Brain breaks for kids are a stellar way to help children wind down, re-energize, or regroup. Whether through breathing exercises, music, or movement adventures, brain breaks are awesome short-form activities for the classroom or on the go.

Our in-school Yo Re Mi classes lead brain breaks throughout the day, and our new Yo Re Mi App offers a library of 5 to 15-minute brain breaks for the classroom. Since there are so many exercises to choose from, however, we thought we’d share a few of our super fun favorites!

Brain breaks for kids that help them refocus energize or wind down

Here are brain breaks for kids that will energize, refocus, and empower the classroom (and even teachers!)

Energizing Brain Break for Kids: Volcano Pose

Stress and tension is not exclusive to grown-ups… children experience it too! That’s why a fun brain break like Volcano Pose can help us bubble, bubble, BOOM! Releasing all that negative energy and helping us create space to give our brain a break.

Learn more about the benefits of this energizing yoga pose, and how to master it, in our blog post on Volcano Pose for kids.

Animal-themed Brain Break: “See the Bunnies Sleeping”

We love animal yoga poses — and so do the children! Animal yoga helps us use our imaginations to learn about the variety of animals in the world (and each child’s favorite!)

Animal yoga such as “See the Bunnies Sleeping” is not only an energizing brain break, but also an incredibly interactive icebreaker for kids. Use this brain break for the classroom to help children get to know each other better, or help restless kids get re-energized after a long school day.

Brain Break for Improved Focus: Chair Pose

Chair Pose is a year-round strengthening pose that can help improve focus and attention (both in the classroom and out). It is also a great winter pose, as it helps combat cold and tired feelings with inner fire!

Whether you use this brain break for kindergarten kids or grade school teachers, Chair Pose’s challenging alignment will promote confidence, focus and core strength. Learn more about Chair Pose brain breaks here, and practice along with our Rocket Ship video below (combined with an energizing Star Pose).

Download our new app for more brain breaks

Positive Brain Breaks for the Classroom: Affirmation Yoga

Affirmations help promote positivity, and affirmation yoga (combining those positive words with poses) helps build confidence.

At Yo Re Mi, we like to combine affirmations with a yoga flow to help ground, strengthen and energize the body. By building this confidence, we encourage self-expression in children and use affirmations as a tool to both listen to their ideas and incorporate those ideas into brain breaks throughout the day.

Brain Break for Releasing Energy: “Jump in the Water”

Though brain breaks are great for refocusing and re-energizing, sometimes they’re equally needed to release anxious energy in children. This is especially useful during days with inclement weather when kids are unable to release that energy, and simply need to jump around!

Our “Jump in the Water” exercise is not only a water-themed yoga pose favorite, it is also a perfect choice for jumping and letting loose! Try it with Isaac in this Yo Re Mi children’s music and movement video, below.

Which children’s brain breaks will you try with kids first? Depending on the environment, and your movement goals, each of these brain breaks can prove useful during different times of the day and in different parts of school/the classroom.

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