Do your young students spend a significant amount of time each day in front of a computer screen as part of remote learning? Do you observe them becoming restless and irrational after remaining still for a while? Children's attention spans are limited. It is crucial that they take brain breaks, or mental rests intended to keep children alert and engaged. Did you know that new information must first travel through the amygdala in the brain before it can be stored in the prefrontal cortex? The process won't take place when kids' brains are overloaded with new knowledge. The data is not stored when this happens. Brain pauses are necessary to regain the emotional balance required to bring the amygdala back to its ideal state for proper information flow after it has gone into overdrive.

WHAT ARE BRAIN BREAKS?

These brief intermissions provide students the chance to assimilate information and remember what they have learned. Researchers recommend taking brain breaks every five to ten minutes for young children and every twenty to thirty minutes for older pupils since younger children have shorter attention spans than older children.

In a classroom, brain breaks are decided upon by the teacher. Don't forget to remind your youngster to take pauses from watching pre-recorded videos if they are remote learning. Like in the school, taking brain breaks at home will help your child stay on task, keep their focus, and retain more information. While your child is working on homework assignments, he or she should take pauses. These brief intermissions should allow your child to regroup. It is important for students to understand that these brain breaks are scheduled; this gives them something to anticipate.

BRAIN BREAK BENEFITS

In addition to increasing the information learned, brain breaks have many additional benefits. These benefits include:

• Helping with self-regulation

• Sharpening short-term memory

• Reducing anxiety and burnout

• Improving academic achievement

• Benefiting overall health and wellness

• Boosting attention and motivation to learn

• Building new skills.

BOOSTING BREAK BREAKS

Brain breaks can be done in a variety of ways. Even your child prefers a certain type of break, change it up! Introduce your child to a variety of breaks to keep them engaged. Below are examples, some including movement and skill-building. Physical brain breaks are used to get students up and moving. They help to burn off some of their giggles and energy.

• Dance

• Jumping jacks

• Jog in place

• Play Simon Says

Relaxing brain breaks are used to help students calm down and reset their energy.

• Yoga

• Listen to relaxing music

• Meditate

• Color

Sensory brain breaks help to stimulate one’s sense and feel revitalized.

• Step outside and get some fresh air.

• Scavenger hunt

• Playdough

Skill building brain breaks given students the change to develop new skills, but take their mind

off the task they were engaged in.

• Jigsaw puzzles

• Storytime

• Brain teasers

• Riddles

Brain break games give students a change of pace between their assignments.

• Board games

• Charades

The duration of a brain break simply needs to be a few minutes. They shouldn't interfere with a current lesson. Children can refocus by having this time to engage in another activity. They will learn more and retain it if they are more narrowly focused.