Brain Breaks

Brain Breaks

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BrAIN BREAKS

Brain breaks are an important part of learning. They are small mental breaks designed to help students focus and attend. They typically get students moving and allow blood and oxygen to flow to the brain. These breaks allow students a small reset in the day and enhance energy and relaxation. Too much, too fast, won’t last. Teachers’ goals are for students to retain information, and it is best to allow them time to think and process. Brain breaks are good for students at any age.

https://www.teachhub.com/classroom-management/2020/07/what-are-brain-breaks/

The benefits extend beyond the psychological well-being of students. Particularly for younger students, regular breaks throughout the school day can be an effective way to reduce disruptive behavior. In a series of recent studies, short physical activity breaks in the classroom improved students’ behavior, increasing the effort they put into their activities as well as their ability to stay on task.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/research-tested-benefits-breaks

IDEAS

Breathing

Line Up

Mirror

Do As I Say

Switcheroo

Tiptoe Walk

Rain Clap

Invisible Picture

Action Songs

Mindfulness

Opposite Hunt

Yoga

Doodle

Trading Places

Stir the Pot

Breathing

Use the breath as a focus point. Have students place one hand close to their nose (not touching) and one hand on their belly. As they breathe in, have them feel their bellies expand. As they exhale, they can feel the warm air hit their hand. Students will focus on this breath for only one minute.

Ear-Nose Switcheroo

This is a quick and easy challenge to reset the brain. Instruct kids to touch their left ear with their right hand and at the same time touch their nose with their left hand. Then have them switch their hands and touch their right ear with their left hand and their nose with their right hand. Switch back and forth a few times. Then have them close their eyes, take a deep breath, and blow it all out.

INVISIBLE PICTURE

In pairs, have a student draw a picture in the air while their partner guesses what it is. You could give them categories such as shapes, numbers, weather, or other ways to narrow the guessing.

Mindfulness

Using mindfulness activities when children are feeling stressed, worried or anxious can help them to feel calm and relaxed. They also manage their emotions. better. Using mindfulness as a brain break tool also benefits mental health and wellbeing.

You can find some ideas here

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 long hair.” “Everyone who ate bread for breakfast.” “Everyone who is wearing a blue T-shirt.”

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.

TIPTOE WALK

This brain breaks can help relax the children and dial down the boisterous energy. Ask the children to walk on their toes around the classroom. Silently or perhaps humming a tune. Once they are relatively calmer, you can start your lesson.

https://www.edsys.in/brain-breaks/

RAIN CLAP

A rain clap is a good activity to get the children’s attention. This break game will be effective in settling down kids after an energetic activity. The rain clap goes like this – ask them to tap the right index finger on the left palm. Then the second finger, third finger, fourth, and fifth finger, till they’re clapping. This point is the storm. Then slowly ask them to clap with four, three, two, and finally one finger, till it gets relatively less noisy. The rain has stopped. The class will be calm after this brain break. You can start your lessons.

https://www.edsys.in/brain-breaks/

Opposite HUNT

This brain break is a fun learning activity. You need to prepare cards with a word and its opposite beforehand. Distribute the cards to the students. Students need to ask around till they match the word with the opposite. You can also do it for synonyms, idioms and meanings, parts of body and their functions, chemical formula and their full names, and so on.

https://www.edsys.in/brain-breaks/

Stir the pot

Visualize they are trying to stir a big cauldron/pot full of something gooey like caramel using their all body.

MIRROR

Have students pair up and mirror the actions of their partner. Then switch. It makes students laugh and have a good time. The person that is mirroring has to do everything the other person does. Students may dance, move body parts, do yoga poses, anything. Make sure students don’t talk during it and they they stay in one place. Let the students go for 30 seconds then call switch, and the person doing the mirroring will switch to the person being mirrored.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Tell the children that they are to do the movements that they hear you say and ignore the movements that you do. Stand in front of the child/children give a verbal direction but do a movement that does not match. For example, say, "Clap your hands!" while jumping up and down. The children should clap their hands. Give 3 or more directions at a time while doing 3 or more movements that do not match your words. If a child has difficulty following three-step directions, give two directions. If that is difficult, do one direction at a time. If three is easy, add more to directions. Here is an example of a three-step direction: “Jump up and down” (While you spin around) “Clap your hands” (While you pat your stomach) “Touch your toes” (While you touch your nose) The correct action would be to jump, clap, and to touch their toes.

ACTION SONGS

YOGA

DOODLE BREAK

Research has shown that children need to work on some task that allows their mind to wander. One such task is doodling. Give the kids a 3-5minute break and ask them to doodle something on a sheet of paper. This activity also encourages creativity and innovative thinking.

https://www.edsys.in/brain-breaks/

THANKS A LOT

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