Brain breaks are physical activities that provide students with a brief recess from learning in order to increase student focus in the learning environment. Brain Breaks will not only help children focus better in the classroom, but they can also enhance memory. When students are engaged in physical movements in between lessons, they increase the blood flow to their brain. This increase in blood flow means more energy and oxygen to the brain, which allows the student to perform better in the classroom.
Students at The Wyndcroft School are quite familiar with brain breaks. In first grade, our students engage in stretching exercises or dance movements in between lessons. This brief activity, lasting just 1-2 minutes can make all the difference in the world to our young learners. They feel re-energized and able to focus as we move to the next learning activity. First grade students enjoy using websites like www.gonoodle.com, where they can learn a new dance move while reinforcing a math concept. Students also engage in active learning activities, such as “Write the Room”, where children go in search for vocabulary words in their classroom.
In our Upper School, Mrs. Paulus engages her fifth and sixth grade students in brain breaks to help them refocus and think creatively. While upper school students experience brain breaks that are naturally built into their day (travelling from classroom to classroom), Mrs. Paulus still sees the benefit of engaging students in brain breaks and active learning in her classroom. She has her students move about the room using post-it notes to identify vocabulary terms, so that they are able to associate them differently. She also labels dice to motivate students when practicing vocabulary in the classroom. At times, she has students use body motions instead of verbal responses; allowing students to respond using various body motions like standing, turning,
clapping, and dancing. These are great attempts in getting those wiggles out while also maximizing student learning.
As educators strive to attain the best from their students, it’s important to be mindful of the benefits of taking time out for student brain breaks. While it may seem there is not enough time in our busy schedules to add one more activity, the benefits of brain breaks is clear. They make clearer thinking possible for the student and therefore the student performance is better in the classroom. Brain breaks are definitely a no-brainer in any classroom.
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The Wyndcroft School engages students who love learning and families that value education in a supportive community. With an updated approach to a classic curriculum, Wyndcroft’s faculty guides students through a challenging academic program that provides a firm foundation and cultivates a sense of gratitude and responsibility toward the larger world. Beginning in preschool, students develop critical leadership skills, so that when they reach middle school, they emerge confident, poised, and prepared to succeed at the best secondary schools and beyond.
For more information on The Wyndcroft School, please visit our website at www.wyndcroft.org or call our Admission Office at (610) 326-0544.
For more information on The Wyndcroft School, please visit our website at www.wyndcroft.org or call our Admission Office at (610) 326-0544.
