BRAIN BREAKS

Enable learners to:

Improve concentration.
Use movement to stimulate
neurological pathways and
help both sides of the brain
work together.

Improve co-ordination.

Become calm, alert

and ready for
learning.

Prepare for learning.

Brain breaks are a quick and effective way of changing or focusing the physical and mental state of the
learners in your group. They are also useful tools for students to use in their own revision to help activate,
energize and stimulate their brains. Brain breaks ideally should be interspersed throughout the training
program for full effect. We should get our students up and moving every 25 minutes.

Arm Activation

Stretch one arm above head, grasp elbow of this arm with other arm.
Stretch arm away from head, forward, backward and then towards ear.
Exhale and hold for 8 counts.
Good for handwriting, spelling and writing.
Variations: standing, arm straight ahead, next to hip, behind waist.

All in a Spin
Get group to sit on chairs in a circle with one less chair than size of group
A group member stands in centre & says I am [states their own name] and this
is [pointing to and naming another group member]
The person standing in the middle then swops places with that person who in
turn names another person and swops places with them

Alphabet Edit
Alphabet Edit is a challenge. It is a very useful activity for clearing the
mind of any baggage brought to the classroom that may be getting in the
way of learning. It can be used for practising spelling and for learning the
alphabet:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
L T R R T R L L R T T R L L R T L R T R R T L L L R
Alphabet Edit involves reading the letters of the alphabet (have the alphabet
written around the room with letters L, R or T under each) aloud as a class
or small group whilst completing the accompanying action.

L is a left arm raise

R is a right arm raise
T is both arms together.

A variation would be to say a vocabulary word (that deals with your subject) and
read it a letter at a time. Students then have to to look at the chart and move
their body parts according to the letter under the alphabet letter.
A further variation (and complication) is to accompany the arm raise with
an opposite leg raise! You can make it as fast or as slow as you like or do
the alphabet backwards! Alphabet edit helps hand-eye co-ordination and improve
visual, auditory and kinaesthetic ability.

Brain buttons
Make a U-shape with the thumb and index finger of one hand and place in the
center of your chest just below the collarbone. Gently rub this acupressure point
for 20 to 30 seconds while placing your other hand over the navel. Then change
hands and repeat. Helps with clear thinking, keeping pace while reading,
handwriting, reading and focus. Variations include: Do 8s with nose while holding
points, massage to left and right of navel.

Calf Pump

Place hands on back of chair

Place one leg behind, keep it straight and lean forward.
Lift back heel off floor and put weight on forward leg.
Shift weight to back leg, press heel down and exhale.
Good for listening, reading and writing.

COLOUR CHANT
Look at the chart and say the COLOUR not the word:

YELLOW

BLUE

ORANGE

BLACK

RED

GREEN

PURPLE

YELLOW

RED

ORANGE

GREEN

BLACK

BLUE

RED

PURPLE

GREEN

BLUE

ORANGE

Left Right brain conflict: Your right brain tries to say the colour and your left
brain insists on saying the word.

Cross crawl
From standing, begin to march in time. As you raise your knees touch them with the
opposite elbow. Helps with reading, writing, listening, spelling, memory and
coordination. Variations: hand to opposite knee, slow motion and eyes closed.

Different Directions
Have your students spin their right arm in a forward circle with their arm parallel
to the ground. Now have them take their left hand and make a backward circle
overlapping their right hand. Their hands should overlap each other but never
touch. When they have done this, tell them to start their left hand spinning and
their right hand overlap the left. It is really difficult to do. Most will be able to do
one or the other. You can also have the speeds change.

Double Doodle
Take a large sheet of paper or use a board and chalk to draw large continuous and
overlapping mirrors shapes using both hands at the same time. Begin with large
circles, eights, squares or triangles. Be aware of mirrored movements and move on
to more detailed shapes. Helps connect the left and right sides of the brain and is
very relaxing.

DOUBLE DOODLES / PALM TO PALM

Get students to doodle a shape in the air with one hand.

Then get them to doodle in the air the same shape with both hands.
Then get them to write a word in the air using one then both hands.
Then get them to join hands with a partner, palm to palm.
One student then writes their name in the air using their right hand which
results in their partner writing the name backwards. Partners then swap roles
Then both students write their names simultaneously in the air palm to palm.

Energiser

Sit in chair, head resting on desk, hands flat in front.

Inhale, lift forehead, neck then upper back.
Release, curl head down towards chest, then forehead back on desk.
Good for handwriting and listening,
Variations: In gym class with a mat lying down.

Energy Yawn

Pretend to yawn, close eyes tight and massage face where upper and lower
back molars are.
Make a deep relaxed yawning sound while massaging muscles.
Good for handwriting, writing, reading aloud and public speaking.
Variations: strengthen tongue by spreading over upper palate while doing
yawn.

