Resilience Now

Tips to help parents build 

wellbeing & resilience for the family

At home or school 
we are here to help.

What We Offer You: 

Weekly access to simple, actionable tips to increase your resilience and help you facilitate your children’s continued learning journey.  Scroll down for this week's tip.


Who We Are

A group of Education Wellbeing Experts that includes teachers, psychologists, coaches, researchers and parents with over 300 years of experience.


Our Shared Background:

We use Wellbeing sciences like Positive Psychology, Neuroscience, and Appreciative Inquiry to help our clients be happier and more resilient.


TAKE A BRAIN BREAK


Tip:

Put the brakes on and take a brain break!   

 

Try This:

Act NOW and give your brain a break!






Why This Works:

Brain Breaks help us re-energize and re-focus



Tip

It seems life is busier and more hectic than ever. Many of us are trying to do more, in less time, and under stress. Kids are sitting in front of screens or not allowed to move away from their desks in classrooms for hours on end. Many students are feeling pressured to learn in new ways or under new restrictions. Sadly, many children are also experiencing more worry, anxiety and disappointment than ever and many are simply worn out.

So, if you or your kids are forgetting things more often, losing track of time, taking longer to learn new information and/or just feeling generally exhausted, it’s likely your brain needs a break! The good news is, even a very brief Brain Break can bring about lasting positive results for your minds and bodies. 

 

Try This

1) Make two lists: one list of things that help you relax and one list that energizes you

Focus on what you know and what you can do.

Examples of relaxing activities could be:

Examples of energizing activities could be:

2) List your items in order of the amount of time they take - placing items that could be done in just a few minutes at the top

3) Keep your lists handy - for example in a notes app on your phone

4) Next time you feel you need to relax or energize, choose one item from your list and take a brain break!

You will be pleasantly surprised how much better you feel after even just a few minutes.

Why This Works

Brain breaks allow our brains to consolidate and integrate our  experiences and the concepts we are learning, so that they transfer into our long-term memory. When we stop concentrating so hard and either do something to relax or get up and move, we become more creative and are able to focus more efficiently when we get back to the task.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) notes that,Brain breaks provide vital opportunities for anchoring learning, regaining focus, and enhancing creativity. Offering opportunities to be up and moving helps keep brains refreshed and open to learning.”

Research has shown that our brains can only concentrate for up to 20 minutes at a time, and for children it’s even less time -- more like 7-10 minutes. Our brains need time to incorporate and assimilate whatever we are learning. These breaks help us consolidate lessons we have just learned, as well as getting our blood flowing and delivering more oxygen to our brains!


Resources



Popular children’s brain breaks, action and dance songs for kids! Brain Breaks Playlist for Children: 30+ minutes of your children’s favorite brain breaks, action songs and dance songs for kids. Move and Freeze is a popular brain break, action song for children.


Five minute bursts, 4 times a day = Happy Brain.


Downloadable free pdf. Practical ways to introduce and broaden the use of Social Emotional Learning Practices in classrooms, schools, and workplaces.  

Additional Reading

Additional Reading