The Benefits of Using Brain Breaks in Elementary

As teachers, we know the importance of giving our students breaks throughout the day to give them a chance to get re-energized and increase engagement in learning. But how do you do it? Brain break activities for elementary are a great way to give students a break from using their noggin and a chance to let loose for a minute or a few. 

Especially when it comes to elementary students, sometimes they just need to take a break and get all those wiggles out! Brain breaks for the classroom can be used to raise or lower the energy of your students. 

brain breaks

Are brain breaks good for students? 

Of course! They help students reduce stress levels, frustration, and restlessness. By taking a minute to just relax and have a little fun, their prefrontal cortex gets a break and their focus will be improved when they resume their regularly scheduled learning activities. It increases executive function, alertness, and motivation to do well with their lessons. 

What are good brain breaks for kids? 

If you’re looking for brain break activities for your students to do, you’re in the right place. There are so many things you can do to help students decompress during the school day. You can take a minute to get a little physical movement in like stretching, jumping, or even a short dance party! Alternatively, you could do some simple games like Simon Says or even Heads Up Seven Up. It could even be as simple as pulling out some coloring pages and crayons. 

If you want some brain break activities that go above and beyond, you’ll love my brain break resource. 

brain breaks

This is my favorite collection of 48 different Brain Breaks. These task cards can be used as transitions, breaks during an activity, something to raise or lower the energy of the group, team-building activities, and so much more!

What’s included?

• 48 Printable Task Cards in Black and White (4 per page) PDF

• 48 Printable Task Cards in Color (4 per page) PDF

• 48 Printable 8×10 Cards in Color (1 per page) PDF

• 48 GOOGLE SLIDES in Color for Digital Displays or Sharing at a Distance

• 2 Editable Slides to Create Your Own Brain Breaks (Google link digital option provided in the PDF)

Place these on a ring, popsicle sticks, or in a crayon box for easy storage! Use the Google Slides in presentation mode to randomly pick a brain break.

These simple activities require little to no prep, take about 1- 3 minutes to play, and get oxygen flowing to students’ brains to help them better retain information. 

Check it out here! 

What are your favorite brain breaks to use in your elementary classroom? Let me know in the comments! 
For more classroom management tips, check out this engaging classroom management system!

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