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Fun Songs for Movement and Brain Breaks 

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Fun Songs for Movement and Brain Breaks 

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Watch Susan Roser in action as she demonstrates how to energize a classroom!

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You are here: Home / Charts / Printable Reward Charts {Boy & Girl} $0.00 Free Printable Reward Charts for Boys & Girls PERSONAL USE ONLY - © Diana Miller - The Girl Creative No physical product will be sent to you. Files will be immediately available for download upon completion of checkout.

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The Responsive Classroom approach to teaching emphasizes academic, social, and emotional growth in a strong school community. K-8

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Rules for Breaks and Making Time for Activity 

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Rules for Breaks and Making Time for Activity 

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With a new school year beginning, many students are expected to rapidly transition from months full of activity and movement to a classroom that relies-primarily-on stasis. This can be a problem, especially when considering that the persistent demand for teachers to do more with their students has, unfortunately, pushed schools into thinking that movement and free play are just wasted time.

But studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain, making activity vital to both learning and physical and neurological health.

The problem is that there aren't enough hands. Many educators know how important movement is, but don't have the classroom support to safely handle active children throughout the day.

Fortunately, teachers can take advantage of several opportunities to keep children active during the school day-without needing additional help to keep things under control.

Why Sitting Shouldn't Be the Standard

Sitting still and being quiet have always been schoolhouse rules. In recent years, the mantra has gained more steam with worries that today's children lack focus or aren't grounded enough in what has been dubbed an age of distraction. A 2011 study by researchers at Duke University found that a student's capacity to concentrate is one of the best predictors of success. The researchers studied more than 1,000 children in New Zealand over a period of eight years to track their ability to pay attention, then followed up with them as adults to measure their health and financial stability. Those with more self-control were less likely to have difficulty with money or health problems.

Given the endless media streams from devices like smartphones, iPads, and iPods, it's no surprise that children today seem less focused than kids 30 years ago. But tying them down is not the solution. Over the past few decades, the time schools have dedicated to physical education and recess has steadily decreased. Yet experts agree that children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. With this in mind, savvy teachers are increasingly making physical activity an important part of their lesson plans.

Play and movement give kids the chance to release stress and take breaks from the rigor of schoolwork. While it's important for children to learn how to work while sitting still, we also need to realize when our bodies are telling us to take a break-even as adults.

I learned the necessity of movement for myself in my college years. I retained a lot from sitting and focusing for two hours, but gained much less if forced to sit for five hours at a stretch. This knowledge has translated to my own work as a school-based physical therapist. I now help children and adolescents (and their parents) access specific strategies that can lead them to a more productive lifestyle.

Making Time for Activity

Discipline and order in classrooms help shape children's habits and rules of behavior early on in their lives-and these needs are not very different from what we need as adults. At work, you may hear co-workers say, "I'm going outside to get some fresh air for a few minutes" or "I need to take a walk to clear my head."

A quick 15-minute break helps adults tackle the rest of their day, and the same is true for children. More importantly, physical engagement helps children build the foundations of their social skills, particularly for children who are naturally shy or have difficulty with certain developmental areas. Kids can learn empathy by sharing, and build self-esteem and leadership skills by strategizing and working as part of a team.

Daily activity also helps boost balance, motor function, brain function, and cognition. According to a growing body of research, movement increases blood and oxygen flow, which positively affects cognitive development, physical health, and mental well-being.

I have supported teachers by teaching them how to use media in the classroom for breaks. YouTube is a great resource for finding videos to guide movement breaks and exercises. Teachers can also allow for free dance or movement periods during their classes.

Here are a few other ways teachers can seize opportunities that allow children to be more active:

1. Set ground rules for play.

Inviting children to move around more in the classroom can feel like inviting pandemonium. But as with all new strategies, the key is to set ground rules so children know what to expect. Before inviting them to move about, explain the purpose of an exercise that requires physical activity. Plan lessons and activities-even non-educational ones like jumping jacks-beforehand with clear objectives, time limits, and a backup plan in case the activity doesn't go as expected.

2. Make learning activities more active.

Create gallery walks in which children must travel around the room to observe visual aids for different parts of a lesson. Have children form groups to discuss and answer lesson questions, then have them write their answers on the board. Play board games tied to the current lesson and include spaces that call for students to do push-ups or jumping jacks. Making children carry their assignments to your desk, rather than passing them forward, can also introduce more movement into their day.

