Brain Breaks

Brain Break #1 – Stand Up, Sit Down

o Completed inside the classroom
o Teacher reads cards that either says:
 Stand up if…
 Sit down if…
o Students stand up or sit down at their desk if the card applies to
them
o Phrases can be adjusted depending on grade level
o Helps students practice following directions
o Materials:
 Stand up if… and sit down if… cards
o Accommodations:
 Students with orthopedic impairments like broken bones or
wheelchair bound can do thumbs up and thumbs down
instead of standing up and sitting down
 Stand close to the student with a hearing impairment when
calling out the statements so that they can clearly hear the
statements.
Brain Break #2 – Simon Says
o Can be completed inside or outside
o Requires students to use their listening skills
o Students stand up and the teacher gives commands
o Students must follow all commands that begin with “Simon says”
o Students should not follow commands that do not start with
“Simon says”
o If students follow a command that does not start with “Simon
says” the student is out and must sit down until the next round
o The last student standing is the winner and gets to be Simon in the
next round
o Materials:
 Simon says cards
o Accommodations:
 Modify moves depending on student disabilities. For
example, if there is a student in a wheelchair or on crutches
do movements that can be done by staying seated like arm
circles or
playing an
air guitar.
 Stand close
to the student
with a
hearing
impairment
 when calling out the movements so that they can clearly hear
the actions.

Brain Break #3 – Deep Breathing 4-7-8

o Helps students relax and relieve stress
o Done in the classroom
o 4-7-8 breathing technique
o Play calming music
o Tell students to put their hands on their stomach to feel it expand
as they breathe in through their nose for 4 seconds
o Tell students hold their breath for 7 seconds
o Tell the students to keep their hands on their stomach to feel it
contract and make a “whoosh” noise as they slowly breathe out
their mouth for 8 seconds
o Repeat 3 or 4 times
o Materials:
 4-7-8 breathing poster
 Calming music audio (YouTube)
o Accommodations:
  For students with ADHD allow them to play with a fidget
during this activity or flexible seating like a wobble chair or
exercise ball.

Brain Break #4 – A-Z Scavenger Hunt

o Can be done inside or outside
o Provide students with a scavenger hunt list
 Younger grades – provide the actual items with items that
begin with A-Z in the classroom or outside
 Older grades – provide a list with A-Z written and a blank
space for students to write what they found in the classroom
or outside that begins with each letter
o Inform students that they do not have to go in alphabetical order
o Provide students with safari hats or vests
o Students walk around the classroom or outside and check off or
write as many items as they can find on the list
o Materials:
 Scavenger hunt list
  Pencils
 Safari hat or vest for each student
o Accommodations:
 Students with writing difficulties – provide an already made
A-Z list with the items provided that they just have to check
off.
 Make letters and words bigger for students with visual
impairments.

Brain
Break #5 – Brain Teasers
o Done inside the classroom
o Challenges students’ creativity
o Put students into small groups of 3 or 4
o Provide each group with a push button light
o Read the brain teaser to the students
o When a team thinks they have the answer they push their light
button
o First group to push their light button gets to share their answer
 o If incorrect students go back to figuring it out until they or another
group pushes their light button
o If students are really stumped give clues
o Materials:
 Push button light
 Brain teaser cards
o Accommodations:
 Stand close to the student with a hearing impairment when
calling out the brain teasers so that they can clearly hear
them.

Brain Break #6 – Heads Up 7 Up

o 7 students stand at the front of the classroom and the rest close
their eyes and put their heads down at their desk
o The students with their head down leave their thumbs up on their
desk
 o The 7 students move about the room and put students’ thumbs
down
o The 7 students head back to the front of the room and say, “heads
up 7 up” and the students open their eyes and lift their heads
o The students with their thumbs down get to guess which of the 7
students pushed their thumb down
o If a student guesses correctly they get to switch positions and be
one of the students in the front
o Accommodations:
 Choose students with ADHD to be in the first set of 7
students to keep them moving.

Brain Break #7 – Animal Action Dice

o Can be done inside or outside
o Have students stand in a circle
o Provide one students with a 6 sided dice with animal actions
o Have one of the students roll the dice, everyone acts out the animal
movement, student passes the dice to the person on his/her right.
 o Keep doing this until everyone gets to roll the dice
o Materials:
 6 sided dice with animal actions on it
 Rubber spot markers
o Accommodations:
 Use rubber spot markers placed 5 ft apart in a circle for each student
to stand on during this activity. This will make sure students with
ADHD stay on their spot rather than running around.
 For students in a wheelchair the teacher can move the student in a way
that would resemble the animal movements. For example, teacher can
shake the wheelchair back and forth to resemble waddling like a
penguin, small and short forward movements to resemble hops, and
fast moving while the student flaps his/her arms to resemble flying
like a bird.
 Make a larger dice with bigger letters if there is a student with a visual
impairment.