Executive stretch or elbow flare

Place your hands behind your neck loosely grasped. Keep your head and neck tall.
Squeeze below the shoulder blades and take your elbows back, taking care not to
press on your neck. Hold for five seconds.

Eye relaxation
Look ahead and imagine a clock face. Move your eyes slowly clockwise keeping your
head still, briefly stopping at 3pm, 6pm, 9pm and 12pm. Then reverse, moving your
eyes anticlockwise, stopping briefly at 9pm, 6pm and 3pm and back to 12pm.

Footflex

Sit with ankle resting on opposite knee.

Place finger tips at beginning and end of calf muscle.

Massage muscle and flex foot up and down.

Good for writing and reading.

Figure Eights
Have a book or spiral in your hand.
While bending your knew a little, take the spiral and put it through your legs.
Grab it with the other hand and then push it around the outside your leg and put it
back through your legs. Finish your figure eight. Try to go as fast as you can. Now
switch directions.

Finger Aerobics

Stand up
Lift both hands with four fingers up on each hand.
Move the pointer on one hand and the pinkie on the other.
Now move the tall finger on one hand and the ring finger on the other.
Next move the ring finger on one hand and the tall finger on the other.
Now move the pinkie finger on one hand and the pointer finger on the other.
Keep doing this over and over to make a rippling effect.
This forces both sides of your brain to work together.
Try this for 30-40 seconds.

Get Rid of Extra Energy IN CLASS!

Do your students ever get restless in class? Put a Bouncy Ball in the classroom to
act as a chair for students. What is best is that the students who are always up
and active in the class are the ones who like it. The drawbacks are that they lose
air and sometimes pop.

They do make bouncy ball chairs. This would be a smaller bouncy ball embedded into
actual chairs. This would be an excellent release of energy for a student. Make
sure you have high ceilings.

Gravity glider

Sit down.
Cross feet and bend forward.
Reach out with head down and allow arms to glide.
Exhale while readching forward, inhale while lifting up.
Change legs.
Good for math, reading and thinking.
Variations: with eyes closed, while standing-keep knees unlocked and lower
back flat.

HOBBY QUEST
Student in centre of circle others asks questions to identify a hobby and to find
out more about it.

Hook Ups

One person should

Clap and miss
Thumbs down
Hands together
Scoop the ice cream (like pictured)
The other person should
Point out a finger or thumb for the other person to move (don't touch the finger)
Try pointing to a few fingers before switching roles
This Brain Break crosses the mid-line of your body and helps both sides of your
brain work together.

I AM A VEGETABLE

Get group to sit on chairs in a circle with one less chair than size of group
& give each group member the name of a vegetable - carrot, pea or sprout.
Call out a vegetable name & all group members with that vegetable as a
name have to swop seats.
The member remaining standing calls the next vegetable.
A variation would be to use any vocabulary words (for your subject)
instead of vegetables.

Infinity Sign

(Choir Director)

Make an infinity symbol with your right hand out in front of you. Stop your finger
on the far right side of the infinity sign. Lift your left hand to be at the far left
side of the infinity sign. Now move your hands at the same time and the same pace
in the same direction to continue your infinity sign. Your hands should cross the
middle at the same time. This one seems easy at first. Then you try to do it when
your hands are doing the infinity signs in different directions. WOW that is hard.
This crosses the mid-line and really makes you think.

JIG SAW ACTIVITY

Cut up 6 postcard scenes or pictures

Cut each card into at least 10 pieces
Leave 4 pieces from the same image in each envelope and jumble up
remaining pieces into each envelope ensuring that there are no more or less
than 10 pieces in each envelope
Divide class into groups of 4. Each group has to complete a postcard by
swapping images with other groups
You can use jigsaws if you prefer [e.g. Usborne Jigsaw World Atlas - Brian
Voakes & Colin King ISBN 0 7460 55765 - this has 6 jigsaws of the 6
continents]

Lazy Eights

Extend one arm in front of you with thumb pointing upwards and draw a
figure of eight that has fallen on its side (start with your writing hand)
repeat this 5 times
Now do the same with your non- writing hand
Now attempt this activity using both hands simultaneously
Good for handwriting and reading
Variations include: eyes shut, hum, different sizes, both arms

LONDON BRIDGE

Get group members to repeat exactly what you say but choose a different
location each time.
You need to say I am going across London Bridge to er Norwich.
As each person says the phrase, say yes they can or no they cannot go.
Group members have to identify your criteria for yes & no.
It is whether they included er.

Monkey stretch
Lift your right arm up by your right ear and stretch to the ceiling. Then gently
place your right hand by your left ear, over the top of your head. Repeat on the
left side, by gently stretching your left arm up by your left ear and up towards the
ceiling, then gently place your left hand by your right ear, over the top of your
head.

