After long periods of class time, students have the tendency to get
restless. Many educators believe students need movement and activity in
order to stay engaged in their lessons. This is where the idea of brain
breaks come into play. Brain breaks give students the opportunity to be
active, get to know each other, and refresh their minds. These breaks
usually only last a few minutes with minimal preparation on the
teacher's part.
In this blog, we will share a brain
break idea. Each idea should have directions of how to conduct the brain
break and the appropriate grade level or age range.
This blog is intended to be a practice exercise for members of Group C of EDM 510.
I love the idea of brain breaks! They would not have to take very long, but the movement will help students, in the long run, stay focused. One example that I thought about was to play a mini scavenger hunt. Have students find a classmate that has_______________. It could be as simple as "Find someone in the room that has a dog, and ask him/her the dog's name." You could have a variety of these on slips of paper and pull one out when you see the class needs a break. The students will be up and moving and will get to know one another. This would work for just about any grade. Keep the task simple for younger grades and make them more in depth for older classes.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of having brain breaks listed on sheets of paper readily available for the teacher when he/she sees it's time for a break. I have an abundance of index cards that I could use. Also, the larger popsicle sticks would work well. I have a set with an activity on each for my early finisher. When they complete their work, they can pull a stick and do that activity.
DeleteYes, students do need breaks. I know, I do!
ReplyDeleteOne "brain break" that worked for me, could be used as a transition, for example, after P.E. This depends on the age of students, but it worked for me with students Pre-K through 5th.
Lights out.
Heads down.
All still.
All quiet.
Watch the clock's second hand (for younger students, you would need to teach them- each time the second hand goes around = 1 minute).
Give them 1 or 2 minutes (or more if needed).
Lights on.
They should be refreshed or "reset."
A. Rockwell
I love this idea. Sometimes the brain break does need to be silent. I know that there are many days that I think I am either talking all day or listening to others talk all day long. That can be exhausting sometimes.
DeleteEveryone needs a break! I myself have recently begun to force myself to rest for at least 15 minutes after work. I have noticed a great improvement in my ability to continue working in the evening. The same is true for our students!
ReplyDeleteI found a good brain break exercise for young students on www.equal-works/resources/contentfiles/333-pdf. There are several examples, but one in particular caught my eye. It tells us to ask our students to use their dominant writing hand to spell out their names in the air. They can start out spelling the word small and then large. They can then write their name backwards. Once they have done this they can switch hands and write their name forwards and backwards in the air.
Something I have done in my German class is to play Simon says in German. The students have to stand up and listen to my directions in German. They need to listen carefully to the instruction and perform whatever action I require (usually it involves touching or not touching a body part, i.e. ear, mouth, head). It's a fun activity that helps their blood flow while also listening to and understanding basic commands in German.
Thank you for this idea! I think this would be beneficial especially when we are teaching cursive.
DeleteOne idea is to have children use a beanbag to identify parts of their body such as head, shoulder, knee, and many others. The teacher may put on music. The students can walk around with their beanbag. This activity helps students develop coordination. There are many different ways to use beanbags. Here is a website to give you some ideas.
ReplyDeletehttp://worknotes.com/il/chicago/fit4funkidsfitness/h5.stm