Provide Regular Breaks
Tags
Skills
Provide Regular Breaks
If your student struggles with attention or learning difficulties, particularly if the work is very challenging
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Objective: Frequent, regularly-scheduled movement or stretching breaks in class will help refresh and sustain students' attention for school work. Students will also build self-awareness over time of when they might need a break and an appropriate time and way to initiate it. -
Explain why: It is important to take breaks even though you might not always feel you need it. Most people have difficulty paying attention for more than 20 minutes. Taking short breaks can help you refresh and re-focus.
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Model: Build in regular movement breaks between class activities that can be done together, so students get into the habit and can begin to feel the benefits. Make it interactive by having students choose the activity themselves or from a choice board, such as 10 jumping jacks, or running in place.
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Build Self-Awareness: Help students recognize the signs of needing a break e.g. cannot remember what they just read, realize they are staring out the window, work taking longer than it should. Encourage students to take breaks when they feel they need to. You will have to create guidelines and ensure students aren't using breaks too often or to avoid work.
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Create Break Cards: For elementary students, make an index card with pictures or choices. At home it could be 10 stretches, drink of water from the kitchen, walk up and down the stairs 3 times. At school it could be get a drink of water, use the restroom, take a short walk down the hall. Emphasize the importance of getting back to work immediately after a break. Include a reminder or picture of getting back to work on the student's break card. Set clear expectations for school breaks: For example: No longer than 5 minutes. Leave quietly. Do not distract others when you return.
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Ongoing Reinforcement: It will take time for students to build the self-awareness to initiate breaks when they really need them. Continue to remind students to self-assess when it is time to take a break and use their break cards.