10 Quick Brain Breaks that Help Your Kids to Focus

Brain Breaks are an easy way to give kids a little exercise without it seeming like work, and to give their brain a much needed break from the task at hand.

Everyone knows how important it is to get up and move when you’ve been sitting.

Not only for adults, but also for children in schools.

Sitting at desks all day is hard on our kiddos.

Even sitting on the floor or in seats of their choice, they still need to get up and get some movement.

Movement-Based Brain Breaks

Vestibular movement, moving in a way that stimulates the vestibular system, is one excellent way to incorporate movement into the day, either as breaks from learning, at scheduled times, in PE class or during morning meeting. 

brain breaks for kids, movement breaks for kids with yoga, kids yoga and movement-based brain breaks

It’s super important to stimulate the vestibular system with brain breaks to improve:

  • Balance
  • Coordination
  • Muscle tone
  • Visual tracking
  • Integration of auditory and visual senses
  • Cardiovascular health
  • Communication between the two halves of the brain

Grab my free set of 20+ different movement and yoga based Brain Breaks in a printable PDF here! Great for letting students choose at random 🙂

Get the FULL set of Brain Breaks in a printable PDF

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    Brain breaks help the two sides of the brain connect, and in doing so, help train your body and brain to work together.

    Here are some simple brain breaks that get kids up and moving and are especially good for vestibular movement and coordination.

    Washer/Dryer

    Washer: stand with feet hip distance apart, arms bent, elbows at your sides. Bend your knees slightly, and rotate your torso side to side, like a washing machine doing up some clothes.

    Dryer:  Either spin your fists around one another like punching a boxing bag while blowing on your hands, OR  bend at the hips to “pick up clothes” and “hang them” high above your head on the line to dry

    Sun Salutation

    A basic yoga sun salutation is great for helping the core and balance. Reach up high for mountain, then bend into forward fold. Plant your hands and step back into plank.  Lower down, then lift the torso for cobra. Breathe in and out, then press back into down dog. Step forward again to forward fold, then reach back up high to mountain.

    Use this adorable and diverse set of kids yoga poses as an extended sun salutation that I call a Yoga Flow! Great for a 5-10 minute morning routine or a 2 minute brain break.

    30 yoga flow poses for kids in card format to use for movement-based brain breaks

    Zap finger find with a friend

    Stand back to back with a friend. One person is the zapper first, putting their finger somewhere to the side either up or down, and the other person needs to find the finger and “zap” it with their own.  Switch after 5-10 zaps, switching hands as well.

    Pass ball over/under with friend

    Stand back to back (not quite touching) with a friend with your feet slightly wider than hip distance. One person passes the ball over their heads to the receiver, who takes the ball and passes it between their legs.  Keep passing it the same direction, then go the other way.

    Windmill arms

    Stand with feet wide.  Reach up in star pose, then reach one hand down to the opposite foot. Come back up to star pose, then reach the other hand to the other foot.

    little boy doing wide legged forward fold twist yoga pose with one hand on an orange yoga mat and the other arm reaching up to the sky for movement-based brain breaks

    Boat hand and foot crossover

    This is another cross body hand to foot action but done in boat pose. Reach your hands up above your head while balancing on your sit bones, then reach for your opposite knee or foot. Great for core strength and coordination. Try it with legs straight for an extra challenge!

    Tippy toes and heel balance

    Balancing alternatively on your toes and then your heels is good for balance practice, core strength, and foot articulation. I find that kids move their hands at the same time which is cute to point out. It also gets them to be mindful when they have to focus on such small movements. 

    Try these other mindfulness games and activities for kids, too.

    Cross crawls (or knee bumps, as my kids call them)

    This one is great for kids of any age. Start marching with high knees, but touch your elbow to your opposite knee and then the other side. Try to reach your foot for an extra challenge.

    Dinosaur, Dinosaur

    Reach down and grab your ankles and act out the actions to this poem while you’re doing the poem. Keep your hands on your ankles for the first two, and then again for the last two.

    Dinosaur, dinosaur turn around

    Dinosaur, dinosaur stomp the ground

    Dinosaur, dinosaur show your claws

    Dinosaur, dinosaur chomp your jaws

    Dinosaur, dinosaur turn around

    Dinosaur, dinosaur sit back down

    Spin jumps

    Point out a few key objects in different directions of the classroom that the kids will need to spin and jump to face when you call it out. Examples: clock, door, windows, poster, etc. Tell them to jump with the feet slightly apart, both feet at the same time, almost like a snowboarder.

    Get some more winter themed yoga poses and movement ideas here.

    Mountain Climbers

    Start in high plank pose. Bring one knee up to your elbow, either the same elbow, or cross it over for added challenge. Then do the other knee! Keep going and use your core for strength.

    Tiger Taps

    Kneel on your hands and knees. Reach your right arm forward and your left foot back. Balance! Then, reach your arm all the way around behind you and try to tap your left foot. Switch and do the other side.

    Enjoy these brains and body breaks with your kids or students! Let me know of any others you have tried and enjoyed.

    Check out some of my other posts with active games for kids using yoga here:

    What other body and brain breaks do you do with kids? Any fun songs or rhymes?

    Let me know in the comments 🙂

    Don’t forget to grab the printable version of these kids movement brain breaks here:

    Get the FULL set of Brain Breaks in a printable PDF

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      2 thoughts on “10 Quick Brain Breaks that Help Your Kids to Focus”

      1. Thank you Paul! And thanks for sharing some additional breaks as well– we do the rubber chicken also, I’ve just never called it that 😂 I will have to start!

        Reply

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