3. Encourage periodic breaks.

Midmorning snacks are an important way for adults to hold their hunger in check until lunch, and kids should have the same opportunity. Hunger can be one of the biggest distractions to learning, and offering snacks can also be a physical activity. Line up juice and snacks on a table at one end of the room, and have children take their refreshments back to their desks or to another designated area for some variety.

4. Take midday walks.

Taking a quick walk outside can do wonders to help lift the fog from a child's brain. If possible, plan lessons that can occur outside, or incorporate a 10- to 15-minute window around noon for the class to take a walk around campus. Walking offers fresh air and is one of the simplest and most effective forms of everyday physical activity.

There's a long way to go before incorporating physical activity into general lesson plans becomes the norm. In my practice, therapeutic play that emphasizes physical activity is paramount for children to acquire important cognitive and physical skills. When kids are moving, they're having more fun, often making lessons feel less like work.

However, we can't just state that activity is good for learning; we also have to prove it by tracking the performance and development of children who are more active. Once we begin to measure these effects, we can better understand how to implement activities into the broader educational system and better gauge which ones will give children the greatest health and learning benefits.

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Learning in Motion: Bring Movement Back to the Classroom (Opinion)

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With a new school year beginning, many students are expected to rapidly transition from months full of activity and movement to a classroom that relies-primarily-on stasis. This can be a problem, especially when considering that the persistent demand for teachers to do more with their students has, unfortunately, pushed schools into thinking that movement and free play are just wasted time.

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The Importance of Brain Breaks - supportREALteachers.org

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Adolescence is a time of rapid change and growth. The brain undergoes major reorganization and bodies start to mature. Middle school students develop an awareness of and respect for other people's points of view, feelings, and rights as their moral and ethical reasoning abilities increase. At the same time, the flood of hormones that intensifies adolescents' moods and everyday experiences can make it hard for them to control impulses and make good decisions. Because of this rapid growth, students need frequent physical and mental breaks so they can continue functioning at high levels academically and socially. Brain breaks are an effective way to provide these breaks.

Brain breaks are quick, whole-class activities that give students opportunities to pause, move, and interact in safe, structured ways. For example, students can stand up and stretch while listening to an inspiring or calming reading to help them refocus. Or, they can act out different characters, places, or objects to help them recharge their energy. What's best, brain breaks only take a few minutes at most yet quickly get students back on task.

"Since using brain breaks with young adolescents, I have witnessed an increase in positive community. Proactively, these brain breaks have helped keep students engaged in our rigorous academics. They have also been effective in supporting students when misbehavior occurs. Responsive Classroom 's brain breaks will help me continue supporting my students' academic and social-emotional learning."

Supporting Adolescent Development

Brain breaks help students develop the social-emotional skills they need to master rigorous academics in the intensely social context of middle school. Students' cognitive abilities strengthen as they form mental pictures, make quick decisions, or follow motion or word patterns. And every brain break involves movement, which stimulates brain cells in ways that further promote learning. Movement also helps students release excess energy and ease physical tension. By combining safe movement with purposeful social interactions, brain breaks support students during this time of rapid adolescent development.

Benefiting Students and Teachers

Brain breaks can enrich the classroom community and students' learning. For example, students take positive risks as they learn and do these brain breaks, so you'll likely see them start to take more academic risks, too. And with a strong classroom community component, these easy-to-manage activities also help students build the skills needed for positive relationships with their peers and teachers. Here are some more benefits brain breaks have to offer.
Brain breaks help students:

Improve their cognitive skills as they complete successive rounds or come up with variations of an activity

Discover that abilities are not fixed but rather grow with effort as they surpass personal achievements

Develop perseverance as they build on their ability to keep working hard when facing academic and social challenges

Strengthen social-emotional growth as they practice skills such as cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control

Brain breaks help teachers:

Manage the classroom more effectively by reducing off-task behaviors and wandering minds

Build and maintain a positive classroom community by enabling safe, productive student-to-student and student-to-teacher interactions

Maintain a productive learning environment by providing ways to keep students engaged with the content you teach

Adaptable to Student and Classroom Needs

Brain breaks are versatile, so they can be done anywhere at any time of day. You might choose a recharging brain break when students' energies are low-such as before a content-packed lesson or during the last period of the day. And you might use a refocusing brain break when energies are high-such as after music class or before a big test. To see an example of each type, check out Mellow Echo (refocusing) and Never-Ending Word (recharging).