Names in the air

Use your preferred hand to write out your full name in the air. Use large
movements and try to write your name forwards and backwards. Now use your
other hand to write your name in both directions. Finally write your name with both
hands simultaneously. If you are right-handed start with your hands in the center
and if you are left-handed start at the outside and work in. A variation would be
for the students to write a vocabulary word related to the subject you are
teaching.

Neck Rolls

Allow head to roll slowly from side to side.

Roll head in forward position only.

Breathe deeply.

Roll with eyes closed.

Roll with eyes open.

Good for reading aloud, public speaking and reading.

Variations: move head in small circles, touch pint of tension in head, and do
lazy 8s with nose.

Nose/Ear change

Hold your right ear with your left hand and then hold your nose with your
right hand.

Then switch so that you are holding your left ear with your right hand and
your nose with your left hand.

Try to speed up (without punching yourself).

Numbers, Fruits and Countries Game

Think of a number from 1 to 10.

Multiply the number by 9.

If the number is a two digit number add them together.

Now subtract 5.

Determine which letter in the alphabet corresponds to the last number.

Think of a country that starts with that letter.

Remember the last letter of that Country.

Think of an animal that starts with that letter.

Remember the last letter in the name of the animal.

Think of a fruit that starts with that letter.

Are you thinking of a kangaroo in Denmark eating and orange.

PAIRS INTO FOURS

Pairs find out 3 things about each other:

o FAMILY
o WORK
o FAVOURITE HOLIDAY LOCATION
Each pair joins with another pair. Partner describes 3 things to do with
partner.

Paper Twirling

Take the paper with your palm up in one hand.

Twirl it around your back and catch (don't grab) it with the other.
Twirl (go around and around) as fast as you can.
Switch directions.

Brain Break: Rocks, Paper, Scissors, Math

You can only use the numbers 1,2,3 or 4
You cant use your thumb as a number
You must hold your hand flat
The first person to add the numbers together wins that round.
Have students play the best of 5 rounds.(Variations are that one person is
negative, both are negative, or multiply the numbers).

Rub-A-Dubs
Pat your head and rub your tummy. Swap hands if you are good at it.

Say 21 and Win

Here are the rules

The object is to say 21 and win.

You have the option when it is your turn to say the next consecutive number
or two.

For example. I go first

I say 1

You can say 2 or 23. You say 2.

Then I can say 3 or 34. I say 3 ... 4 and so on until someone says 21 and
wins.

If I start with 12.

You can say 3 or 34

And so on.

The person who says 21 wins. For a change, make the person who says 21 the
loser.

There is a strategy and some kids get it right away.

SITTING AEROBICS

Sitting and running on the spot.

Swimming right hand breast stroke motion, left hand backstroke and then
add one foot doing a swimming kick.

Slap Count

Face each other with your palms up.

Person A should take their right hand and cross over and hit person Bs right
hand and say 1.

Then person A should take their left hand and cross over and hit person Bs
left hand and say 2.

Person B does the same except says 3 and 4.

This repeats until you reach 30.

Variations
Go up by 3s 5s, or any number.
Start at a number and go down by another number (like start at 34 and go down by
3s)
Start at one and double each number
Each person spells their own name or any other vocabulary from class
Make a pattern like the left hand always adds 2 and the right hand always adds 3
Each person spells a word. Both try to figure out the other persons word.

Shoulder shrug
Keep your shoulders back and lift them towards your ears,
breathing in slowly. Tighten the muscles in your shoulders and hold for five
seconds. Breathe out as you drop the shoulders. Repeat three times.

SPLAT
Get group or you to put up a list of key words onto board.
Then get 2 students with plastic splatters [like fly swots] to stand either side
of the board
Then give clues to one of the words or group may like to give clues
First student to splat or cover the word gets a point
First to 5 is the winner
An example of a word list is given below:
GOLDIE HAWN
ROGER MOORE
PINEWOOD STUDIOS
39 STEPS
GEORGE LAZENBY
CASINO ROYALE
KATE BECKINSALE
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
PETER SELLERS
KATE WINSLET
STEVEN SPIELBERG
PEARL HARBOUR
CATHERINE ZETA JONES
GEORGE LUCAS

TITANIC
CLINT EASTWOOD
Q
STEVE MARTIN
CARRIE FISHER
M
HELEN MIRREN

TEARING OFF A STRIP

Make a list of 21 key words to do with topic

Give each student a narrow strip of paper and get them to fold into 8 boxes.
Then get students to select & write one word in each box
You then call them out words from list randomly and students tear off word
if it is at top or bottom of their list
First student to have torn of each word is winner
Then get students in pairs and get them to stand back to back
In turn they should write the word using finger tip only on partners back. As
soon as partner identifies the word they then swap roles. This goes on until
all 16 words [8 each] have been identified.
First group to finish wins.

