Socially Distanced Brain Breaks
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I really enjoy incorporating Brain Breaks into my classroom as a chance to include purposeful silliness (yes, it’s a thing!) and just shake our minds and bodies loose from what we’ve been focusing on! Awhile ago, I shared a blog post with some of my favorite Brain Breaks in a set of Google Slides, but I think it’s time to revisit that post and do a refresh with some options that work better for social distancing in the classroom.
Some of these will work with your virtual classes/hybrid classes and some would need some tweaks. Some are simply old favorites, but with 6 feet in between! Either way, I hope you find some inspiration for social distance brain breaks here!
Distanced Brain Breaks
- Rock, paper scissors – just spread out!
- Zip Zap Zoom
- Levántate si tú llevas – great for colors and clothing
- TPR – simple instructions. Make this more complex by giving them a chain of things to do before saying go!
- Guess who – describe a student in the room (or in your virtual room!)
- Gary Warchola shared the idea of having students pick a background on their Zoom call. You choose one of the pics and describe it – they guess who!
- Dance – just make sure you’re spread out
- Diez or Cien (counting game!) – instructions here
- Balance – balance a pencil on their finger, nose, head..whatever. Level up by giving them instructions (walk, stand on one foot, etc)
- Good ol’ Simon Says!
- Watch a silly video in the TL (or not!)
Quiet Brain Breaks
There’s a LOT of noise going on – screen time, headphones, videos, you name it. Here are some brain breaks that don’t involve more sounds:
- Three Snaps / Two Snaps shared by JJ Epperson – your right hand snaps 3 times while moving up and down and your left hand snaps 2 times while moving up and down. Both hands move continuously – it’s a feat of coordination! She has a handy video explaining this one!
- Simultaneously draw a square and circle with each hand – Pull a sheet of scratch paper out and try it, or just do it in the air. WAY harder than it sounds. Switch it up by doing different shape combos like star and triangle, star and square, square and triangle.. you get the idea!
- Arm circles – The good thing about social distancing is that you have plenty of space for big arm swings! Circle both arms forward 10x, then backwards 10x, then one arm one direction while the other goes the opposite, and switch!
- Silent Catch shared by JJ Epperson (and slow motion!) – Students “toss” an invisible “ball” back and forth in a big circle. Make it slow mo to switch it up!
- “Take a nap” – Turn off the lights and sounds. Heads down, just chill.
Brain Breaks with Built-In Spanish Practice
If you want to sprinkle in a little Spanish while your students reset, try brain breaks that sneak in vocabulary without them even noticing. One of my favorites is “Salta si ves” where you call out different items in Spanish and students jump if they see that item around them. You can use categories too. Salta si ves un color. Salta si ves algo redondo. It is quick, fun, and gets their ears tuned in to the language while their bodies get a moment to move.
Another good one? “Camina como” where students move like an animal you say in Spanish. Camina como un elefante. Salta como un canguro. Vuela como un pájaro. Works beautifully with younger students but I have seen high schoolers crack up doing this too. Bonus points if you let them suggest animals next.
These quick little breaks give their brains a reset while reinforcing language in the most low-pressure way.
No-Touch Group Games That Still Feel Social
Just because students are spread out does not mean they cannot interact. Try a version of “Encuentra a alguien que” where students raise their hand if the statement applies to them. Encuentra a alguien que tiene una mascota. Encuentra a alguien que desayunó cereal. It is quiet, simple, and still brings that sense of we are all in this together.
You can make this work for virtual too. Put your prompts into Google Slides and have students react with a hand signal or by typing in the chat. It is easy to prep and makes class feel more like a shared experience, even when everyone is on their own screen.
These socially distanced brain breaks keep the energy up and the connection strong. Just a little bit of movement and play goes a long way toward keeping everyone engaged and smiling.
Final Thoughts
Even with a little extra space between us, brain breaks still work their magic. Keep it simple, keep it fun, and your students will keep showing up ready to learn.
