Movement And Breathing Breaks Help Students Stay Focused On Learning

For many children, sitting still all day in school is a very big challenge. Because of which, movement breaks are a good practice, whether it's in elementary school or in high school. In addition, learning science reflects us that movement activates the brain and also improves cognition.

 

Dr. Pamela Cantor, Founder and Chief Science Advisor of Turnaround for Children, said that this idea of children sitting for long periods of time is not good and they aren’t naturally wired to do that. The doctor said this in an Edutopia video series on the science of learning. He added that rather than putting them in a position where they have to act out to demonstrate that they require to be able to move, building in movement breaks means that they will get some of the stress relief. Also, they will get some of the energy releases which they need in order to be able to get calm again and pay attention to learning.

 

And for those students who come to school having experienced some form of trauma, this movement is even more important.

 

Cynthia Robinson-Rivers, head of school at Van Ness Elementary school in Washington, D.C. said that if they do have a certain percentage of kids with toxic stress, they have higher amounts of cortisol and the way to release that is with the help of physical movement.

 

Students must be given a chance to exercise and move during the day. This will help them self-regulate during class time, but it can be difficult for kids to transition from high energy spaces to calmer spaces. Students would be able to calm down because of incorporating a simple mindfulness practice after lunch or at the start of the school day.

Lindsey Minder, a second-grade teacher said that she never need kids to close their eyes because that can feel really unsettling. They talk about looking into the palms of their hands or they're looking into the seam on their sneakers, whatever works for them.

 

She added that the impact of the mindfulness practice is really this general sense of them being more comfortable and confident with themselves. Also, they become comfortable with their varying needs and decreases in anxiety around academic work.

 

 

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/53175/movement-and-breathing-breaks-help-students-stay-focused-on-learning