Brain Breaks Teaching Resources
Do you need new brain break ideas and activities for your elementary classroom? Welcome to brain break central at Teach Starter!
This collection of teacher-created brain break activities and printables for kindergarten through middle school includes active games to get students up and out of their chairs, would you rather brain breaks, whole class escape games, creativity challenges and a whole lot more.
New to brain breaks? Take a peek at a primer from the teachers on the Teach Starter team!
What Is a Brain Break?
Not sure what qualifies as a brain break? A brain break is a short mental break incorporated into classroom instruction to provide literally what the name implies — a break for that hard-working brain.
Brain breaks can be done in the middle of a lesson or during a transition from one lesson to another, and the goal is to help the brain refocus so students can dive back into learning refreshed and ready to absorb the material.
Most brain breaks only last a few minutes. They're a break, after all! Teachers can add as many or as few of these breaks into the school day as necessary. Younger children such as a classroom full of kindergartners may require more brain breaks than older kids in middle or high school.
Why Are Brain Breaks Important?
Wondering how brain breaks help students? There is plenty of research on brain breaks for kids, and it all points to the importance of taking short breaks to help students succeed in the classroom.
For example, studies show that elementary students often lose focus and become inattentive during lessons that drag on. Something as simple as a brain break in the middle of a lesson, however, gives students the redirection they need to get back on the attention train and absorb the information.
Brain breaks are also helpful in reducing student stress and increasing overall productivity, with research showing that students get a boost in their reading comprehension and divergent thinking skills when they get breaks in the school day.
How Often Should You Use Brain Breaks?
Frequency — and length — of brain breaks for your students will vary depending on the age and abilities of your students.
You know your students best, and you'll be best able to tell when they need a break. But if you're looking for a good rule of thumb for elementary school, consider adding a break for students at least every 15 to 20 minutes for students to refocus their attention.
The later in the school day, the more important experts say it becomes for you to incorporate these breaks. One study by Danish experts even deduced that the impact of just an hour of learning without a break is equivalent to losing 10 school days’ worth of learning!
Fun Brain Breaks Students Love (And So Do Teachers)
Looking for fun brain breaks to get you started with this collection? Our teacher team designed every break in this resource collection to be fun, but here are a few favorites to add to the list!
- Hand Hockey — Have students stand in a circle with their feet touching, leaving a space on either side of the circle for goals. Toss a soft ball in the center, and tell your students they can only use their non-dominant hand to try to score a goal.
- Rock, Paper, Scissors — Take the popular rock, paper, scissors game up a notch with different versions. For example, you can challenge students to play using only their feet!
- Silent Ball — Challenge students to throw a ball around a circle for 5 minutes without making a sound.
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30 Mindful Drawing Tasks — Meditation Drawing for Kids
30 mindfulness drawing tasks to promote calm in your classroom.
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Mindful Breathing Exercises – Task Cards
Use these mindfulness breathing exercises to help students calm themselves down when they are feeling upset or anxious.
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100 Action Verbs
Practice counting to 100 by 1’s and 10’s with this set of 24 action cards that get students moving, reading, and writing.
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Brain Break Activity Cards
Give your students a quick brain break with this set of 19 whole-class brain break activity cards.
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Active Games Brain Break Pack - Lower Grades
Boost brain break engagement with this active games pack, designed to help teachers quickly re-energize students.
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Animal Movement Cards - Ocean Animals
Get your students up and moving with this set of 12 ocean-themed animal movement cards.
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5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation Activity Task Cards for Kids
Bring 5-minute mindfulness meditation into the classroom and your social and emotional learning with these 17 printable activity cards for kids.
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Icebreaker Game Cards
Help your students get to know each other with this set of 20 icebreaker games.
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Flower and Candle Breathing Video
Teach your students flower and candle breathing as a brain break, stress management strategy or mindfulness activity.
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Flower Breathing Video for Kids
Teach students to cope with stress with a flower breathing video created to use with kids in the classroom.
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Rainbow Breathing for Kids Video
Add deep rainbow breathing to your classroom routines with a kid-friendly mindfulness video created for elementary & middle school teachers.
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Guided Meditation for Students Video – 10-Minute Body Scan
Add guided meditation for students to your social emotional learning toolkit with a handy video that guides kids through a 10-minute body scan.
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Mindful Breathing Video for Kids
Use this calming, square-breathing exercise video to introduce your students to mindfulness in the classroom.