FREE Brain Breaks for the Classroom

FREE brain breaks for the classroom are perfect for elementary teachers.  My students love these GoNoodle brain breaks, and I love that they are free, active, and engaging!

FREE Brain Breaks for the Classroom

BRAIN BREAKS

First things first, why should you use brain breaks in your classroom?  Here are some stats for you:

• 2 out of 3 kids are inactive (think: screentime)
• The CDC recommends 60 minutes of physical activity each day.  Do you know what the average kid gets? 20 minute

As a teacher, here’s my perspective:

• The kids NEED brain breaks. They have energy and even if you have flexible seating, they need to get UP and MOVE!
• The kids ENJOY brain breaks. Every time I mention a brain break, “the crowd goes wild” So much so, in fact, that we learned all about the “silent cheer,” (waves arms in the air), and that is now the “norm” response when I mention it is time for a brain break.
• You need a break too 😉 .  Just in case you forgot, you need a break too! Sometimes I do the brain break with the kids, and sometimes I use those few minutes to gather any last-minute items I need for the next lesson.

Brain breaks help kids to get engaged, get the wiggles out, fuel brain power and even improve their moods!

FREE BRAIN BREAKS FOR THE CLASSROOM

So where can you get these free brain break videos?  It’s called GoNoodle! GoNoodle is a website with a collection of over 150 movement videos and games to get kids up and moving so they can be the smartest, bravest, best version of themselves at home and at school!  It is used by over a half a million teachers worldwide – because it’s that good!

Here, take a sneak peek inside!

Did you notice how they have those categories at the top?  You can filter the videos by category, duration, energy level, and favorites!

They make it really easy to find just what you’re looking for at that exact moment.  The “duration” filter is a lifesaver if you are stuck with indoor recess!  Lined up three minutes too soon?  Don’t stress, put on a 60 second brain break and pretend like that was all planned. 😉

In case you are wondering where to start, here are my class’ FAVORITE videos!

1. Remember when I mentioned indoor recess?  We don’t get them for snow, (and seldom rain), but we do get stuck inside when it’s too hot!  My kids love the Zumba Dance Party for indoor recess!  It gives us just enough time to dance & take a restroom break during our allotted recess time.
2. Kitty High Five – Don’t ask me why, but they LOVE this video!
3. Count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s – I use this video a lot at the beginning of the year to reinforce skip counting.
4. Run Like The Kitty – I think you have to be six to understand why this video is funny.  And I haven’t been six in twenty one years. 😉  But hey, the kids find this one addicting!! (Yes we’ve had the “run safely in place” talk.)
5. Happy (from Despicable Me 2) – We use this one to start mornings.  You don’t know what happened at home before school or in the car on the way to school, so start the school day on a happy note!!

WAIT A MINUTE… YOU CAN USE THEM AT HOME, TOO!

Umm, why didn’t I think of this?  I saw this video all about using GoNoodle at home, and all I could think was…GENIUS!  If the kids are going to have screen time, they might as well be ACTIVE, right?  And hey, it wouldn’t hurt adults to join in the run either. 😉 It’s free, so after you introduce your students to GoNoodle at school, make sure they (and their parents) know they can use at home for free too!

What do you think?  Are you ready to try these free and engaging brain break videos?  Click here to make a free account!

What are your class’ favorite videos?  I would love for you to share them with us in the comments below!

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