Kindergarten
Room 4
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What are Brain Breaks!?
Everyone needs a brain break occasionally, especially little learners who have been working hard all day! Most teachers can sense when their class is getting antsy, but what they do about it can make all the difference! Brain breaks can be used before, during, or after a lesson. The key idea to a brain break is to wake up students to keep them focused. Often, I will use a brain break after giving direct instructions to my class while we are still at the carpet or seats. For example, if I’ve just taught a math lesson, I might ask my kids to count how many steps it takes them to reach their seats. Now they have a task to perform while they are transitioning. The majority of students will be so focused on counting their steps that they have little time for chitchat! I also have the students always repeat everything I say or have a funny answer to a question I have: this eliminates, behavior issues, talking, and becoming distracted in between lessons. Our breaks can be small motor-type exercises with simple hand movements or large motor exercises that involve lots of moving. My students love to dance, so any break that involves getting up and moving is their favorite! For me, I need my brain breaks to be quick, meaningful, and easy. We also participate in GONOODLE.com " |