You can also choose and adapt brain breaks to fit student needs. At the beginning of the year, you might choose a "getting to know you" brain break as a low-key way to build positive student-to-student relationships. Then once students are more familiar and comfortable with each other, you can move on to a more interactive brain break that requires students to take greater academic and social-emotional risks. In addition, the flexibility of brain breaks means you can adapt them to:

Make the best use of your classroom space

Incorporate academic or social content

Accommodate students' energy levels

Eliminate or add a chant, song, or motion

End with an enthusiastic cheer or a few calming breaths

With just a small initial investment of time to choose and integrate brain breaks into your classroom routines, you'll see how these quick, easy activities help increase student alertness and productivity. The more you use brain breaks purposefully, the more opportunities you'll have to refocus and recharge students-and yourself!

"My students absolutely love The Fidget Family. They love the movement. They love listening and responding. They love seeing each other pop up and down from their seats. But, what they really love most is to challenge me to read it faster, faster, faster! They think they're challenging me when, in fact, they're raising the bar of challenges for themselves. While this brain break is full of laughter and movement, it always provides an excellent opportunity for students to release tension and refocus."

Joe Tilley
Special Education Teacher for 5th and 6th Grades
Metro Nashville Public Schools, TN

Refocus and Recharge! 50 Brain Breaks for Middle Schoolers

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Time for a Brain Break! | Responsive Classroom

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Adolescence is a time of rapid change and growth. The brain undergoes major reorganization and bodies start to mature. Middle school students develop an awareness of and respect for other people's points of view, feelings, and rights as their moral and ethical reasoning abilities increase.

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Learn about the science and classroom applicability of these quick learning activities.

© Shutterstock.com/CWA Studios

Early in my teaching career, I was disturbed by a note left by the substitute teacher. She wrote that during the three days she was with my students, they were responsive during the first part of class, but that many of them became inattentive, distracted, and even disruptive after about 20 minutes of her instruction. When I asked the students what had happened, they were of one voice: "She didn't give us our brain breaks."

What Are Brain Breaks?

For students to learn at their highest potential, their brains need to send signals efficiently from the sensory receptors (what they hear, see, touch, read, imagine, and experience) to memory storage regions of the brain. The most detrimental disruptions to traffic along these information pathways are stress and overload.

Brain breaks are planned learning activity shifts that mobilize different networks of the brain. These shifts allow those regions that are blocked by stress or high-intensity work to revitalize. Brain breaks, by switching activity to different brain networks, allow the resting pathways to restore their calm focus and foster optimal mood, attention, and memory.

The Neuroscience of Brain Breaks

For new information to become memory, it must pass through an emotional filter called the amygdala and then reach the prefrontal cortex. When students' brains become anxious, highly confused, or overwhelmed, the activation of the amygdala surges until this filter becomes a stop sign. New learning no longer passes through to reach the prefrontal cortex and sustain memory. Even if students are not stressed by the pace or content of new learning, a point arises when the amygdala exceeds its capacity for efficient conduction of information through its networks into memory.

Brain breaks can be planned to restore the emotional state needed to return the amygdala from overdrive into the optimal state for successful information flow.

Brain Breaks Restore Brain Supplies

Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that carry messages from one nerve cell to the next, across gaps between the cells called synapses. These message carriers are necessary to keep one's calm, focused attention and maintenance of a new memory. Neurotransmitters are in limited supply at each synapse and can deplete after as little as 10 minutes of continuing the same type of learning activity (attentive listening, practice drills, note-taking).

Brain breaks, by switching the type of mental activity, shift brain communication to networks with fresh supplies of neurotransmitters. This intermission allows the brain's chemicals to replenish within the resting network.

Timing

Brain breaks should take place before fatigue, boredom, distraction, and inattention set in. Depending on students' ages and focus development, brain break frequency will vary. As a general rule, concentrated study of 10 to 15 minutes for elementary school and 20 to 30 minutes for middle and high school students calls for a three- to five-minute break.

Brain Break Strategies

Brain breaks do not require disruption in the flow of learning. Simply stretching, moving to a different part of the room, or singing a song can revitalize the brain. Use your learning goals and students' responses to guide you in selecting the best type of brain break. You might decide to use the time to boost mood or motivation, as well as restore the brain's peak performance.

