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

 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 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
 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.
 - 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.
 Fingers 1 & 2 Cross Lateral Exercises:
 Fingers 2 & 5 Hand Elbow
 Fingers 3 & 2 Elbow Knee
 Nose & Ear Hand Foot
 Pointer Thumb Combination
 Pinky Thumb
Calming:
 Opposite Arms
Hook Up
 Gotcha
Hook Up with Finger Point
 Triangle Square
 Head Pat Belly Rub
Click links for video demonstrations
Click to play videos

Pinky and thumb

Triangle and square

Dr Spock Video

blog site = http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

For more videos search Brain Gym or Brain

Breaks on You Tube
 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
• After 17 minutes of sitting the body switches to rest and digest (sleep
mode)

• After aerobic activity learners are able to focus better because of the
increased blood flow and oxygen to the brain

• For every 3 minute Brain Break you get approximately 30 minutes of

focus from students

• 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!
•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.

• 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!
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
Christopher Jackson:
chjackson@northallegheny.org
Dean Boronyak:
dboronyak@northallegheny.org
Beth Frisco:
bfrisco@northallegheny.org

“Movement is the
Key to Life”