The Power of Brain Breaks

My first graders have so much energy! I don't know where they get it all, but it sure makes teaching difficult sometimes. 

I recently came across an article that talked about the academic benefits of getting students moving throughout the day. This is something that I've heard before, but I had forgotten. Thus, I've been trying a new tool in my classroom!

I recently started using a website called GoNoodle in my classroom. I'm pretty excited about it! The website explains, "GoNoodle helps teachers channel classroom energy with short interactive brain breaks. Desk-side activities help kids achieve more by keeping them engaged and motivated throughout the day" (gonoodle.com). GoNoodle is free and the brain breaks are "designed... to be healthy for the body, engaging for the attention, and beneficial to the brain in specific ways" (gonoodle.com). Most of the brain breaks are short, under 5 minutes, so you can make your brain break session as short or as long as you want.

When you create an account, you add classes. Of course I only have one group of students all day, but teachers with several class periods can have a separate account for each class within their overall account. Each class gets to pick a 'Champ', a virtual mascot who grows as kids do more and more activities on GoNoodle. This makes it more like a game with motivation and rewards. My kids love seeing their 'Champ' grow.

There are a variety of brain breaks in GoNoodle. Some are meant to be calming and relaxing, while some are energizing. Some even integrating core subject content. There are several channels to choose from. "Zumba Kids" gets students dancing to popular songs. "Fresh Start Fitness" and "Run with Us" are short exercise programs to get kids moving. These activities really get students motivated and ready to learn. "Maximo" is a character that leads kids through stretches. There are lots of funny and silly songs on the GoNoodle and "Kidz Bop" channels. "Brainercise" gets kids to focus on their coordination and the "Think about it" channel calms students with a series of thought provoking questions. The website recommends using one of these more focused activities before a test. An Indoor Recess channel provides longer activities. There is even a YouTube channel where you can upload your students' favorite videos to add to the preloaded videos great to use for brain breaks.

There is an option to upgrade your account to GoNoodle Plus. With the added games in the plus version, teachers can customize some of the games to go along with what is being learned in class! 

This has made such a difference in my classroom! I've noticed that my students' moods have improved and they are more alert. At St. Augustine, we start off the day with a morning run in the gym, but I've realized that my students really need something like this to start their afternoon after lunch. This is the most difficult time of day for my class and I've noticed great improvements with the use of GoNoodle! I highly recommend it!