Mood

To restore the emotional state needed to bring the amygdala back from overdrive, help students build habits of emotional self-awareness and mindfulness. Prepare them for successful self-calming brain breaks by demonstrating and providing practice times as they build experience using mindful breathing or visualizations.

Read aloud from a relevant and engaging book.

Introduce physical activity such as jumping rope, singing a song with movements, or tossing a beach ball while students ask and answer questions to review the topic-these are all great dopamine boosters. They also increase the blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain.

Have students move in ways that they think a character in literature or person in history would at a designated event. Or move to imitate a biological, physical, or mathematical process.

Neuroscience has yielded information on activities that increase restorative neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Some of these activities, such as laughing, moving, listening to music, and interacting with peers, make great mood-boosting brain breaks:

Motivation

Tell a true anecdote about the author, historical persona, or scientist when they were the same age as your students. This will personalize the topic and boost interest and engagement.

Use dopamine boosts from personal connections and personal relevance by inviting students to share with partners something about how the learning relates to their lives or interests.

Especially when topics of study are necessary foundations but are not of high personal relevance to students, brain breaks can enhance their motivation to attend to a potentially tedious subject.

After just a few minutes, students' refreshed brains are ready to return to the next learning activity with a subdued amygdala and full supply of neurotransmitters. Both they and you will reap the benefits of this restoration.

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Using Brain Breaks to Restore Students' Focus

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Learn about the science and classroom applicability of these quick learning activities.

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Students are easily distracted, but regular, short breaks can help them focus, increase their productivity, and reduce their stress.

©Shutterstock.com/Rawpixel.com

Regular breaks throughout the school day-from short brain breaks in the classroom to the longer break of recess-are not simply downtime for students. Such breaks increase their productivity and provide them with opportunities to develop creativity and social skills.

Students, particularly young ones, often struggle with staying focused for long periods of time. In a 2016 study, psychologist Karrie Godwin and a team of researchers measured how attentive elementary students were during class, and discovered that they spent over a quarter of the time distracted, unable to focus on the teacher or the current task. Shorter lessons, however, kept student attention high: Teachers found it more effective to give several 10-minute lessons instead of fewer 30-minute ones.

And there are more benefits to downtime than increased attention: It decreases stress, increases productivity, boosts brain function, and provides opportunities for children to learn social skills.

Reducing Stress, Increasing Productivity

Recent research shows that our brains aren't idle when we take breaks-they're hard at work processing memories and helping us make sense of what we experience. In a groundbreaking 2012 study, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and her colleagues at USC and MIT used an fMRI scanner to examine neural activity during the brain's "default mode"-a state of rest that's usually associated with taking a break or letting our minds wander. In this state, the brain is still highly active, with a different set of regions lighting up than when we're focused on the outside world.

Further experiments showed that this default mode is crucial for consolidating memories, reflecting on past experiences, and planning for the future-in other words, it helps shape how we make sense of our lives. Breaks keep our brains healthy and play a key role in cognitive abilities such as reading comprehension and divergent thinking (the ability to generate and make sense of novel ideas). "Rest is indeed not idleness, nor is it a wasted opportunity for productivity," Immordino-Yang and her colleagues write.

So breaks are an essential part of learning. But the benefits extend beyond the psychological well-being of students. Particularly for younger students, regular breaks throughout the school day can be an effective way to reduce disruptive behavior. In a series of recent studies, short physical activity breaks in the classroom improved students' behavior, increasing the effort they put into their activities as well as their ability to stay on task.

Both students and teachers benefit from using unstructured breaks to reduce stress. According to the American Psychological Association, stress can have serious health consequences, increasing someone's chances of serious conditions such as heart disease and depression. The APA recommends frequent breaks, in addition to other activities such as exercise and mediation.

Boosting Brain Function

Exercise breaks-whether short activities in the classroom or recess-help promote physical fitness, which in turn boosts brain health. In 2013, the National Academy of Medicine (then called the Institute of Medicine) published a major report on the benefits of physical activity on children's cognitive development and academic success.

At the time, less than half of U.S. students were meeting the federal guideline of 60 minutes of daily exercise. Bringing together experts across a range of fields, the report made the case for why regular exercise crucially belongs in schools: It not only provides physical health benefits to students but also enhances their cognitive functioning, leading to higher academic performance.

