EDU 669 Cooperative Learning
Brain Breaks!
Lynn Plucknett
Media Brain Breaks
The Sid Shuffle - Ice Age: Continental Drift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuJxd2Gpxo#t=66
I am going to use this with the kids to see if they can identify the different locations
around the world the video is shot in. They will love doing the shuffle.
Hands Brain Break
http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/
Hands Brain Break engages both the right and left brain. The directions are
Brain Breaks are simple 1-2 minute mind and body challenges. They are
excellent for regaining focus in a meeting or a class. Your students or audience
will love you for them.
This Brain Break seems simple. However, you will find out soon that you will
have a hard time mastering it.
1. Stand Up.
2. Start by waving your right hand in front of you left to right. Your palm should
be facing away from you while keeping your hand with your fingers pointing up.
3. Now stop that hand and have your left hand in front of you waving it up and
down.
4. Now practice moving them at the SAME TIME. Do not move your hands
going diagonally.
5. Now switch to have your right hand up and down and your left hand left and
right. Do this faster and switch often to make it more difficult.
6. Lastly, to increase the difficulty, have your arms crossed while doing this.
EDU 669 Cooperative Learning
Brain Breaks!
Lynn Plucknett
The Wave Brain Break
http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/2008/11/wave.html
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.
Rock in Teacher Materials
http://rockinteachermaterials.blogspot.com/2012/12/brain-breaks-are-blast.html lots of g
This site has all kinds of great Just Dance videos and other cool teacher stuff.
Frozen
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brain-Breaks-Printable-games-andactivities-for-5-minute-classroom-breaks-391555
Vocabulary
Students stand at their
places and jump, jog on
the spot etc. until you
call out a word. They
freeze until someone
uses the word correctly
in a sentence
This would be good to use with vocabulary development for a unit.
Happy Brain Breaks!