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Brain Breaks for Kids

Any activity you can use to give children a break from learning can be considered a brain break. A brain break for kids gives them a short rest from learning. It helps handle a long lesson duration and allows children to recharge, refocus, and give their body relaxation. This article is a guide on the best brain breaks for kids to adopt.

What Are Brain Breaks?

A brain break is a short period given to students at various intervals to perform specific classroom instructions. Usually, brain breaks for kids in the classroom can take about five minutes and work best when children are given some physical task to perform.

A tutor can plan a brain break before, during, or immediately after an activity. Kids will be able to refocus as they prepare to get back to learning other things. An example of quick brain breaks for kids after finishing a math lesson is asking students to move from their desk and count the number of steps it will take to get back to their desks. Such exercise is useful before kids transition into another class activity.

Benefits of Brain Breaks

You can implement vigorous and calming brain breaks for kids throughout the day. Students can benefit from such activities in the following ways:

1. Re-energizes and Helps Students to Refocus

After engaging in fun brain breaks for kids, students can learn more effectively. They will have opportunities to reset. Otherwise, after long lesson hours, they will be fatigued and develop stress.

Overload in class can prevent students from grasping new ideas. Therefore, consider giving kids a brain break if you notice they are losing focus in class.

2. Helps Students Cultivate New Social Skills

The entire classroom is usually involved in a brain break game. Therefore, games or instructions help kids interact as they work together in teams.

For instance, during kindergarten brain breaks for kids, you can ask children to form groups. Then, after they hear your signaling instruction, they will line up according to one’s height or in alphabetical order. Such activities help them bond and work together as well as develop social skills.

3. Boost Students’ Activity

Students need to be in constant motion, but in most cases, they are kept sitting all day at their desks without the opportunity to take part in physical activities. Brain break activities could be short, but they help keep students move, for example, dancing and walking can perfectly boost brain activity.

4. Helps in Classroom Management

During a lesson, a teacher can anticipate when students are about to start showing negative behavior and avert them. Brain breaks can help in such cases.

When you notice your students are beginning to fidget in their seats, it means their focus has reduced. That is the moment when you can instruct kids to take part in a brain break. They will channel their energy into a productive activity rather than waste it in unproductive ways.

Brain break activities will help dodge the chance of having to stop your lesson to handle students’ bad behavior, like speaking louder with one another and fidgeting.

Brain Break for Students at Home

Parents who homeschool their children or just spend much time with kids at home during holidays should also remember about brain breaks.

You can keep kids busy during the long Christmas holiday with some Christmas brain breaks for kids:

• Reindeer Wiggle
• Reindeer Leaps
• Santa on the Roof
• Snowstorm
• Walkthrough the snow
• Santa Games

The following virtual brain breaks for kids can be suitable during distance learning or in the classroom to energize kids:

• Dance break
• Math’s brain break
• Virtual scavenger hunts
• Movement brain breaks

You can also incorporate some appropriate Halloween brain breaks for kids, like the Halloween Freeze Dance and Monster Moves by Koo Koo Kanga Roo.

Indoor Brain Breaks

When you plan to involve kids in indoor brain break game activities, ensure that they have enough space to enjoy free movement.

1. Shadow Box

The shadow box is an indoor activity for kids who love boxing and martial arts. They can practice cross jabs, jabs, uppercuts, and hooks. Those who love kicks can try sidekicks, roundhouse kicks, and front kicks.

2. Treasure Hunting

Another tremendous indoor brain break activity involves kids in a treasure hunt mission. For example, you can ask your kids to go and find something that produces music and bring it to you.

3. Hold a Mini Dance Party

You can organize a fun moment where your kids will participate in a dance party. Pick some danceable songs and encourage children to rock out. Additionally, you can organize a karaoke to compete in singing. Such activities are also perfect March brain breaks for kids as you wait for announcements to begin at school to get kids attention.

4. Organize a Balance Test

Children can be encouraged to take part in a balance test. You can use plastic or paper plates in this game and let competing kids balance them as they walk with them on their heads.

You can make the task trickier by adding something on the plate like a ping pong ball, small beanbag, or green beans.

5. Try Jumping Jack

You can challenge your kids to try different jumps like jumping rope or high knees. Let them count the number of jumps they can do in a minute. Please encourage them to beat the previous jump record when they take another jump. Kids can also try doing jumps using classic jump rope rhymes.

Outdoor Brain Breaks

When the weather is conducive, you can take kids to enjoy a change of scenery after sitting in class for a long time. Please encourage them to take part in games that can charge them and enhance the blood flow to their brain. These games include:

1. Hopscotch Games

This is an excellent outdoor brain game that involves physical movement, which will enable kids to get charged. It helps enhance blood flow to the entire body and brain.

2. Jumping Ropes

Physical activity can benefit everyone, from children to adults. When you encourage kids to skip with ropes, it will help them discard most of the energy within their bodies in various ways. Rope skipping also stimulates kids and helps them to relax and get a recharge.

3. Swinging

Everyone enjoys swinging. It is a perfect outdoor brain break activity that helps children enjoy fresh air as they enjoy nature. Thus, students will be calm and relaxed. Swinging is an exquisite choice to give small kids a break from classwork.

4. Skating

Skating is an admirable physical outdoor brain game activity that kids find fun. It is also suitable for kids at home who take part in online classes to take some breaks.

In winter, parents can use skating as brain breaks for kids at home. Allow them to skate around the neighborhood for a few rounds. They will inhale fresh air and come back recharged before their following lessons.

5. Exploring Nature

Taking kids for a nature walk is one of the best free brain breaks for kids that have a calming effect for young minds. Therefore, you can encourage your kids to take short walks across gardens or lawns. The experience can produce a soothing effect on  minds and improve kids’ mental state.

6. Yoga

Yoga is another adequate activity that helps kids relax with various stretches. Yoga also improves blood flow to their brain and keeps children energized.

Conclusion

When you encourage kids to participate in appropriate brain breaks for kids, they are able to channel their attention to processes that will calm their minds and distract them from negative thoughts experienced throughout the day. Thus, kids can have a clear mind for learning and grasping new ideas.

Depending on the type of brain break and the activity you plan to use, please structure and schedule them to fit the kid’s age and aptitudes. This way, children will enjoy the benefits of brain breaks.