5 Websites to Find Brain Breaks

posted by: Melissa | October 26, 2017, 05:59 PM

Research is piling up that forcing your brain to focus all day without breaks is counter-productive. Contrary to previous beliefs, going longer and harder doesn’t end up increasing output. In fact, it may end up decreasing your ability to be productive and take in new information. This is especially true for young students who don’t have the same attention span as adults.

This is why many teachers are now incorporating “brain breaks” into their classes. Brain breaks are short, physical activities that are designed to get the whole class up out of their seats and physically active in the middle of a lesson. They are designed to be group activities, and can also incorporate educational goals, although that is not necessary. You can learn more about brain breaks by watching this YouTube video.

When you’re ready to start implementing brain breaks in your classroom, check out these websites for inspiration:

GoNoodle: GoNoodle is perhaps the most widely used site for brain breaks at the moment. It features brief, music-filled videos that present students with games and activities.
Fit4Schools: Fit4Schools offers a comprehensive program to get students active and healthy, and as part of its program it offers quick, 3-minute activities that are intended to be used in the classroom.
CosmicKids: Like other sites, CosmicKids has videos that students can follow along with. However, this site focuses on yoga and flexibility.
Move to Learn: Move to Learn is a YouTube channel that teaches students dances that correspond with various learning objectives.
Fuel Up to Play 60: FUTP 60 is a national program designed to help kids get healthier. Part of their work is helping teachers introduce short activity breaks during lessons. Their website features a ton of healthy resources and teachers can download several lists of in-school activity breaks.