Schoolwork and daily tasks can take a lot from the brain, making any tasks difficult to complete. Brain breaks help calm the brain during or after these activities and make it easier to complete the task without experiencing burnout.
Brain breaks are very useful to middle and high school students to help minimize and control overwhelming frustration from difficult school work. Every 20-30 minutes of schoolwork calls for a three to five-minute rest period. Having these breaks is necessary for the learning process and assisting students in clearing their minds during an assignment. Paige Tutt with the George Lucas Educational Foundation explains the benefits of brain breaks for middle and high school students. “Regardless of attention spans, brain breaks can prevent older students from getting overwhelmed and provide space for reflection, joy and connection during a packed school day. They’re also a crucial part of the learning process,” said Tutt.
There are so many different activities to help relieve students’ stress. Whether it is a group or individual activity, students can hit the refresh button and get back on track to finish their schoolwork. Breathing exercises, mini dance parties, short brain games or even coloring will give a student the perfect amount of time to recover from their long and stressful day of school. Activities like meditation and small jigsaw puzzles are perfect to clear the students’ minds before a big test or assignment. Dance parties, Would You Rather and Rock, Paper, Scissors are great ways to mix some fun and laughter into your class period and help the students get some unneeded stress out before the class starts.
In a study done at the University of Maine of Farmington, Sheryl F. Morton researches the benefits of adding these breaks into your classroom schedule. “Effective teachers will also engage their students through the democratic process of honoring student voices and designing their classroom environment as a place to integrate tactual and kinesthetic activity throughout students’ academic day to increase brain activity. Brain breaks may also be an effective way to re-engage students during the standard high school, eighty-minute class period.” Rearranging the classroom schedule to fit in brain breaks has multiple benefits for students and teachers.
From relieving stress and anxiety to bringing joy to the classroom, brain breaks can give students a moment to relax and help clear their minds. These activities are such a crucial part of high schoolers’ learning process, making it important for teachers to incorporate these tiny breaks into their classroom schedule.
