Unit 2: Types of Brain Breaks

From KNILT

Learning Targets

The learner will learn about various types of brain breaks.

The learner will learn about how each kind of brain break is beneficial in the classroom

Introduction

There are many different ways to give your brain a break. Some of the various ways that will be discussed during this unit are

  1. meditation
  2. exercise
  3. dancing/singing
  4. "silly breaks"

Mini- Lecture

Basic Brain Breaks

Meditation

Benefits of Meditation

  1. reduces stress
  2. increases concentration
  3. Makes the brain sharper
  4. regulates emotion

Types of Brain Break Meditation

Check out some of these Brain Breaks that help children relax and meditate!

https://www.pinterest.com/hrheath22/brain-breaks-quietcalmrelaxing/

Doing a few yoga posses and deep breaths can act as a short meditation, if you are short on time. It helps to quickly relax your students before moving forward in your day.

Exercise

  1. Sky Reach- reach up the sky and down to the ground
  2. Shoulder Blast- do arm circles, make windshield wipers with your arms, "raise the roof"
  3. Squats- do 10 squats with your feet standing a little bit wider than your body
  4. Jumping Jacks
  5. Burpees

Singing/ Dancing

Short dances are a great way to give students a break. You can have them use their imagination as they sing and dance to a song or have students work on their large motor and coordination skills as they do choreography to songs they know.

The board below has a lot of songs and dances to incorporate into your brain break routine.

https://www.pinterest.com/schelkster/dance-brain-breaks/


Simple Silly Tasks

This section is for all of those other silly things kids like doing

For instance:

  1. Doing the wave
  2. Taping their desks to make the sound of rain
  3. Walking like a penguin
  4. Giving 5 high fives and sitting down
  5. Doing the moon walk
  6. Balancing a book on your hand and pretending to be a waiter

Resources to Use:

http://www.thehappyteacher.co/2012/08/brain-breaks.html

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Silly-Sam-Brain-Break-Task-Cards-824050

http://www.minds-in-bloom.com/2012/04/20-three-minute-brain-breaks.html

Application

  1. Go to https://www.pinterest.com
  2. If you do not already have one, make your own account
  3. Create your own Brain Breaks Pinterest Board
  • tip- create multiple brain breaks board and break them up into the categories listed above

Feel free to utilize the boards and websites in the mini-lecture to create your own!

Navigation

Back to Portfolio

Unit 3: How to Implement

Go Back to Unit 1

Resources

10 Benefits of meditation for students - research overview. (2015, January 5). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://tmhome.com/benefits/10-benefits-of-meditation-for-students/

Gavin, M. (2013, November 1). Classroom Exercise Breaks for Elementary Students. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/educator/elementary-exercises.html#

upperlimits.com

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