Brain breaks are a great classroom management tool to use regularly in your classroom. Brain breaks are short, 1 to 2 minute, activities that can give students a break from school work. Brain breaks give students a chance to get up and move around. Brain breaks can even happen in the middle of a lesson.

I love to use brain breaks as a way to break up the subjects. I had planned brain breaks between each subject I taught. I also used them occasionally during lessons if I noticed students were not engaged.

This is a list of my favorite 16 brain breaks. I wrote the brain breaks on popsicle sticks and kept them in a cup on my desk. Whenever it was time for a brain break, I would take the cup to a student to pick a stick out and that would be the brain break. This was a great way to keep the brain breaks random and always have a brain break when needed. Sometimes I would even rotate out old brainbreaks for different ones. 

This is how I organized my brain breaks. I keep all the brain breaks on sticks. The front is the name of the brain break and the back is a short description.

This is the second list of brain breaks that we have. Click here to read the first article that we wrote with 15 more brain breaks. 

I hope you enjoy this list of my favorite brain breaks!

1. Finger Switch

Directions:

1. Make a fist with both of your hands 
2. Raise arms to shoulder high
3. Do a thumbs up with right hand 
4. Do a pointer finger on left hand 
5. Teacher says “switch”, and students change fingers so the opposite hand is thumbs up and pointer finger on other 
6. Repeat 

Sometimes, I would switch finger selection to make it more challenging. Other times, I have the students hold their hands above their heads. It is fun for students even though they struggle as they try to complete the challenge without mistakes. 

2. Figure 8 Eye Challenge

Directions:

1. Reach both arms straight out in front of body 
2. Interlock fingers, and keep thumbs up
3. Starting in the center of the figure 8, move hands/arms to complete the shape
4. Try to keep eyes on thumbs while keeping your head still 

Another spin to this brain break is to make it a challenge. Watch your students become statues as they try to stay still while watching the figure eight motion. The students can hold a pencil as they make the motion as a little change up.

3. One Foot Balance

This is a really easy and fast brain break but it allows the students to get up and focus on a physical task. 

Directions:

1. Students stand up and balance on one foot for 15 seconds 
2. Switch to the opposite foot 

To make this brain break more of a challenge, add other tasks to the balancing. Such as: eyes closed, high five a partner, tossing item to partner, arm circles, or clapping. 

4. Speed Yoga: Tree Pose 

I love this area of brianbreaks because it can introduce students to yoga! Many of my students start to love it and ask if they can do yoga during indoor recess when the weather is bad. I call this “speed” yoga since we want to keep it short for brain breaks.

Directions: Tree Pose 

1. Stand with feet shoulder width apart 
2. Place most weight on right leng and bend left leg into the calf or ankle of the right leg
3. Hold for 10 seconds 
4. Switch legs and try pose again 

 5. Speed Yoga: Chair Pose 

Directions: Chair Pose

1. Stand tall, with your feet hip width apart.
2. Bend your knees slightly so you are in a squatting position.
3. Raise your hands above your head.
4. Move to standing 
5. Repeat

6. Speed Yoga: Mountain Pose

Directions: Mountain Pose 

1. Stand tall.
2. Keep your legs hip width apart.
3. Place your palms together in front of your body and breath. 
4. Repeat

7. Speed Yoga: Child Pose   

Directions: Child Pose  

1. Kneel on the floor.
2. Touch your big toes together and spread your knees hip width apart.
3. Bring your head down towards the floor while breathing out.
4. Hands can go where they are comfortable.
5. Relax while holding this pose.
6. Repeat 

8. Speed Yoga: Half Moon Pose

Directions: Half Moon Pose 

1. Stand tall, with your feet hip width apart.
2. Bend forward and place your right hand on the ground slightly outside of your right foot.
3. Lift your left leg behind you.
4. Once you feel balanced, lift up your left arm and reach for the sky.
5. Repeat on the other side.

 9. Speed Yoga: Star Pose 

Directions: Star Pose   

1. Stand tall, with your feet hip width apart and start working past hip width 
2. Reach your hands out to the side as far apart as you can.
3. Remember to keep your body nice and tall.
4. Don’t forget to breath!

10. Speed Yoga: Moon Pose 

Directions: Moon Pose  

1. Stand tall.
2. Lift your hands above your head.
3. Breath out and lean towards your right leaning at the hips.
4. Breath in and go back to standing straight.
5. Breath out and lean towards your left leaning at the hips.
6. Breath in and go back to standing straight.

11. 5 x 5

Directions: 

1. Select any physical activity: Chair Squats, Push ups, Wall Push ups, jumping jacks, etc. 
2. Then perform the activity five times in five different spots around the room 

Example: 5 Jumping jacks in 5 different spots in the room 

12. Pencil Jumps 

Directions: 

1. Have students take their pencils and lay them on the floor
2. Make sure students have space to complete the activity 
3. Have students jump backward and forward over the pencil 
4. Then jump side to side over the pencil

You can use other items in the classroom. Some teachers just put masking tape on the floor so the room is ready for this brain break. You can also have students imagine a line if you are not comfortable with them jumping over the pencil. 

13. Leg Raises 

Directions:

1. Have students push chairs back, leg length away from their desks
2. Have students lift their legs and hold for a certain time period
3. Repeat

To make this more of a challenge have students try to balance and hold certain items, like a textbook, while doing the leg raises. 

14. GoNoodle 

Directions:

1. Go to https://www.gonoodle.com
2. Select your brain beak video
3. Enjoy  

This is one of my favorite online resources and can make any classroom a little more active. This is a great way to make indoor recess more active if the weather is bad. 

15. Random Fitness 

Directions:

1. Have student select a number 
2. Look on the back of popsicle stick to get the physical activity option 
3. Assign a number or time period 
4. Get engaged 

Options: 1. Push ups, 2. Jumping Jacks, 3, Plank, 4. Chair Squats, 5. Lunges, 6. Hops, 7. Trip Around the Room 

16. Color Movement  

Directions:

1. Teacher calls out a color and a body part 
2. Students walk and search the room to make the match (their body part needs to touch the color in the room) 
3. Repeat

Options: Red Pinky Finger, White Elbow, Green Foot

I hope you found some brain breaks you can use in your classroom. If you have any other favorites, share them in the comments below for everyone else.

If you want to read our first post with 15 more brain breaks, click here.

I usually keep this cup of brain breaks on my desk. Click here to read about my 7 essentials for an organized teacher desk!

Thank you for Continually Learning with us!

Kyle and Sarah