Quick and Easy Brain Gym Exercises for the Classroom

When your students return from gym class, are they ready to sit down and return to work?

If what Brain Break experts say is true, then they should be, right? Well, that depends. Like many trends in education, "Brain Breaks" began to help teachers see the benefits of giving students occasional breaks from mental tasks. Teachers took hold of the idea and ran with it. We always look for activities to help our students succeed and support teacher well-being. There's nothing worse than trying to spell out a step-by-step lesson when the kids aren't ready to warm up to academic activities.

But this year, I received a call from a parent saying her son wanted to go to another classroom because "they do brain breaks there." I was bewildered. I've been using brain breaks in my classroom for almost a decade. And then it hit me: I take a more low-key approach and don't use songs and videos with my breaks. Don't get me wrong: I use GoNoodle and love its content (Peanut Butter in a Cup is my favorite!).

But here's why I don't use it for every break: energizing my kids is not always my goal.

What's Your Goal?

When implementing brain gym exercises for kids, teachers should consider what they want for their students. For example, are you transitioning from a tedious routine and want your students to be more alert for the next auditory learning task? Are students engaged in a group collaboration around the room, and do you want them to settle down before the next activity? Have students been diligently working for a long period, and could they use a break to continue?

"Brain breaks" are informed by educational kinesiology. Essentially, they are mental breaks from academic activity built into the daily schedule, designed to help students focus on tasks by improving blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Removing students' thinking caps for a few minutes improves retention and participation further down the line. But how each activity leaves your students will determine whether its purpose was successful.

Brain research supports crossing the body's midline, so each activity has students moving their arms and legs across their body's center.

Energizing:

I use brain gym "cross crawls" to engage my students in physical activity, but in a controlled way. First, students should stand with feet shoulder-width apart while I give the commands. Next, I direct them to touch their right hand to their left foot, alternating in the front and the back, and then again with their left hand to their right foot. This stretches the hamstrings and engages all brain hemispheres, crossing the body's midline every time. Then they should touch their left elbow to their right knee, followed by their right elbow touching their right knee. This simple brain gym activity increases hand-eye coordination and focus in the classroom and improves overall body balance.

Another activity I use is instructing the students to march in place, all at varying speeds. Each of these exercises can be run through in less than a minute. These particular brain gym movements from the upper body to the lower body get the blood flowing.

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Relaxing:

I use brain gym "hook-ups" to help get my students centered and calm. Students should stand with feet shoulder-width apart. I give the following commands (we do this so regularly that students eventually don't need the commands):

1. "Arms out" - place arms out in front of you
2. "Palms out" - rotate wrists, so palms are facing outward away from each other
3. "Cross" - cross arms over each other, so palms are now facing each other again
4. "Clasp" - clasp hands, interlocking fingers
5. "Fold" - fold arms under so clasped hands are resting under the chin
6. "Cross legs" - cross legs, standing firmly on both feet (this can be modified for students to remain seated)
7. "Press tongue" - press tongue to the roof of the mouth
8. "Deep breath" - inhale and exhale through the nose
9. "Close eyes" - don't require this since some kids might have difficulty keeping their balance
10. Remain silent for up to 60 seconds. When the time is up, say, "Slowly release." It's important to keep your voice calm while giving instructions for the next activity.
11. Rotate your head in a circular motion, first in one direction, then another.

Focusing:

When I want my students to build their stamina and increase brain activity and brain function for more controlled focus, I have them do focused breathing exercises. Simply put, students should focus on their bodies and how their breathing feels. For example, I have them place their hand in front of their face to feel the warmth of their exhale and concentrate on the cool air entering their nose as they inhale. I do this activity for 30 seconds at maximum, and it can be done at their seats.

Another exercise to increase focus is called the Lazy Eight. Have students, either in their notebooks or whiteboards, repeatedly draw an infinity sign or a figure eight, tracking their marker with their eyes. They can even draw the figure eight once and then trace the lines with their index finger over and over.

Your students had an opportunity to engage their whole body during gym class to improve their blood flow, moving oxygen to the brain. But unless you want them to continue with that level of energy into the academic task that follows, you might want to consider a more focused "brain gym" transition instead. These brain exercises and many more offer your students a unique advantage to improve short-term memory and peripheral vision and engage their right brain to be better able to focus when the time comes.

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