a mountain or Kayak a river?

Hike a mountain: Hike uphill with big stepsKayak a river: Paddle a kayak, left and right

14. Volcanoes or Waterfalls?

Volcanoes: Crouch, then erupt like a volcanoWaterfalls: Wiggle fingers down like a waterfall

15. Super speed or Super strength?

Super speed: Pump your arms super fastSuper strength: Lift a giant pretend boulder

16. Underwater city or City in the clouds?

Underwater city: Swish like a mermaid tailCity in the clouds: Float up through the clouds

17. Moon base or Mars base?

Moon base: Bounce slowly in low gravityMars base: Drive a pretend Mars rover

18. Early bird or Night owl?

Early bird: Reach up for a big stretchNight owl: Flap slow, quiet owl wings

19. Write with a pencil or Type on a keyboard?

Write with a pencil: Sharpen a pretend pencilType on a keyboard: Type on a pretend keyboard

20. Make a plan or Go with the flow?

Make a plan: Check off a pretend listGo with the flow: Flow like a gentle river

This or That for all ages

1. Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate: Melt like warm chocolateVanilla: Swirl a soft-serve cone

2. Popcorn or Pretzels?

Popcorn: Pop up like popcornPretzels: Twist like a pretzel

3. Pumpkin pie or Apple pie?

Pumpkin pie: Roll out pie doughApple pie: Slide a pie into the oven

4. Dogs or Cats?

Dogs: Wag your pretend tailCats: Stretch like a sleepy cat

5. Monkeys or Kangaroos?

Monkeys: Reach and swing like a monkeyKangaroos: Hop like a kangaroo

6. Butterflies or Ladybugs?

Butterflies: Flutter your butterfly wingsLadybugs: Crawl fingers like a ladybug

7. Gym class or Music class?

Gym class: Do 5 jumping jacksMusic class: Play the air piano

8. Field trip or Pajama day?

Field trip: Wave out the bus windowPajama day: Sway sleepily, then wake up

9. Pumpkin patch or Costume parade?

Pumpkin patch: Lift a heavy pumpkinCostume parade: Strut in a costume parade

10. Snowman or Snow angel?

Snowman: Roll a giant snowballSnow angel: Make a standing snow angel

11. Sprinklers or Sandcastles?

Sprinklers: Jump through a pretend sprinklerSandcastles: Build a sandcastle with your hands

12. Bowling or Mini golf?

Bowling: Roll a pretend bowling ballMini golf: Putt a pretend golf ball

13. Dance party or Karaoke?

Dance party: Do your silliest danceKaraoke: Lip-sync into a pretend mic

14. Stargazing or Cloud watching?

Stargazing: Reach up and touch the starsCloud watching: Trace cloud shapes with a finger

15. Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunrise: Rise up slowly like the sunSunset: Sink down slowly like the sun

16. Astronaut or Deep-sea explorer?

Astronaut: Float like an astronautDeep-sea explorer: Shine your flashlight in the deep

17. Friendly giant or Tiny mouse?

Friendly giant: Stomp like a gentle giantTiny mouse: Tiptoe like a tiny mouse

18. Treehouse or Pillow fort?

Treehouse: Climb the treehouse ladderPillow fort: Fluff up your pillow fort

19. Bubbles or Balloons?

Bubbles: Pop bubbles all around youBalloons: Keep a balloon up high

20. Stuffed animal or Cozy blanket?

Stuffed animal: Give yourself a big hugCozy blanket: Wrap up in a cozy blanket

More ways to use This or That in class

Four corners: send each choice to a different side of the room instead of doing a move.
Tally and graph: count the votes and make a quick bar graph together.
Opinion writing starter: “I picked ___ because ___.” One sentence, one reason.
Morning meeting: one question a day as a greeting. Everyone answers and does the move.

Want harder choices? Try our Would You Rather questions for kids, or switch to a riddle of the day.