In my classroom, we work hard, we play hard. Everyone needs brain breaks, even adults! Students cannot be expected to focus and remain silent for hours. In order to get them to focus during the moments that matter most (i.e. direct instruction), they must have breaks where they can play and simply enjoy being kids. Recess and lunch are not enough; they need brain breaks!
In this blog post, we will go over a few ways to include brain breaks throughout the day without sacrificing valuable instructional time. For me, my favorite brain breaks are musical transitions, game time, and read alouds.
Music
I use music all day in the classroom. On my phone, I have two playlists that help me stay on track and help my students stay engaged: one transition playlist and one thinking music playlist.
- Transition Music: This playlist has only two songs: one jazz song that is 2.5 minutes (the approximate time it takes for my class to get out supplies and get settled) and one classical song that is one minute long (the time it takes to set up their notes and be ready for the lesson). During the first song, the students are allowed to stand up, get their wiggles out, and even hum along. This allows for them to have a natural movement break. This also gives them the chance to use the restroom and drink water. Don’t worry! My whole class does not all go at the same time, but over time, students learn that this is a good time to do those things because they do not miss instruction.
- Thinking Music: This playlist I use during direct instruction. I incorporate a lot of “turn-and-talks” into my lessons. The thinking music allows me to give an allotted amount of time for these partner conversations and group collaboration. My playlist happens to be classical music. I have songs that are 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes. The entire playlist is about 12 minutes. Depending on the activity, these songs provide a specific timeframe, so students can manage their time. For instance, I always play the 30 second song to signal they need to wrap up what they are doing. The best part? These songs keep me on track too! They are a great time management tool!!!
Games
If you know me, I love incorporating play into the day! This is my teaching goal this year, and so far, I am loving it!!! I use games as brain breaks at a few spots in our classroom routine.
- Morning Work: In my last blog post, I introduced the idea of starting the day with play and using that opportunity to do spiral review. Now that I am in this routine, I can honestly say that I love it!!! Seeing my students light up and have so much fun right from the moment they step inside the classroom truly fills my “teacher heart”. The good news for you is that I am working on a brand new line of products, so you don’t have to spend hours and hours creating these games. Make sure to follow me on Instagram for the latest updates and information.
- In-Between Times: Schedules are a beast! We have all been there…Every year, I always have some awkward 10-15 minutes in between activities. This year, I have 15 minutes in between recess and library, and then another 10 minutes in between music and lunch. What am I supposed to do with that time?! You know what I am going to say, don’t you? A game!!! Many of the games in my Morning Work Game resource can also be played during these in-between times. Simply have a bin of dice and worksheets (in sheet protectors), so the students can grab their supplies and play. It is a fun way to sneak in some spiral review whenever you happen to have time. And trust me, the kids love it. Another quick way to sneak in some math fluency practice is to keep a stack of playing cards at your desk. Whenever you have a spare 5-10 minutes, simply flip over each card one at a time and ask the class to chorally say how many more are needed to make ten. (i.e. If I hold up a six, they say “four”.)
- Before/After Direct Instruction: Games can be used for early finishers. This is a fun way to practice the skills learned during the lesson and a way to take a brain break in between instruction. It’s like a little reward for working hard during the lesson and finishing their classwork.
These bell ringers will bring joy back into your classroom, and it’s a great way to start the day!
In this resource, you get 16 unique games that offer a fun way to practice math facts, get a deeper understanding of place value and fractions, and strengthen the ability to write and solve equations.
All games get progressively harder, which makes for easy differentiation.
COMING SOON!!!
Read Alouds
Every kid, no matter the age, loves to be read to! In my upper grade classroom, we do a read aloud every day. In fact, this year, I actually planned my entire year of read alouds, with a unique theme every week! If you are looking for book recommendations, follow me on Instagram. I post the books I will be reading at the start of every month.
Although read alouds may not immidiately scream “brain break”, there are a few ways to make them more active than passive.
- TPR: Total Physical Response, or TPR, is a strategy that has been around for while, but it still is very effective. It helps students retain new information by incorporating movement into our learning. It is especially effective for multilingual learners and when teaching new vocabulary. TPR can easily be incorporated into daily read alouds, especially with target vocabulary in those read alouds. Check out this blog post to learn more!
- Turn and Talks: Again, sometimes the classics are still relevant. In my humble opinion, a classroom should include smiles, laughs, and most importantly talk! Now having said that, yes, there is a time and place for silence during direct instruction, but those moments should be broken up with opportunities for students to reflect on their learning with their peers. Again, this is an easy strategy to incorporate into your daily read alouds.
It is becoming more and more challenging to gain and sustain student attention, but with the right strategies, it is by no means impossible! If you are interested in learning more ways to add joy and excitement into your schedule without sacrificing instructional minutes, make sure to follow me on Instagram @learningnprogress. Next time, we will take a look at some fun Hallwoeen ideas your students are sure to love. Plus, stay tuned for a NEW Halloween Math Games resource your upper graders will “be dying” to play! (pun intended) Until then, as always, remember to keep learning!!!
