BRAIN BREAKS
OPTIMIZE LEARNING
LET’S GET MOVING!
BRAIN BREAK WARM UP
1. Brain Button
2. Marching
3. Hand to opposite knee
(cross crawl)
4. Step touch cross
5. Elbow to opposite Knee
6. Ankle touch behind
7. Bend and reach –Windmill
8. Hook up - Breathing
Click here for Brain
Break - Warm up Video
WHAT DID WE JUST DO?
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Increased oxygen and blood flow to wake up
the brain
Helped develop cross neural pathways by
crossing the midline and connecting the
left & right brain
Reduced fight or flight hormones/chemicals
Released serotonin to relieve stress
“Physical activity and
learning are inextricably
interwoven.”
John Ratey MD
EXERCISE AND THE BRAIN
“Exercise is like Miracle-Gro for the brain, it puts the brain of
the learners in the optimal position for them to learn.”
John Ratey, MD Harvard Medical School
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
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Our early ancestors
predominately consisted of
hunter-gatherer types
ensuring the “Running Man”
as a standard of fitness for
their survival.
If you did not run, you did
not eat.
Individuals who could out-run
& out-plan their peers would
survive.
BRAIN BREAKS
- Are a learning readiness sequence that
prepares students for optimal learning.
- Brain breaks wake the brain from the rest
and digest mode that occurs every 17-20
minutes.
- Calming Activities are used to relax and
focus before a test, after recess or
returning from lunch.
- Proper hydration is vital to increase
electrical activity, oxygen delivery, and
nutrition.
BRAIN BREAKS
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Cross Lateral Exercises:
Fingers 1 & 2
 Hand Elbow
Fingers 2 & 5
 Elbow Knee
Fingers 3 & 2
 Hand Foot
Nose & Ear
 Combination
Pointer Thumb
Pinky Thumb
Calming:
Opposite Arms
 Hook Up
Gotcha
 Hook Up with Finger Point
Triangle Square
Head Pat Belly Rub
Click links for video demonstrations
YOU TUBE VIDEOS
Click to play videos
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Pinky and thumb
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Triangle and square
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Dr Spock Video
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blog site = http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/
For more videos search Brain Gym or Brain
Breaks on You Tube
BRAIN BREAKS CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!
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Concentration & Complex Thinking
Memory
Auditory Processing & Listening
Language and Communication
Speech
Vision
Academic Skills: Reading, Writing, Spelling
& Math's
Creativity and the Generation of New Ideas
Coordination and Athletic Performance
Stress Release
Positive Thinking and Self Esteem
BRAIN BREAK HIGHLIGHTS
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After 17 minutes of sitting the body switches to rest and digest (sleep
mode)
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After aerobic activity learners are able to focus better because of the
increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain
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For every 3 minute Brain Break you get approximately 30 minutes of
focus from students
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Brain Breaks are effective with every type of student directly effecting
their academics, social skills, and motor skills
blog site = http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/
MOVEMENT IS THE KEY TO LEARNING
GET MOVING!
THIRTY MINUTES OF EXERCISE
HAS THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS:
• Repetitive gross motor movement strengthens
secondary dendritic branching (the part of the neuron
that remembers details).
• Daily exercise cements the details learned in the last 48
hours, making a case for daily physical activity.
• Neurogenesis: Growth of new brain cells in the
hippocampus (learning and memory center of the brain)
• BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor) causes neurons
to fire more efficiently.
• Oxygen and glucose (brain fuel) get to the brain faster.
THIRTY MINUTES OF EXERCISE
HAS THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS
• The vestibular system is activated for better balance
enabling the student to better read numbers and letters left
to right on the page.
• Crossing the midline integrates and energizes the brain for
better focus and retrieval of memory.
• Exercise activates brain chemicals that reduce stress and
elevate self esteem.
• Basic motor skills lay the foundation for other learning. What
makes us move is also what makes us think.
• The brain needs time to consolidate new information to take
learning from short term to working memory to long term
memory. Exercise helps anchor the new information.
Tell Me, I Forget
Show Me, I Remember
Involve Me…
I Understand!
REFERENCES
Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head by Carla Hannaford.
Salt Lake City: Great River Books, 1995.
Ratey, J, (2008): The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
[Little, Brown and Company (January 10)].
www.actionbasedlearning.com - Jean Blaydes
http://learningreadinesspe.com/ (go to links and pdf)
http://www.bal-a-vis-x.com/
http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/
http://www.braingym.org/
http://johnratey.com/newsite/index.html
http://bags-balls-and-brains.com/
“Exercise is the single most
powerful tool you have to optimize
your brain function.”
John Ratey, MD
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Christopher Jackson:
chjackson@northallegheny.org
Dean Boronyak:
dboronyak@northallegheny.org
Beth Frisco:
bfrisco@northallegheny.org
“Movement is the
Key to Life”