Every teacher knows the moment. You’re mid explanation, 30 minutes in, eyes glaze over, pens stop moving, the arrow keys start clicking, and behaviour starts sliding out the window. The instinct is to push through, remind students to focus, go through the steps, and probably raise your voice. We all know that might work for a minute or two and may get a few students back on track. It’s not sustainable though, and teachers just end up yelling, or giving consequences for behaviours that waste time, and could have been avoided.

Learning doesn’t break down because teachers lack expertise or preparation. It breaks down when students are overloaded, dysregulated, or mentally checked out. Attention, behaviour and engagement sit underneath every learning task, and when one slips, the others follow quickly. Brain breaks respond to this reality by addressing readiness first, allowing learning to take place.

What are brain breaks?

Brain breaks are short, intentional pauses built into lessons to reset focus and energy. They are not rewards and they are not filler. They are a proactive classroom management and engagement strategy.

A brain break might involve light movement, quick thinking, humour, or a sensory reset. They usually last between 30 seconds and five minutes. When done well, students return to learning calmer, more focused, and more willing to engage.

Importantly, brain breaks are about protecting learning time. A one-minute reset often saves far more time than it takes by reducing off task behaviour and repeated redirection.

Why brain breaks work

Students are not designed to sustain long periods of passive attention. Cognitive load builds quickly, especially in lessons that involve listening, writing, problem solving or decision making. Once that load tips too far, behaviour becomes the outlet.

Brain breaks interrupt that overload. They give students a chance to regulate before frustration, disengagement or disruption takes over. This is especially important in secondary classrooms, where expectations are high but regulation skills are still developing.

Did you know that we actually use them with teachers during our Professional Development sessions?

From a practical point of view, brain breaks reduce low level behaviour, improve transitions, and help teachers regain momentum without escalating.

What brain breaks look like in real classrooms

In practice, brain breaks work best when they are predictable and tightly structured.

Teachers commonly use them:

• Mid lesson when energy dips
• After sustained writing or instruction
• Before transitioning to a new task
• When behaviour starts to shift

The most effective brain breaks are calm, clear and finish cleanly. Students know exactly what to do, how long it will last, and what happens next. The goal is reset, regulate, and get right back to work.

Some examples could be:

• Guided stretching (for movement)
• Breathing exercises (for regulation)
• A scribble game (as a creative outlet)

Consistency matters more than novelty, when done often, students understand what’s coming and when, and quickly start to notice the difference between classes that use brain breaks them, and those that don’t. When students recognise the routine, they settle faster and return to learning more smoothly.

Common mistakes to avoid

Brain breaks lose impact when they are overused or poorly timed. If every loss of focus triggers a break, students never build stamina. If breaks run too long, learning time is lost.

Another common issue is choosing activities that escalate energy instead of regulating it. Not every class needs high movement or noise. Matching the break to the moment is key.

Brain breaks work because they are intentional, not because they are entertaining (they absolutely can be, but it shouldn’t take away from the learning time).

Why teachers need them ready to go

One of the biggest barriers to using brain breaks consistently is planning time. Teachers know they work, but in the middle of a lesson, stopping to think of one is unrealistic.

Even when there is time to plan, was it the right one for the moment? That’s what I always found tough, I would plan for a break, and it was the wrong type, or the 2 or 3 I had on rotation were so predictable that students came bored and they no longer worked.

This is why I have created a pack of over 50 brain breaks that require no planning at all. Each activity is ready to use, simple to explain, and designed to work with secondary students (and upper primary students). There is no preparation required, no resources, and no set up.

All teachers need is the deck of cards in their pencil case. Pull one out, run the break, and get straight back to learning. You can even ask a student to choose!

A practical addition to any classroom

These brain breaks are not designed to replace good teaching. They’ve been designed to support it. They give teachers a practical tool to respond when learning starts to slip, without raising their voice or losing momentum.

They work across subjects, year levels and settings. They are especially useful in applied and vocational classrooms, where engagement and regulation directly affect participation.

The cards will be available for purchase on the website in February. They are there for teachers who want a simple, practical way to support focus and behaviour without adding to their workload.

Final thought

Strong lessons are built on more than content. They rely on students being ready to learn.

Brain breaks are a small strategy with a big payoff. When they are planned, consistent and easy to use, they make classrooms calmer, learning clearer, and teaching more manageable.

That is why they are worth having within reach.