As a middle school teacher I stopped short when I saw the blog post about brain breaks/indoor recess. I’m thinking, we only have 60 minutes….we don’t have time for brain breaks! But I did a little research and I’ve actually seen some things that are applicable to me. As I was looking I thought, “This is a great way to keep students motivated, so I’m linking this post with my friend Joanne over a Head Over Heels for Teaching for her “Spark Student Motivation Saturday” party!
During standardized testing, we take brain breaks about every thirty minutes….we stretch, wiggle, roll our necks, etc.
The Happy Teacher has a great blog post about it. Students pull these ultra cute craft sticks from a mug when it’s time for a brain break. If you’re interested, click here to read more about it.
Courtesy of The Happy Teacher
In 60 minutes we have about 3 different changes. I’m going to implement a brain break during those transitions. I love to dance, so I think my brain breaks will involve a couple of line dancing songs…..Cha Cha Slide, Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, etc.
I’ll let you know how it goes…..
Until the next time,
Check out gonoodle.com for brain breaks. 5 minute exercises, anywhere from deep breathing to sprinting. Kids love it 🙂
Thanks for this link. It looks like a lot of fun!
Looks great! Thanks for sharing!
Brain breaks are fun for students and for the teacher! 🙂 Especially if you start dancing! Your kids will love it! I like a 1 minute dance party in between our reading and writing block-gives everyone a chance to get the wiggles out of their system! Have you every done Just Dance? Look on YouTube-you don’t have to have the Wii to play and you will be a hero! Thanks for sharing-I can’t wait to see how it goes for you!
Joanne
Head Over Heels For Teaching
Thanks for the Just Dance idea! I love to play it at home and I bring my Wii to school on days we have celebrations.
I really need to start using brain breaks! I keep saying I will, but I get caught up in the idea that I don’t have time. This will be my goal this week- at least one brain break per day.
That’s exactly how I feel! With 60 minutes, I always feel pressed for time! But I’m gonna stick to it. Let me know how it goes for you….I can’t wait to hear!
I used brain breaks from gonoodle.com three times this week. It was a lot of fun and worth the time! I definitely had more class participation after getting students moving. No more dead stares!
That’s great! I used them last week with just music. I really could tell a difference in the energy with the students as we transition to our next activity. They were asking for it on just the second day. 🙂