Brain Breaks: How to Keep Students Energised
Children are well known for being full of energy - energy that never seems to subside. However, when it comes to school time, sitting down for long periods of time can naturally cause them to become tired or even bored.
Why might students lack energy?
It's Friday afternoon
Or perhaps, it's Monday morning
The weather is too hot/cold
The teacher has been talking for too long
After PE lessons
The content is difficult
We all know that a lull in the classroom can be soul-destroying, so we've found some fun, interactive ways to keep students engaged, high energy, and ready to learn. We like to call them BRAIN BREAKS!
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Six Spots
The beauty of this game is that there is no real purpose other than to have a bit of fun and take, you guessed it, a brain break! To play, number six areas around the room from 1-6. Students go to one of these six areas. Using giant foam dice, roll a number. Students standing in that area must sit back down in their seats. Repeat the game until only a few students remain – they are the winners!
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Blind Artist
This brain break can relate to your subject or topic, and students find it hilarious too! Students work together in pairs, standing back-to-back. One student gets a drawing that you prepared earlier (perhaps a picture of a taught vocabulary word). The student holding the drawing needs to give clear and concise instructions to their partner, who will attempt to draw it. For an added challenge, you could ask students to draw with their non-dominant hand!
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Act it out!
A perfect brain break for any lesson, but even more relevant when covering verbs in English class! Ask students to act out the verb for at least 10 seconds before getting faster and faster. For example: "Dance like a ballerina! Play some tennis!" Swing a baseball bat!". Another great alternative for older students is to add in funny adverbs. "Play the guitar angrily" or "read a book crazily". This game will surely have all your students on their feet, active, and laughing out loud too.
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You don't only have to use active brain breaks to keep students energised. You can try switching up classic procedures in the classroom to keep students alert. Sometimes, it's merely the simplicity of school routines that can be tiresome.
Student Leadership and Autonomy
Students love knowing that their voices are heard and respected in a classroom. Giving students responsibilities around the classroom can really support their sense of self as a learner and help them stay engaged with their work. Involving students in curriculum decision-making can also make a difference in how interested and excited they are to learn!
Group or partner work
Student to student interaction rather than teacher lecturing will switch up the pace of the class and allow vital peer discussions. Students would much rather talk with one another, so why not take advantage of that! Have students lead their own learning and get them to think up ideas by themselves, rather than handing them bucketloads of information. They’ll feel a great sense of achievement too!
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Alternative Answering
Don't just use verbal answers or hands-up all the time… Have you tried other methods, such as mini-whiteboards, clickers, hand signals, or games? For excellent online game ideas, check out our previous article! Lots of these methods involve whole-class answering rather than just one student at a time. Alternate and see if it makes a difference!
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