There comes a point in many students’ days when they hit a wall. They’ve exercised their brain too much, and they need a break. That’s when brain breaks for the classroom come into play. Doing these activities with your students is a great way to get them out of their chairs and resting their minds for a little while. Try these 5 brain breaks for the classroom with your students.
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to meditate and stretch. It’s also a lot of fun, especially with younger students. Challenge students to make various yoga poses. Use some of the common ones, or make up your own that resemble different animals. Your students will enjoy pretending to be their favorite animals and trying other poses with you.
Four Corners
Some of the best brain breaks for the classroom involve students getting out of their seats and moving around. A simple way to do this is by playing Four Corners. Label each corner a number between one and four. Have students walk around the classroom and choose one corner. Then, roll a dice or pick another way to randomly choose a corner. Then, anyone in that corner should return to their seats. Continue to play until there is only one student left. That student is the winner.
Classroom Dance Party
Another simple way to get your students up and moving is to hold a dance party. Play some of the students’ favorite songs, and have them let loose. You could also find songs like the “Macarena”, “Cha Cha Slide”, “Cupid Shuffle”, or others songs with their own dance moves. Find ones that your students will enjoy following along to for your dance party.
Simon Says
Simon Says is an oldie but a goodie. Have students take turns being Simon. They can call out “Simon says…” with various actions to do. When students do something without Simon telling them to do it, they should sit down at their desk until one student is left. Then, the remaining student could be the next Simon for the game.
Exercise
Since physical activities make perfect brain breaks for the classroom, you can create your own exercise games to play. Write down exercises for students to do on Popsicle sticks. Then, have students draw a popsicle stick and do the exercise listed. You could also make a list of exercises and number them 1-6. Then, roll a dice to see what exercises to do. Choose activities that every student can do.
When your students are on the verge of a mental shutdown, it’s necessary to take a quick brain break. Let your students rest their minds and move their bodies. Then, they’ll be refreshed and ready for the next activity on your agenda for the day.
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