Brain Breaks.......Exercise the Body and Mind

This Brain break is great for transition in the classroom.  It gives students a minute to move their body and then reengage their minds.

In the space you are standing stretch yourself, loosen your muscles, and make sure you are taking deep breaths as you are stretching.  Now a little spring skiing.  Using a little hop and rotate your hips, like going down a mogul hill.  For a modification eliminate the hop and just bend at your knees and rotate your hips.  Now add your arms.  Once you have gotten your heart rate up for a minute we will move onto the brain break.  Now moving onto the brain break.  We usually only use one side of our brain, if you are right handed the left side of your brain is mostly engaged and if you are left handed the right side is mostly engaged.  Let’s get both sides engaged.  Working with the person sitting next to you, one of you cross your hands and interlace your fingers, then bring your hands back through your arms.  Have the person next to you point to a finger and try to lift only that finger.  Try to go through all the fingers and then switch.

Hopefully you will see how re-energized your students are.