RIA
ESTUARY
CLIFF BAY
BEACH
RAISED BEACH
GROYNE
CURRENT

SPIT
TOMBOLA
LONGSHIRE
EADLAND
CAVE
WAVE
PEBBLES

CONFLUENCE
LBP
DRIFT
CUSP
NOTCH
BAR
TIDE

The Elephant
Place the left ear on the left shoulder, extend the left arm like the trunk of an
elephant and with knees relaxed, use your outstretched hand to draw a lying down
eight sign, starting from the middle and moving the hand upwards to draw the left
bulge of the eight first. Look down your arm at your hand while youre doing it.
Switch after three to five signs. Helps with hand-eye coordination and focus.

THE GRAVITY GLIDER

Standing up cross your legs and relax.

Then let your head & arms hang down.
Then commence a swinging motion with your head between both arms, winging to
the left and right like a pendulum.
After 3 swings stand upright and cross your legs the other way and repeat the
process.

The Wave
This activity is just what you think it is. It is creating a wave of some sort through
your class. Designate a person to be the leader. Have a student stand up and take
both hands from one side of their body, over their head to the other side of their
body to create the "Wave". This is one part of the wave. Each student will continue
to do this until all have "Waved". The leader must make sure everyone knows the
order. The leader should start the "Wave" as well as direct it. Tell the class that
they will need to work together to pass your (the teacher's) satisfaction.
It works on all the elements that we like in a Brain Break:
Crossing the mid-line, standing up, teamwork, and of course movement.

The Owl

Squeeze one shoulder to release neck and muscles.

Move head slowly to left then right.

Repeat with other shoulder.

Good for spelling, listening, reading aloud and public speaking.

Variations: blinking lightly while turning head, adding a breathing cycle to

each movement, make and owl sound while exhaling.

Thinking Cap

Use thumb and index fingers to pull ears gently back and unroll them.

Begin at top of ear and gently massage down around curve ending with
bottom lobe.

Good for spelling, listening, reading aloud, public speaking and thinking.

Variations: thinking cap while doing energy yawn, include sounds, thinking cap
while studying spelling list.

This and That

Verbal instructions do this or do that accompany physical actions,

which your students have to emulate, or not.

If your instruction is do this the students mimic your physical action.

If your instruction is do that the students avoid mimicking your physical

action and continue as before.

This is a simple break state activity which helps develop listening skills.

Variation: teacher says or Simon says.

For second language learners this can also help with vocabulary.

Throwing Snowballs
Have the students take out a sheet of paper and write their name on the front of
the paper. Then they should write out a problem that they have been working on.
(You could also have them write 3 things they have learned during this past class
period) Then on the back of the paper, they should solve the problem. Then they
should crumple the paper up like a snowball. Everyone should stand up and have a
good old fashion snowball fight with the papers. Aiming at the head is not allowed.
After they have thrown at least 3 times, they should pick up a snowball and start
doing the problem on the paper. Once they have tried the problem, they can look to
see if they have the same answer as the author. Everyone should connect with the
author and tell them if they got the problem or not.
I have found that when talking about a particular topic, I can say to my students,
remember this was the paper snowball problem. I think it is another type of
memory device.

Thumb and Pinkie Brain Break

This one is great for getting students to "think" about their movement.
Take your left hand and have your fingers in, and your thumb up.
Then take your right hand and put your thumb in and all your fingers in except your
pinkie.
So in other words, your thumb up and pinkie out.
Now switch the roles of your hands.

T junction
Stretch both arms out by your sides, level with your shoulders, so your body
creates a T position. Move your right arm in a small circle clockwise and your left
arm in a small circle anticlockwise and then change direction in both arms.

TROPICAL RAINFOREST STORM

Get students to sit in a circle. Explain that you are going to simulate a
Tropical Rain Forest.
Get them to listen to the silence.
Then encourage 3 students to add bird noises they might hear.
Then start to add gentle sound of rain by tapping palms of hands.
Gradually build up a storm of convectional rainfall by banging feet and adding
thunder noises then gradually get group to reduce the noise as the storm
passes.
Get them to repeat sounds in reverse order until silence returns.

Yoga cross

While sitting or standing, cross one ankle over the other.

Cross the same-side wrist over the other and touch palms together, thumbs
downwards.

Interlace fingers and draw hands up towards the chest.

Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth so your jaw relaxes.

Sit or stand this way for one minute, eyes closed, breathing deeply.

Then change your feet and hands around and cross them the other way.

Helps with stress self-esteem and listening.

Your age by Chocolate

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have
chocolate (more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1759 .... If you haven't,
add 1758.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number

The first digit of this was the number of times you really want to eat
Chocolate (i.e. how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are
YOUR AGE!

Websites:
http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/
http://www.alite.co.uk/information/brain_breaks.htm
http://www.acceleratedlearning.co.uk/brain_breaks3.htm
http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/