Every teacher recognizes the signs… students start losing their focus and soon no one can concentrate, including you. First, a boy in the back starts tapping out a song on his desk with his pencil. Then two girls start making faces at each other and giggling. And now, a perpetually fidgety student starts a slow, yet relentless slide out of his chair.
It’s a perfect storm… more academic rigor… less recess time. Or perhaps it is time for a test or complex task… We know that students really need to focus, but what you have is a classroom full of potential distractors that can’t seem to settle and concentrate. Students, especially students with a lot of energy, can struggle in these situations.
This is a perfect time to take a brain break! Brain breaks can serve a variety of purposes: to energize, focus or calm students, while also rewarding them and having a little fun. That said, brain breaks aren’t magic. They take preparation, supervision and structure, just like any classroom activity.
Without a proper setup, these activities can lead to additional chaos… Two boys may get too close to each other while dancing and run into each other, a group of girls might start laughing uncontrollably or students may simply have a hard time returning to their classwork after being distracted by a little fun. The good news is if you can predict it, you can plan for it. Just like any class routine or procedure, brain breaks should be:
1. Introduced in advance. This includes the activity’s purpose and benefits.
2. Planned ahead of time. Specifically teach students how brain breaks will be chosen, as well as what will happen if someone can’t handle the brain break.
Use a quick and fair system to select the brain break (e.g., draw a student’s name and give them 5 seconds to pick from 3-5 options or place the choices on popsicle sticks and randomly select one.)
If a student can’t participate in the brain break appropriately, they may be asked to sit down at their desk and wait for others to finish the activity. If and when this happens, remember to talk to that student about the specific behavior that was inappropriate and to teach a replacement skill they can use to be more successful in the future.
3. Practiced ahead of time. And more than once!
4. Space is assessed for the activity. Students should have room to participate in the brain break without touching others. Consider putting tape on the floor to mark a student’s boundaries when needed.
If students are going to move away from their desks, assign the same spots every day. Practice moving to these spots quickly and quietly before your first brain break activity.
5. Specific expectations provided. Like any activity, it is important to clearly explain your expectations before starting the activity. Keep low tolerances, and be consistent in holding students to the expectations you have set.
Taking time out of your busy day to give kids (and yourself) a much-needed break is an excellent way to keep students focused and prepare them for the next activity. Even better is utilizing this time to practice social skills. You’ll not only prevent off-task time with the break, but your students can also practice specific skills to help prevent more problem behaviors.
