By: Logan Bishop
School at any age, but especially during childhood, can begin to feel structured, repetitive, and long. How can we break up the monotony of school routines to help students feel energized and refocused? With BRAIN BREAKS of course! Brain breaks in school can take place during scheduled periods like science or math, or during class between lessons. Brain breaks can help students of all ages ease stress, regain focus, and boost productivity.
Here are some examples:
Physical Activity:
Stretching
Stretching is not just something you do after you exercise. Creating a break in your day to stretch after sitting in class allows your muscles to relax, resetting your body to be prepared for the rest of the class.
Dancing
Dancing is a great way to get kids moving during the day. You can put music on that has specific dances, such as the “Cupid Shuffle”, to get the whole class engaged and moving!
Shake It Out
Sometimes all kids need is to stand up and shake their whole body. Shaking out your body is a fun way to get any stress that has built up from sitting in the classroom. All you need is a few seconds to stand up and shake it out!
Mental Activities:
Breathing Exercises
Setting aside even just a few minutes a day to focus on breathing is a great way to allow your body and mind to reset. Some breathing exercises you can do in class are the 4-4-4-4 breathing technique. Breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds, breathing out for 4 seconds, and repeating it 4 times.
Journaling
Writing out your thoughts is a fantastic way to help clear your mind while trying to focus during school. A fun way to do this is to give the kids a prompt to write, such as “What is your favorite food and why?”
Drawing
Sometimes in school, you find yourself doodling on a page of notes. Why not set aside time during the day to let your brain relax and draw whatever comes to mind? Just like journaling, you can set a prompt for the drawing to give the kids a starting place, such as “Draw your favorite animal!”
Rock, Paper, Scissor Tournament
For just a quick 5 min break, have everyone stand up and participate in a rock/paper/scissors tournament. When someone gets out, they will then act as a fan for another person cheering them on until the tournament is over. This is also a great way to get students to interact with one another and socialize.