13 Ways to Give Your Students’ Brains a Break in 5 Minutes or Less!

Listen to the full episode to hear how to give your students’ brains a break:

This episode is brought to you by test prep! Whether we like it or not, it is among us and likely the exhaustion has set in. Let’s be honest, the exhaustion has set in for both teachers and the students.

Spring is right around the corner and it’s time to take all the lessons from the year and put them to practice. Our students are such good sports during this time of the year and so I want to focus this episode on ideas to give them the break they deserve. 

If you’ve been listening for a while, you know that I find movement and breaks to be so important. I like to incorporate these ideas throughout the year, but especially during high-stress times like test season.

There are so many creative ways to allow them to temporarily take their mind off their work and as always they are easy to implement. In five minutes or less your students will feel refreshed and ready to absorb the important information you need to share. I even have ideas for breaks that students can practice without your assistance when they are nervous or stressed. 

You didn’t think I was going to have an episode that didn’t incorporate any literacy skills, did you? That’s right, some of these brain breaks even incorporate reading and writing! The best part is that they are fun for the students.

These strategies require minimal teacher input and  give students the distraction from their work that they need every once in a while. These ideas for brain breaks will be something that your students look forward to and are excited about! Join me next week for a guest episode on classroom management hacks!

In this episode on giving your students’ brains a break, I share:

• Break ideas involving movement, direction, and thinking
• How brain breaks strengthen other aspects of learning
• Tips for identifying when to incorporate brain breaks
• Ways you’ll know if your brain breaks are achieving the results you want
• A no-prep brain break idea for upper elementary students

Related Resources:

• Creative Writing Boggle Boards
• Art For Kids Hub
• Brain Break Slides

Connect with Megan:

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• Watch my YouTube channel 

About The Literacy Dive Podcast:

Do you find yourself seeking new ideas when it comes to literacy instruction in elementary classrooms? The Literacy Dive Podcast was created to offer actionable steps and to share information for teachers, like you, who are always looking to improve their craft! ELA is our jam and we are excited to dive into all things reading and writing with you!

Your host, Megan Polk, is the creator and owner behind The Literacy Dive and loves to support students and their teachers with curriculum, literacy instruction, best practices, and engaging literacy activities.

Dive in with us every Monday for a new episode from Megan! She, and her guests, will chat about various literacy topics and will bring you tips and tricks that can easily be implemented in your classrooms. You can tune in wherever you get your podcasts! Listen to The Literacy Dive Podcast on platforms like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, and more! If you find value from listening to this podcast, please rate this show, leave a review, and follow!

You can tune in wherever you get your podcasts! Listen to The Literacy Dive Podcast on platforms like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google, and more! If you find value from listening to this podcast, please rate this show, leave a review, and follow!