Brain Break #8 – Take a Walk

o Can be done inside or outside
o Line students up and take a 5 min walk around the school building
or talk a walk around the basketball court at the playground.
o No materials needed
o Accommodations:
  If a student is wheelchair bound or on crutches keep the
walk on the same floor of the classroom to avoid stairs.
Brain Break #9 – Find it Fast
o Done inside the classroom
o Look around the room and identify some key distinguishers of
different objects (colors, shapes, materials, etc.)
o Shout out the key distinguishers of objects. For example, “red
handle” or “clear and shaped like a rectangle”
o Students must raise their hands as fast as possible when they think
they know what it is. The first person to raise their hand guesses
what it is, if they are wrong other students can guess until they
figure it out.
o No materials needed
o No accommodations needed
Brain Break #10 – 5-4-3-2-1
o Can be done inside or outside
o Students partake in five different physical activities in descending
order. 5 jumping jacks, 4 toe touches, 3 sit ups, 2 arm circles, and 1
hop
o No materials needed
o Accommodations:
 Students in a wheelchair or on crutches could still touch their
toes, move their arms in a way that you would when doing
jumping jacks, and act like they were doing sit ups. For
students in a wheelchair the teacher could move the
wheelchair to act like a hop and the student on crutches could
hop on one foot using his/her crutches.
Brain Break #11 – Mindfulness Cards
o Can be done inside or outside depending on what the card says.
o Provide students with a card with a peaceful scenario on it.
o Each card will give a prompt for students to try that will let them
refocus and recharge.
o Students read the card and do what the card says. This could be a
breathing activity, writing or drawing activity, closing their eyes,
and thinking about the smell of a flower, a time when they were
happy, pretending they were on a boat, etc.
o Materials:
 Mindfulness cards
o Accommodations:
 For students with ADHD allow them to play with a fidget
during this activity or flexible seating like a wobble chair or
exercise ball.
Brain Break #12 – Freeze Dance
 Done inside the classroom
 Have the students stand up and spread out around the room. The
rubber marker spots can be used in this activity to keep students in
a certain place.
 Explain to the students that while the music is playing they will
bust out their moves and dance. When the music stops they must
freeze.
 Play some kid friendly music for the students to dance to and
frequently pause the music for them to freeze.
 Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes.
 Materials:
 Computer or cellphone for music
 Rubber marker spots
 Accommodations:
 For students in a wheelchair or on crutches have them dance
and wiggle around in their seats.
 Go over behavioral expectations for students with ADHD so
movement does not get out of hand.
Brain Break #13 – Coloring
 Done inside the classroom
 Provide students with a coloring
page and coloring materials.
 Allow 5 minutes for students to
color their picture.
 Materials:
 Coloring pages
 Markers
  Crayons
 Colored pencils
 Accommodations:
 For students with ADHD let them sit in a chair that they can
move around in like a wobble chair or exercise ball.

Brain Break #14 – Desk Drumming

 Done inside the classroom
 Cut pool noodles into 4 pieces (1 pool noodle serves 2 students a
set of drumsticks)
 Pull up a KidzBop DrumFit YouTube Video
 Students use their pool noodles as drum sticks and drum to the
song with the KidzBop kids on their desks.
 Materials:
 Laptop for YouTube
 Pool noodle drumsticks
 No accommodations needed
Brain Break #15 – True or False
 Done inside the classroom
 Students stand up while the teacher reads a true or false statement.
 These statements can be
random trivia or content
related to what the students
are learning.
 If the students think the
statement is true they stay
standing.
 If the students think the
statement is false they sit
down.
 Materials:
 True or false cards
 Accommodations:
 Students in a wheelchair
or on crutches can stay
seated and do thumbs up
for true and thumbs down for false.
 Stand close to the student with a hearing impairment when
calling out the statements so that they can clearly hear them.
Brain Break #16 – Popcorn
  Done inside the classroom
 Students will all be sitting in their chairs, and at any time, a student
can jump up and say, “Pop!”
 Once they do, that student remains standing.
 If two students pop up at the same time, everyone takes their seats,
and the game starts over.
 No materials needed
 Accommodations:
 For students in a wheelchair or on crutches instead of
jumping up they can throw their arms up in the air with their
hands in a fist and slowly releasing the tension in their
fingers to resemble a pop.

Brain Break #17 – Hot potato

Done inside the classroom
Have students sit in a circle on the carpet.
Give one of the students a ball.
Play music and pause it frequently similarly to freeze dance.
If a student drops the ball or has the ball in their hand when the
music is stopped they must sit in the middle of the circle.
 Keep playing till there is only one student left in the game.
 Materials:
 Ball
 Laptop for music
 Accommodations:
 Allow students
with ADHD to
use flexible
 seating such as wobble chairs or exercise ball during this
activity.

Brain Break #18 – Rock, Paper, Scissors Knock Out

 Done inside the classroom
 Students partner up and play rock, paper, scissors until one of them
wins.
 The loser sits down, and the winner finds a classmate who is
looking for another partner.
 The game continues until there is one winner left.
 No materials needed
 No accommodations needed

Brain Break #19 – Back Drawing

 Done in the classroom
 Pair students up in groups of 2
 Tape a piece of paper to each students back.
 Partner 1 draws on the paper on Partner 2’s back while partner 2
tries to replicate the drawing based on what he/she is feeling.
 The partners share drawings and then switch positions.
 Materials:
 Paper
 Markers
 Accommodations:
 Provide fat markers for students who struggle holding
pencils.
Brain Break #20 – Balloon Volleyball
 Can be done inside or outside
 Blow up a balloon and bounce it back and forth keeping it off the
ground.
 Take turns passing it back and forth without letting it touch the
ground.
 Teach students to call out “I got it” so multiple kids do not go
running and bump into each other.
 Add more balloons for an extra challenge
 Materials:
 Balloons
 Accommodations:
 Students in a wheelchair or on crutches can stay seated, make
sure you as the teacher and their peers bump the ball in their
direction since the cant move to get it so they can participate.