Brain breaks can last anywhere from 1 minute to 10 minutes. A popular Web 2.0 tool can be used to guide a classroom brain break. It is called Go Noodle. I used it with my faculty at a faculty meeting in order to introduce it. Since that meeting, it would be safe to say that 75% of my teachers use it with their students and both teachers and students LOVE IT!
The class gets assigned a character. After a certain amount of brain breaks the character grows and the students get excited to see how big their character gets. Go Noodle has different types of activities that the teacher can choose for the class, depending on the need of the class. If the class needs to get out of their seats and move around and be very active because they have been sitting in their seats for a while racking their brains to solve math problems, a Zumba or Hip Hop dance activity may be just what they need. The Go Noodle selection has activities that are as short as 1 minute long and as much as 10 minutes long so teachers can choose an activity that meets their timing needs. They can also choose a longer one but stop it when they need to; the class will still get credit for their brain break activity so that their character continues to grow. Once they select the activity there are people that come on the screen and lead the class in a routine going along with the music.
If the students need a brain break to calm them down, Go Noodle has some mindfulness activities including yoga or breathing exercises. The act of being present and mindful is becoming more and more popular however many people are not quite sure how to lead an activity for their students. The breathing activity on Go Noodle can help with that. There are many options but one of the options I like is called "Take on the Day" which walks you through blinking and breathing and being present and is only 1 minute long.
Other breathing activities are great but longer so you may want to stop it after a minute or two because the students may start to get restless taking deep breaths in and out for longer than that.
Over the summer I went to a conference led by Dr. Bill Brennan and Cory Muscara called Brennan Learning. Dr. Brennan discussed many topics that he is known for around innovation. Theory U was discussed to help bring about change in school districts and other organizations. Mr. Muscara's specialty is meditation and the act of being present, which pairs well with Theory U since being present is part of the Theory U process but in a different way. Mr. Muscara led us in a few mindfulness activities that can be done in schools without the use of technology. One of the activities stuck with me, especially because it doesn't take long at all and is a perfect way to take a brain break and be in the moment. During a silent moment, where no one talks (soft music can play in the background but doesn't have to), everyone in the room closes their eyes and traces one of their hands with the other hand. Each person uses his/her pointer finger to trace up and down his/her thumb, then move to the pointer finger and trace up and down, then the middle finger, the ring finger, and pinky. Then he/she does the same thing the opposite way back to the thumb. The quiet soft sounds, the sensation of the finger tracing the hand, and the thoughts of your breathing make this an easy way to take a brain break and be mindful.
It doesn't matter how you take your brain break or how you lead your faculty or students in a brain break. What matters is that you take the time to have one.
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