A Big Bunch of Brain Breaks - Brain Break Ideas for Every Scenario

If your child has “the wiggles” and can’t focus on schoolwork, give them a “brain break!” Science has proven that taking short movement breaks every 25-30 minutes makes students more efficient, helping regain focus and alertness. For more information see the importance of brain breaks. Need a quick list of brain break ideas to get started? Try these!

Two-Person Brain Breaks

• Stand face to face, one leg back. Grip hands as though arm wrestling. Without touching anything else, try to knock the other person off balance.
• Rock Paper Scissors (try a “whole body” version: curl up for rock, jumping jack for scissors, lie down for paper).
• Thumb war (stand up!) or arm wrestling.
• Races: One foot. Crawling. Frog-hopping. Backwards.

Group Brain Breaks

• Play Simon Says. Anyone who is “out” continues to repeat a motion (jumping, patting head).
• Keep one or more beach balls or balloons in the air.
• Turn on some music and dance! Variation: Have everyone freeze whenever you pause the music.
• Do whole-body movement songs, like Hokey Pokey, Head and Shoulders, or the Macarena. Find dance videos online and follow along.
• Name a color, shape, etc., in the room, and race to touch it (Something glass! Something orange! Something triangular!)
• Stand up and touch the ground, knees straight if possible. Inch your hands forward as far as possible, then walk your feet forward. Repeat. Try an “inchworm race.”
• Read an alliterative phrase (“The Big Bad Bear went Bowling, then Bought a Bunch of Balloons”). Every time you hear that letter (“B”), stand up! Next “B,” sit back down!

Individual Brain Breaks

• Act out animals—ones that jump, fly, etc. for maximum movement.
• Jumping jacks
• Jump with an invisible jump rope
• Do simple exercises, like push-ups, yoga poses, or stretches.
• Pat your head and rub your tummy.
• Move one hand up and down, while moving the other right to left.
• Write the alphabet (ABC) with your toe, while writing it in reverse (ZYX) with your finger.
• Hold out your hand, spin your wrist clockwise, and your index finger counterclockwise.

Sitting-Still Brain Breaks

While less motion is also less effective, knowing these tricks can be useful—for example, while studying in the car, in public, or at a community college class.

• Stretch.
• Play with a fidget toy (make your own toy by filling a balloon with flour).
• Put a hard candy in your mouth.
• Play with a rubber band.
• Contract, then relax all your muscles.
• Rub your palms on your thighs.
• Hug yourself hard.
• Silently blow all the air from your lungs. Hold. Let the next breath rush in.
• For more movement, get up for a drink, or take a short walk.

Where Can I Find More Brain Breaks Ideas?

The internet is cram-packed with brain breaks in a variety of formats:

• Online videos of brain breaks, songs, and dance choreography
• Lists of ideas on forums, blogs, and websites (print a list of your favorites!)
• Flashcard collections
• Books
• DVDs
• Apps

Sources for some of these ideas (thank you!):

• Teach Forever
• Minds in Bloom blog posts 1 and 2
• Brain Breaks Blog