3 Easy Brain Break Activities for the Classroom

Some days, your class just needs a reset.

Maybe the energy is starting to dip, students are getting a little restless, or you’ve reached that point in the lesson where you can tell you’re beginning to lose them. A quick brain break can be such a simple way to get everyone up, moving and laughing before settling back into learning.

As a high school teacher, I’ve always loved brain breaks that are quick, easy and require little to no preparation. I don’t want something that needs resources printed beforehand or takes ten minutes to explain — I want activities I can pull out at a moment’s notice when I can feel the class needs it.

So, I’ve put together three of my favourite easy brain break activities that you can keep in your back pocket for one of those classroom days.

1. Scissors, Paper, Rock

This one has always been my favourite.

It’s super simple, students already know how to play, there’s no equipment needed, it gets everyone standing up — and they LOVE the opportunity to try and beat the teacher 😂

It works particularly well when you only have a couple of minutes to spare but want to completely shift the energy in the room.

2. Heads or Tails

Another wonderfully simple brain break that requires almost no preparation.

All you need is a coin (or a virtual coin toss if you don’t have one handy!) and you’re ready to go.

I love this one for a really quick reset between activities because the whole class can participate at once and there’s very little explaining involved.

3. Seven Fingers

If you want to sneak a little thinking into your brain break, try Seven Fingers.

Students work together in small groups with one very simple goal: make seven.

It’s quick, collaborative and gets students talking and thinking without it feeling like another classroom task.

Keep These for Your Next Classroom Reset

Sometimes the simplest activities are the ones that work best.

These three brain breaks require little to no prep, minimal equipment and only a few minutes of class time, making them easy to pull out whenever your students need a quick change of pace.

Save this post somewhere handy so the next time you notice the wriggles starting or the Friday-afternoon energy setting in, you’ve got three easy ideas ready to go.

And if you know another teacher who is always looking for simple classroom ideas, send this blog post their way! 🤍

Happy teaching!

Chloe x