Brain Break
Ideas for the Classroom
As
teachers, we know the research; we know that brain breaks are an essential part
of the classroom routine. However, sometimes it gets hard coming up with fun
ways to incorporate brain breaks into the classroom. Here are some fun and easy
resources that are the perfect solution to this problem.
Wednesday’s guest post about why kids need to move from pediatric occupational therapist
Loren Shale was so popular that I decided to follow it up with a list of
Brain Breaks you can use with your students. These are great to use anytime
your students are feeling restless and are struggling to pay attention. Most of
these will only take a few minutes, and then you can get back to the lesson
with your students ready to focus on the lesson at hand.
1.
Frequency of Brain Breaks
Researchers support the idea that kids do better in
school overall, if they are given frequent brain breaks. In fact, research
shows that ideally, kids should have a brain break every 25 - 30 minutes. Of
course this time would vary depending upon the age of the kids (younger kids
need them more often, while older kids might be able to wait until 45 minutes,
in my opinion), as well as the type of activity in which the kids are involved.
Kids sitting quietly in their desks might need a more frequent brain break than
those on the floor, working in teams. The most important thing to remember though
is to keep those brain breaks coming!
2. Types
of Brain Breaks
I like to vary the types of brain breaks I give my
students. One of the things I love to use are the Brain Breaks Task
Cards that I've created because there are over 250
ideas included, all of which are fast and easy (as well as fun). These task
cards make coming up with a brain break idea a no-brainer...and we all need no
brainers on some days!
3.
Try Using Go Noodle
or YouTube/Teacher Tube Kid's Sites
There are lots of awesome dance/movement types of
brain breaks on these websites. The best thing, besides the fact that it will
really add to your collection of brain breaks, is that they're free!
4.
Need More Proof
Maybe it's because I have a psychology background
(my BA before an education MA), but I really like seeing any kind of brain
research. Here's an awesome pin that shows how a simple 20 minute walk
activates and stimulates the brain. We may not have 20 minutes to devote to a
brain break, but I think we can safely say that a shorter one is still very
beneficial. Brain breaks increase oxygen and energy flow to the brain, which
helps reduce kid's stress levels and helps them to re-focus.
5.
Benefits of Brain Breaks
Giving kids the frequent brain breaks they need,
will increase the productivity and focus in your classroom. Want better
behaviour It'll help that too. Like it when kids have happy attitudes? It's
good for that too. The time you spend on a 5 minute brain break is a wise
investment. You will get back that time ten-fold in the amount of focus your
kids can expend, after refreshing their little minds and bodies.
Take
Action
Schools looking to integrate physical activity both
in and out of the classroom should consider a few preliminary steps and
considerations before implementing a new or enhancing an existing
program.
Engage and leverage your school health team
to identify key opportunities for student physical activity as well as any
significant barriers to successful implementation. Identify and lead projects
that will promote student health and engagement and will lead to sustainable
change.
Understand your local school
wellness policy and how it supports or enhances
opportunities for brain breaks and classroom energizers.
Tips
Keep physical activity breaks short and manageable.
Shoot for 1 - 5 minute breaks at least 2-3 times per day.
Participate with your students in the activity.
Students will be more likely to join in and have fun if they see their school
community moving with them.
Ask teachers and school administrators to share and
demonstrate their favorite activities, games, and movement ideas during staff
meetings throughout the school year.
Create a classroom atmosphere that embraces
movement! Consider playing age and culturally appropriate music. Be patient –
it may take some time for kids to embrace and be comfortable with the physical
activity.
Integrate physical activity into academic concepts
when possible. For example, a social studies unit on the Olympics can include
student participation in classroom energizers fitting into an Olympic theme.
Encourage your physical education teacher to be a
movement leader and advocate. Ask if he or she can share some simple motor
skills and games for classroom teachers and guidance for creating safe movement
spaces.
Empower students by asking them to share their own
physical activity break ideas. Provide opportunities for students to lead and
demonstrate activities.
Add physical activity breaks right into your daily
schedule. Try creating a classroom physical activity calendar of events that
includes a variety of ideas throughout the month. Use a classroom physical
activity tracker to help your students reach 10 minutes
daily! Check out these brain break for
testing ideas.
Add in fun equipment items such as beanbags, spot
markers, yoga mats, and balance boards. Consider applying for a Game On grant!
Integrate health and fitness concepts while moving
with students to emphasize the importance of daily physical activity and good
nutrition.
