Index Finger and Thumb- this activity defines the connections between the right and left brain hemispheres. Point your index finger on one hand and you thumb up on the other, now switch, and keep switching.

Thumb and Pinkie Brain Break

Brain Breaks are great to take every 25 minutes in class.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.

Ear and Nose Touch- this activity reinforces the struggle that our right and left hemispheres have to deal with when processing information. Right hand to left ear, left hand touching the nose, on a signal switch. Right hand to your nose and left hand to right ear. Keep switching and a steady pace.

Spock Hands/”VW”-this activityreinforces the struggle that our right and left hemispheres have to deal with when processing information. Start with two fingers to each side as you spread into a “Spock” or “v” shape. Next move fingers to give you a finger-2 fingers-finger pattern or a “w.” Pinkie and pointer are away and ring and tall together.

**Use any of these activities during a lesson or a short time before a test or writing assignment. **

Brain Break Cards Activity-(Classroom Fitness Breaks to Help KIDS FOCUS-Sarah Longhi)

Cat and Cow- On the floor, get on your hands and knees. Put hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Arch your back up and keep knees and hands on the floor. “Cat stretching” or Angry Cat” Let your belly hang down low and feel as if it is heavy. This is done while breathing in and out and makes you look like a cow on the farm.

Diamond Stretch- (like Groin area stretch)-Sit on the floor with bottoms of feet together and knees bent to sides. This position should look like a diamond. Next slide your feet out and away from you while still holding them together. Reverse the process and repeat several times slowly. Feel a stretch, not pain.

Down Dog with Leg Lift-On the floor, get on your hands and knees. Put hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Push one of your legs high and extend carefully. Lower your head toward the ground. Keep your arms straight and hold for 5-10 seconds. Relax and return to start and change the extended leg.

Figure 8s- Sit on the floor on your bottom with one of your feet out. Slowly make a figure 8 shape with your foot. Repeat the pattern several times and then switch feet. Now try using the opposite direction. Once you get the hand of the movement the students may increase the speed of the pattern trying to focus on accuracy. Try this with any body part that you like and see how it goes.

Fly Catch Jumps- Squat down low to the ground and bend your knees. Now slowly extend up and off the ground slightly as you reach your arms above your head. Repeat this same motion again a little quicker if you choose and clap your hands at the hand as if catching a fly.

In& outs/Burpees/Squat thrusts- Start in a standing position and crouch down t o the floor with knees in and bent. Slowly extend your legs out behind your body. Hold the position for a moment or two and then bring your legs back into the crouch position. Now stand up and jump into the air. Repeat the sequence and increase the speed and/or the time you hold the position.

* Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with mood and movement. It helps carry information. Exercise is the best way to stimulate dopamine production. Exercise helps the body produce the “feel-good” hormones called endorphins. When kids feel good, they will do better academically. PE provides an excellent format for the release of stress because elevating the heart rate stirs up endorphins and serotonin which are natural relievers of stress.

Brain Break Corners

WHY should we use “Brain Breaks”?Because the research supports using breaks to maximize the performance of the students. It also helps to re-energize students and teachers. It makes learning fun in another dimension by adding the kinesthetic learning style. Recent studies in Texas and Illinois have found a correlation between physically fit students and academic achievement. Brain Breaks can help students keep focused and manage attention.Getting students moving increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain.The breaks can be for the purpose of moving and anchoring learning that is ongoing or designed specifically to support curriculum. Many of these games, activities and movements can include academic subject matter.

Activates the BRAIN for

  • crossing the visual /auditory /kinesthetic /tactile midline
  • left-to-right eye movements
  • improved binocular (eyes together) vision
  • coordination of brain and body
  • curiosity, challenge, and change of state
  • academic skills
  • spelling and writing
  • math and analysis
  • listening and understanding
  • reading and comprehension

Try a brain break any way you can fit it into your classes. We have what we call “Brain Break Corners.” Each classroom determines what approach is best for the teacher, students and the environment. Our team of teachers continues to work with and refine the manner in which these ideas are presented and used. Here are a few of the strategies we have made available:

  • Brain Break bookmarks
  • Brain Break desk cards
  • Brain Break poster series
  • Brain Break DVDs

Each teacher selects what they feel works best for their classroom set up, age of students and preferred teaching style. I have found that this makes it more "user friendly;” hopefully increasing the ease of use and likelihood of being including on a regular basis.

