Brain breaks

Carrot Squat (Luobo Dun)

Each group gets a vegetable name, and the group that is called squats while chanting, then calls the next group to squat. A group that squats at the wrong time or misses its turn loses a point. It is one of the best-loved classroom games in China and works anywhere as a listening and vocabulary game.

🎓 Grades K–8
⏱ 5–15 min
👥 Whole class in 4–6 groups
📦 No prep

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How to play Carrot Squat (Luobo Dun)

Split the class into 4–6 groups and give each one a name: White Radish, Red Radish, Carrot, Green Radish (or colors, animals or this week's vocabulary words).
Teach the chant: "Carrot squat, carrot squat, carrot squat, then Red Radish squat!" The group bends its knees on every "squat".
Pick a group to start. They chant and squat together, naming the next group at the end.
The named group must start its own chant right away and call another group.
A group that hesitates, squats when it was not called or calls a name that does not exist loses a point. Play for about 5 minutes and count the points.

Variations

Individual version: with 6–10 players, each student is one word (apple, banana, grape...). It gets very fast.
ESL vocabulary: use this unit's words as group names, and students must say the full chant clearly ("Cat squat, cat squat, cat squat, then dog squat!").
Math version: groups are numbers, and the caller names a problem instead ("Six times two squat!"), so the group whose number is the answer must go next.

💡 Teacher tips

Keep squats small and controlled. Students who cannot squat can clap or tap the desk on each "squat" instead.
Let students who lose points act as judges so they stay involved.

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