Inclusion
Tips
All students need regular physical activity! It is
particularly important for students with special needs to be included in
activities that improve physical fitness. Variations and modifications of
movements and activities should be offered to students to create a learning
environment that is welcoming and respecting of all abilities. Adapted physical
education and activities will ensure that students learn and achieve success at
their own pace regardless of physical limitations or fitness level. By
providing opportunities for success and skill building, students will be more
likely to remain physically active as teens and into adulthood.
5-4-3-2-1: In
this simple game, students stand up and the teacher (or leader) has them do
five different movements in descending order. For example the teacher would
say: “Do five jumping jacks, spin around four times, hop on one
foot three times, walk all the way around the
classroom two times, give your neighbour one high-five
(pausing in between each task for students to do it).
Trading
Places: Have students stand behind their
pushed-in chairs. Call out a trait, and everyone who has that trait must change
places with someone else (students who do not have the trait stay where they
are). Examples: “Everyone with curly hair.” “Everyone who ate cereal for
breakfast.” “Everyone who is wearing stripes.”
Six
Spots: Number six spots around your room from 1-6.
Have students each go to a spot of their choice. Choose a student to roll a die
(if you can make a big one out of foam, it adds to the fun). All the students
at the number rolled must go back to their seats. Students that are left go to
a new spot, and the die is rolled again. Continue until only a few students are
left.
Mingle,
Mingle, Group! In this game students mill about
the classroom saying, “mingle, mingle, mingle” in soft voices until the teacher
says, “Groups of 5,” at which point the students must quickly group themselves
into groups with the correct number of people. Students who are left over must
do three jumping jacks before the next round starts. The teacher can call out
any number for the group size. You can also add rules such as: as soon as a
group is complete, all members must sit down in a line.
Dance
Party! Put on some rocking’ music and
dance! If you can make the room semi-dark and have a black light or other
special effect, your kids will love it!
Freeze
Dance! Similar to Dance Party, except
that every so often the music stops, and students must freeze and hold the
position they are in until the music begins again.
Name
Moves Students stand behind their chairs. In turn,
each student says his or her name accompanied by a special movement. For
example a student might say, “Kayla!” while dramatically dropping to one knee
and doing Jazz Hands. After the student does his or her move, the rest of the
class says the student’s name in unison and imitates the move. Then it is the next
student’s turn.
Keep
It Up Students must keep a beach ball from hitting
the ground. Add two or three balls to make it even more fun.
Simon
Says An oldie but a goody!
Movement
Songs Sing a song with whole-body movements, such
as, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” “Father Abraham,” “Toe-Knee Chest-Nut,”
“Shake Your Sillies Out (Raffia),” “Grand Old Duke of York,” “My Bonnie Lies
over the Ocean,” etc.
Recorded
Movement Songs Older students might enjoy a
simple Zumba routine, YMCA, or the Macarena. Littler ones will love Sesame Street’s A
Very Simple Dance to Do.
Animal
Pretend Younger children will enjoy
pretending to be various animals (or even objects such as lawn mowers or airplanes).
Call out a few in sequences.
Would
You Rather Ask a “would you rather” question
and have students show their choice by moving to one end of the room or the
other. Have a few kids share why. Here are 20 free “Would You Rather” Questions to get you
started.
Find
It Fast Call out a colour or other trait (e.g.
something round, something made of wood), and students must find an object in
the room that fits the trait and get to it quickly.
Physical
Challenges Challenge students to do something
physically difficult, such as standing on one foot with arms extended, or this
one: Grab your nose with left hand, and grab your left earlobe with your right
hand, and then quickly switch so that your right hand is on your nose and your
left hand is grabbing your right earlobe. Yoga poses could also be a good
variation.
Plates Give
each student a paper plate. Students must walk around the room balancing the plates
on their heads. If a student drops his or her plate, the student must freeze
until another student picks it up and places it back on the student’s head
(while keeping his or her own plate in place, of course).
Line
Up! Have students line up using a specific
criteria, such as age (use day and month, not just year), height,
alphabetically by middle name, hair length, etc.
Limbo All
you need is a long stick and a pair of kids to hold it. Music is nice, too.
Human
Knot Divide students into groups of about eight
students. Have students each grab right hands with someone who is not directly
next to them. Then do the same with left hands. The challenge is to untangle
and become a circle without releasing hands.
Jump
Skip Counting Have students count by twos,
fives, tens etc. while jumping with each count. You could also practice
spelling words this way.
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