How does exercise improve learning? Engaging in physical activity increases blood flow and oxygenation in the brain, boosting neural connectivity and stimulating nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, the center of learning and memory. So exercise actually changes the structure of our brains, with a number of benefits: improved attention and memory, increased brain activity and cognitive function, and enhanced mood and ability to cope with stress.

Decades of research show that physically active children consistently outperform their inactive peers academically on both a short- and long-term basis.

Developing Social Skills

Longer breaks-such as recess or playtime-provide opportunities for children to learn important life skills. Research shows that when children play together, they learn how to take turns, resolve conflicts, and solve problems. They also learn how to manage their own emotions and behavior-fundamental skills for life. So dropping recess is a mistake, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics: Recess is a "crucial and necessary component of a child's development," and sacrificing it for more academics is counterproductive.

Unstructured playtime provides an opportunity for imaginary and creative play and allows children to practice divergent thinking. They benefit from the freedom to explore new ideas without fear of failure or the stress of grades, and regular exposure to new experiences can also increase their cognitive flexibility, preparing them for academic challenges.

Incorporating Breaks in Your Classroom

Several breaks throughout the day can help students stay focused:

While breaks can help reset student focus, a useful alternative-especially for older students-is to switch teaching strategies throughout a lesson: Try having students team up on a think-pair-share activity or work in groups, spend a few minutes reviewing concepts, or give a low-stakes practice test at the end of a lesson. These activities can help break up the monotony of a long lesson, and as a bonus, boost students' memory.

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Students are easily distracted, but regular, short breaks can help them focus, increase their productivity, and reduce their stress.

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While giving the January spelling assessment, I paused to look around the classroom and here's what I saw: Sara was yawning. Ben held his head in his hands. Julie's head was down on her paper, and Justin was tapping his pencil while jiggling his feet under his chair. It was not a picture of first graders doing their best to "show what they know" about all they'd learned in spelling. I knew I had to stop and do something to get them all back in the groove. Movement breaks to the rescue!

"Pencils down," I announced. "Everyone find an 'Aka Baka Soda Cracker' spot. Remember to show safe and careful jumping. We'll play four rounds. Here we go . . ."

[In this activity, children chant, jump, and make predictions while practicing keeping a steady beat. You can find instructions for "Aka Baka Soda Cracker" in 80 Morning Meeting Ideas for Grades K-2.]

After some jumping, giggling, and a final silent round that allowed them to regain self-control, students returned to their seats. They picked up their pencils with renewed focus. Walking around, I saw that most of them were spelling most of their words accurately. Soon, they finished the assessment.

What are movement breaks?

Movement breaks are brief intervals that enable all students to move their bodies and help teachers to engage learners in physical ways. Chants, poems, even Morning Meeting greetings and activities can be used as movement breaks throughout the day.

How do movement breaks help students?

Like many other teachers, I've found that quick, frequent breaks not only enable students to stay focused on learning-they can even increase learning. By using movement breaks at the right time, I can help students maximize their attention and stay on task. That's why I often lead a rousing game of " Double This Double That " during Writer's Workshop or a quick round of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" during assessments.

How do movement breaks help teachers?

I've found that I also benefit from movement breaks. First, I see the fruits of my labor come to life. For example, a quick game of "Hot or Cold?" allows me to see how successfully my students have come together as a community. In this familiar game, students must work together to achieve one goal: guiding a seeker to find a hidden item. They call out "hot" if the seeker moves toward the item and "cold" if she moves away. Their cheers as they celebrate their collective success validate the time I spend creating a healthy classroom community.

Second, the game allows me to connect with my students on a different level, if only for a minute. We engage in a fun activity as a group. The dynamic of the classroom changes subtly; we smile at each other and share laughter and a silly moment together.

Finally, movement breaks release stress! With high-stakes assessments, new initiatives, and new evaluation systems in place, I know I am more patient, more understanding and more able to be "in the moment" when I get to release some built-up stress from my day.

Movement breaks benefit both you and your students. Using them at the right time helps increase student focus, decrease stress, and create opportunities for community building and fun. Plan to use movement breaks more often this week-and consider trying one during a time in the school day when you haven't before. If you do, leave a comment to let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear from you.

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While giving the January spelling assessment, I paused to look around the classroom and here's what I saw: Sara was yawning. Ben held his head in his hands. Julie's head was down on her paper, and Justin was tapping his pencil while jiggling his feet under his chair.