How to Successfully Integrate Tactile Learning into Your Classroom
December 18, 2024
Sometimes (or a lot of the time), children struggle to pay attention in class. Young students are full of energy and never like to sit still for long, especially when lessons are challenging. Teachers may find themselves desperately searching “how to make math fun” or figuring out the delicate balance between work time and break time. Research has proven that math brain breaks for kids will reduce student’s frustration and promote engaged learning. There are ways to have productive movement and effective brain breaks in the classroom!
At Math & Movement, we’re all about kinesthetic learning and the benefits of physical activity in school. We’re sharing some of the science behind brain breaks and our active math movements that teachers can easily incorporate into their school days.
Throughout the years, researchers have done numerous studies on the benefits of brain breaks for kids. Put simply, a brain break is a short, structured time where students can rest from the typical school day lessons. These quick breaks can include physical movements, mindfulness exercises, and creative activities, that allow students to reset and refocus their minds and bodies in preparation for the next lesson.
Brain breaks that include physical exercise have been proven to increase blood flow to the brain, stimulating its growth. With more blood, and therefore oxygen, in the brain, learning comprehension and memory retention improve.
The image below shows the brain scans of two students about to take a test. The student on the left sat quietly for 20 minutes before the scan. Contrastly, the student on the right was walking for 20 minutes before the scan. We can tell from this image that a quick break with physical activity wakes up the brain! The student on the right will be more focused and less restless during the test.
In a 2012 study, Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and other researchers from USC and MIT found compelling evidence supporting the benefits of brain breaks in the classroom for students. Using an fMRI scanner, they observed the brain’s activity when it was resting or wandering – also known as the mind’s “default mode.” Contrary to what one might think, the brain was still highly active and exercising different regions than it does while fully engaged.
With this data, scientists concluded that brain breaks are necessary for consolidating memories and planning for the future. These resting moments keep the mind healthy and provide further clarity when using cognitive abilities and divergent thinking.
Moreover, a 2015 study found that short physical activity breaks in the classroom improve student behavior, especially for younger elementary-aged students.
Another 2014 study found that ten-minute breaks of physical activity helped 4th and 5th grade students stay on-task during academic work following the break.
Furthermore, in 2021, researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that a resting brain replays compressed memories of what it has recently practiced. This means that brain breaks in the classroom will reinforce learning in children as their minds review the material recently presented to them.
That’s a lot of fascinating research advocating for physically active breaks! In summary, active brain breaks in the classroom can help your students:
Now that you know the benefits of short classroom movement breaks, you probably need some brain break ideas for elementary students. Active math movements from Math & Movement will be the perfect addition to your school days for your elementary students.
Active math movements are Math & Movement’s short educational brain breaks. These movements are designed to give students physical exercise while simultaneously enhancing math skills. They do not require any materials and are perfect for short brain breaks in the classroom.
Our active math movements are broken into two parts – whisper/loud movements and skip counting movements. First, students practice whisper/loud movements to reinforce the intervals in the number line for different multiples. To do this, students whisper the numbers that are not multiples and shouting the numbers that are multiples. As an example for counting by threes, your class would say: 1 (whisper), 2 (whisper), 3 (loud).
Students will recite the whisper/loud patterns while moving their bodies. This is where their imagination comes in! Check out the videos below to see how we get creative with the movements!
Once students understand the whisper/loud patterns, they can move on to skip counting movements. In these math moves, we eliminate the whisper part and only skip count. More physical movement is added in as students count aloud.
Many of our active math movements are also cross-lateral movements. These movements engage both hemispheres of the brain and further boost brain activity and cognitive function.
Below, we’re sharing our favorite brain breaks for kids to make math fun. Try these physical math activities with any multiple your class is learning or needs more practice with.
The Math & Movement Training Manual is a fantastic resource for educators looking to incorporate more active math brain breaks into their school days. There are over 250 different movement activities included in the manual, intended to energize your students and further engage them in learning!
Our program and methods rest on years of research and movement throughout the school day, which has been proven to be a game-changer in education. The exercises in the manual will supplement your existing curriculum, strengthen students’ number sense, and support equity in the classroom.
In fact, we want to make movement-based learning strategies accessible to every educator. Enter your email below to receive a FREE copy of the Math & Movement Training Manual! This PDF will guide educators through implementing a kinesthetic approach to teaching – without any additional materials!
Movement isn't just for recess
Want to get started with movement-based learning right now? Enter your email to get our training manual with over 250 active math movements. No materials necessary!
See how simple adding movement can be!
Hands-on math ideas and physical movements such as these will create a learning environment where your students can thrive. Active math movements make excellent math brain breaks for kids that will refocus your classroom’s attention and increase productivity. With our manual, mats, and other materials, Math & Movement strives to support teachers in implementing these essential and education-changing practices. Active math movements will significantly help your students grow!
Add movement-based exercises for your students! Start with active math movements. These physical activities are perfect for counting aloud with fidgety elementary students.
Incorporate more brain breaks to refocus your students. Brain breaks with physical activity in the classroom are particularly beneficial.
Alloting time for movement-based activities and physical breaks is helpful for reducing stress in students. When students are energized and engaged in their lessons, they are less likely to be fearful of challenging lessons.
Science has found that the brain is still active while in a state of rest, such as during a break. Brain breaks help engage different regions of the brain, allot time to consolidate memories, and reinforce learning.
Buch et al., Consolidation of human skill linked to waking hippocampo-neocortical replay, Cell Reports, June 8, 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109193.
Erin Kaye Howie, Michael W. Beets, Russell R. Pate, Acute classroom exercise breaks improve on-task behavior in 4th and 5th grade students: A dose–response, Mental Health and Physical Activity, Volume 7, Issue 2, 2014, Pages 65-71, ISSN 1755-2966, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2014.05.002.
Immordino-Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V. (2012). Rest Is Not Idleness: Implications of the Brain’s Default Mode for Human Development and Education. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(4), 352-364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612447308.
Jordan A. Carlson, Jessa K. Engelberg, Kelli L. Cain, Terry L. Conway, Alex M. Mignano, Edith A. Bonilla, Carrie Geremia, James F. Sallis,
Implementing classroom physical activity breaks: Associations with student physical activity and classroom behavior, Preventive Medicine, Volume 81, 2015, Pages 67-72, ISSN 0091-7435, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.08.006.
Movement isn't just for recess
Want to get started with movement-based learning right now? Enter your email to get our training manual with over 250 active math movements. No materials necessary!
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