Brain Break Corners tips/ideas…

  1. Do the brain breaks as a class
  2. Have seated choices available for students
  3. Try a brain break once a day (or once a week as a class to start)
  4. Choose one brain break activity per day or week and cycle through the activities until students have a handle on each and can effectively choose the one appropriate for him/her.
  5. Have on Open/Closed sign or time of day that the BBC can be used
  6. Select a student to pick the “Brain Break of the Day”
  7. Have a set number of visits per day or per child --Ask certain children to visit at least once by …
  8. Limit the amount of time a child can spend in the bbc.(Use a timer or clock check in system)

Brain Break Corners…A Plan

  1. Know the research that supports adding activity to the classroom
  2. Start small and build into the school as a whole
  3. Teach the activities to the kids as a warm up or transition in Physical Education class
  4. Use older students to help to teach younger students
  5. Find support from a teacher/a few and talk with and work with them to get started
  6. Ask to do some of those you like best with the staff at meetings when appropriate
  7. Be flexible and enthusiastic, not militant or “pushy” (very fine line at times)
  8. Get the support of your principal and administrators

Cross Lateral Brain Booster Activities (Brain Gym@-Dennison: examples)

Cross the Midline- Draw a line down the middle of your body. That's called the midline. Every time you cross over that line, you are helping connect the hemispheres in your brain. Stand with arms at sides. Touch right hand to left knee. Stand with arms at sides and touch left hand to right knee. Count or sing as you do this.

Hint! Put a piece of painter’s tape down the middle of children’s bodies so they can be aware of crossing the midline.

Elbow Knee Tap-Stand with arms at sides. Bend and touch right elbow to left knee as you raise your left leg. Stand and then switch and touch left elbow to right knee. Extend arms for a slightly higher challenge.

Cross Crawl-Cross Crawl accesses both brain hemispheres simultaneously, and stimulates receptive as wellas, expressive hemispheres of the brain, facilitating integration.In this contra lateral exercise, similar to walking in place, the participant alternatelymoves one arm and its opposite leg and the other arm and its opposite leg.

The Gravity Glider-The Gravity Glider is a movement re-education process to restore the integrity of the hamstrings, hips and pelvic area. The movement uses balance and gravity to release tension in the hips and

Pelvis, allowing the participant to discover comfortable standing and sitting postures. Sit comfortably on a chair, crossing one leg over the other at the ankles, andkeeping knees relaxed. Bend forward and reach out in front of you, letting your arms glide downas you exhale (allow gravity to take over) and up as you inhale. Reaching forward from the ribcage allows the legs and the back muscles to lengthen and relax. Repeat three times and thenchange legs.

Slap Count- Face each other with your palms up. Person A should take their right hand and cross over and hit person B’s right hand and say 1 Then person A should take their left hand and cross over and hit person B’s 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 3’s 5’s, or any number. Start at a number and go down by another number (like start at 34 and go down by 3’s) 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 and each tries to figure out the other person’s word.

Rocks, Paper, Scissors, Math-You can only use the numbers 1, 2, 3 or 4. You can’t 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.

CalfPump- As you lean forward onto the back of a chair, one foot forward and exhale, press the back heel gently to the ground. As you release, lift your heel up and take a deep breath. Repeat three times on each side. The more you bend your forward knee, the more lengthening you feel in the back of the calf.

Cross Lateral Activities

Criss-Cross Clap- Have two students sit facing each other sitting “criss-cross applesauce”. This can also be done standing if you or the students choose. The pattern for the clap is as follows:

Clap together---- Clap right

Clap together--- Clap left.

Clap together --- REPEAT

The students will need to cross over the midline of their bodies to clap each other’s hands.If the students are successful have them switch the hand that they lead with.

Next LevelClap together --- Clap right

Clap together--- Clap left

Clap together--- touch right hand to left shoulder

Clap together--- Clap left hand to right shoulder

AND REPEAT

Next levelADD opposite knees

Next level ADD opposite toes **Add other parts like hips, elbows, ears, etc.

**Students who have trouble with reading and deciphering letters will have difficulty crossing their bodies. You may have to help and lead these students through the movement.

