By Fredrik Otterbech – winner of the Norwegian breakdance championship in 1984 and a dance teacher in Telemark, Norway, since 2010.
Hip hop grew out of four creative elements: DJing, MCing (rap), graffiti and breaking. That makes it a perfect toolbox for families and classrooms – there's something for the dancer, the drawer, the talker and the music nerd. Here are ten ideas you can use this week, most of them free.
Movement
1. The living-room cypher
Stand in a circle, play a beat, and let each person take 20 seconds in the middle. One rule: everyone cheers, nobody laughs at anyone.
2. Freeze tag with style
When the music stops, everyone holds a "freeze" – a cool, still pose. The most creative freeze picks the next song.
3. Mirror battle
In pairs, one person leads with slow moves and the other mirrors them. Switch every 30 seconds. Great for focus and teamwork in class.
4. Brain-break toprock
Teachers: use 2 minutes of simple toprock steps between lessons. Kids return to their desks with more energy and better attention.
Words and rhythm
5. Rhyme relay
One person says a line, the next must rhyme the last word. Add a simple beat from a phone. It builds vocabulary, rhythm and courage.
6. Write a family (or class) anthem
Four lines about who you are and what you love. Perform it together – loud.
7. Find the "one"
Clap along to different songs and find the first beat of each bar. It's the foundation of every dance, and a sneaky music lesson.
Art and music
8. Paper graffiti
Design your name in bubble letters with shadows, arrows and colour on A3 paper, then hang them up as a gallery. (Real walls only where it's allowed!)
9. DJ for a night
Kids build a five-song playlist and present it like a DJ: what's the tempo, why do the songs fit together?
10. Hip hop history detective
Explore together where hip hop began – the Bronx in the 1970s – and how it spread worldwide. Make a timeline on the fridge.
Keep the momentum
If the dancing sticks, the 30-day breaking challenge gives you one small task a day and a diploma at the end. The Breaking step by step PDF guide covers moves from toprock to freezes, and Hip hop history for kids (PDF with quiz, in Norwegian and English) is ready for the history detectives.
Read next: Breaking for kids at home: a beginner's guide.