7 great brain breaks your students—and you—will love

By Michelle Banks

After a long period of classroom focus, brain breaks of five to 10 minutes can help students refresh and reset their minds before starting the next task. Brain breaks can also help lessen stress and anxiety in the classroom. What’s more, they can be centered around physical movement, mindfulness exercises or creative activities—the benefit is the same. Here are seven creative ideas to give you and your students a quick refresh during the school day.

Complete the drawing

Spark artistic creativity in the classroom with a drawing prompt. Provide a starting point—a letter, symbol, shape or squiggle—then challenge each student to turn it into a completed drawing. Allow five or 10 minutes and see what they come up with, then share the creations with the larger group. Maybe you’ll find a masterpiece to share on the classroom social media account!

Rock, paper, scissors tournament

A little competition can provide a mood-boosting thrill. Draw up a tournament bracket or use an online bracket-building tool and let students progress through a rock, paper, scissors contest. Stock a classroom bin with small items, like supply pouches and pencil stress relievers, so the champion can select their prize. This type of tournament can also be replicated with other simple games, like tic-tac-toe and heads or tails.

Get moving

Physical activity increases blood flow and oxygen levels to help stimulate the brain, which can help students regain focus. Invite students to stand in a circle and guide them through a sequence of exercises. Get their blood pumping with five squats, five lunges, 10 jumping jacks, three push-ups and five deep breaths. There are endless possibilities, so mix it up each time. Be mindful of students’ ability levels and any other health concerns, such as asthma. Reward participation with a sheet of healthy habit stickers or tattoos.

Balloon bounce

For younger students, amp up the fun factor. Blow up a balloon, gather in a circle and see how many times students can bounce the balloon without it touching the ground. If that’s too easy, make a rule that they can’t use their hands. Set a lofty goal and if the class reaches it within five minutes, everyone wins a prize—perhaps a jellyfish yo-yo or push-pop toy.

Word games

Challenge the class to solve a simple word puzzle like the popular Wordle^® game. Choose a relevant word from a recent lesson or current event and use any number of custom Wordle creators opens in new window to set up the puzzle. Share with each student and allow a few minutes to solve. If students play each day, they can compete to see who can maintain the longest solve streak.

Do nothing

Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. Encourage students to sit quietly and enjoy a few minutes of stillness. Maybe dim the lights and play calm, peaceful music or natural sounds. If a little direction helps, lead a slow breathing exercise or provide a prompt—like a fun memory or favorite place to relax—for students to think about. Or use a chime or gong to focus their attention.

Collaborative class stories

Students in higher grades can break up long periods of focus and get a little brain stimulation through the creation of a class story. Provide a one-sentence prompt in a shared document. Then ask one student to write a sentence that follows the prompt to begin the collaborative exercise. From there, students take turns adding on until everyone has produced a sentence and the story is complete. Read it aloud, have a laugh and move forward refreshed.

Get them ready to meet the next challenge

Offering the opportunity to briefly decompress and refocus can benefit students and educators alike. Whether through physical movement, mindfulness activities, creative work or just a little fun, these ideas can help you set the course to make any day a success.

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