Alphabet Clap-Have student sit facing each other with their right hand of their right knee and their left hand on their left knee. One student will begin by reaching across their body to their partners matching hand and say “a” then with the other hand reaching across and say “b”. The partner then takes a turn with “c & d”. Switch which partner goes first each round. Switch which hand is used to lead with each round to get the most out of this activity.

**Students who cannot read will/may struggle with this activity. The will not know the alphabet letter with enough confidence and will be unable to cross the body.

Word Clap-Older students can practice spelling words using the Alphabet Clap.

Number Clap-Same as the alphabet clap, but with numbers. Counting, odds and evens, multiplication tables, etc.

Link/Hook-Ups(Dennison) - Stand with feet crossed over one another. Extend arms out in front, with hands positioned so that the thumbs are pointing down towards the floor. Cross hands, one over the other. Roll arms and hands with hands remaining crossed up to the chest and hold that position. Close eyes and maintain balance for 20 seconds.

Link/Hook-Up Challenge-while you are hooked- up have a partner point to a finger (without touching it) and you try to move it. Your brain will have to find it because it is hid on the other side of your body.

**Have students build up their balance time. NONREADERS typically cannot maintain this balance without a lot of practice.

"Crossing the Visual Midfield”- Crossing the Visual Midline is moving the eyes across the page without inhibiting the receptive brain. The development of visual skills for reading begins with the ability to move both eyes in tandem from left to right across the midline of the page and across the corresponding visual midfield. For reading, one eye must be dominant for focusing, the other eye for blending. Although both skills are available to each eye, stress in learning the tasks of focusing and blending for reading may cause visual disorientation.

Double Doodle- Draw a letter or shape with your best (dominant) hand. Next, draw the shape or letter with both hands at the same time. Can you draw the same pattern? Try in, out, up and down. Vary the items that you draw.

Juggling -Children can improve eye-hand coordination and cross the midline by juggling scarves, paper towels, or wadded up paper balls. Begin by having children toss up and catch one ball or scarf. Can they toss it and catch it one time? Can they toss it, clap and catch it? Can they toss it, turn around, and catch it?

Add a second ball or scarf and see what they can do. Try juggling to music.

Hint!To make inexpensive juggling scarves, cut up netting fabric into 12" squares. Tighter budget…use shopping bags from supermarkets(true recycling)

Foot and Hand- Draw a circle with your foot on the floor while trying to write your name with your hand. Start with your foot moving and then add the writing portion. Reverse it and try with the writing first and adding the foot. Next, try using opposite sides of the body.

Energy yawn:relax our voices.Pretend to yawn. Put you fingertips against any tight spots you feel on you jaws. Make a deep, relaxed, yawning sound, gently stroking away the tension.

Mirroring:Find someone near by and decide who will be the player/actor and who will be the mirror. Simply have the actor move in slow motion and the mirror will mimic the movements. As they get better challenge the children to reach across their body as they move. Switch roles after a short period of time.

Hand & Elbow:Sitting or standing, reach down and touch your right elbow with your left hand. Repeat using the opposite sequence; touch left elbow with the right hand. Repeat and continue switching, speed is not that important, but accuracy is on this one.

“Sit Up Straight” in your seats- Without knowing it, your teachers were engaging the left side of the brain. Dunn and Dunn found that the surface of the chair affects learning. The Left Brain takes in new information; it is activated for new learning by the hard surface and sitting tall movement. In order to be engaged, students must be somewhat uncomfortable and this “turns on” the brain. After information has had a chance to be learned activating the Right Brain helps to expand on learning and increases creativity. Too promote this action provide for a more relaxed sitting position or even lying down posture.

Position 1-2-3 –(Jen Kimock, Edgewood Elementary Music) -Jen does this activity with her students during chorus rehearsal. You can have your students do it during the day in class. She starts off showing the students proper position for singing which also happens to be successful in learning(how clever). She calls this position “1” and the students sit up tall with good posture. Position “2” is a bit more relaxed, but is still manageable for singing and learning. Position”3” is a relaxed posture and is to be used between songs or during breaks. The best part is that Jen uses this like a game with her students. She teaches them the positions and then practices in a “Simon Says” type activity; calling out “position 1”, “2”, “3”, “2”, “1” etc. This game becomes an effective teaching tool for her rehearsals. I have even observed her asking selected students to call out the positions, which adds to the excitement, fun and effectiveness of the tool.