Special Education Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)

Brain breaks are for cognitive wellbeing, they are simple physical and mental exercises. They have a positive effect on learning by:

• increasing engagement and cognitive functioning
• supporting the brain maturation process
• enhancing focus, mood and learning
• increasing students’ perceived competence
• improving classroom behaviour
• strengthening teacher-student relationships.

Furthermore, if the brain breaks are physical, they have the additional benefits of:

• increasing circulation,
• increasing the oxygen in the bloodstream which leads to improved concentration,
• allowing the students to get out of their chairs.

Ideally, a brain break should be long enough to give children a rest, but short enough to keep the focus on learning. Brain breaks are short, structured activities that provide mental rest during the school day. They can include physical movement, mindfulness exercises, or sensory activities and typically last a few minutes. It’s recommended to incorporate a brain break every 20-30 minutes during class to help students stay focused and engaged.

Brain breaks are beneficial for cognitive functioning, mood, classroom behaviour, and teacher-student relationships.

All brain breaks, whether in the classroom or outside of the classroom, MUST be supervised. The exception to this is if a pupil is asked to deliver something to another class or the school office, and in this case the class teacher MUST be confident that the child will complete this activity and come straight back.

Brain breaks aren’t just a moment of play or rest during learning time, they help students reach their full potential.

Best time of day to schedule Brain Breaks

• First thing in the morning
• Between subjects
• After playtime
• After lunch
• After a PE lesson
• Intermittently during times when children need to sustain focus
• When a pupil is feeling frustrated and needs a short break

Examples of brain breaks

Wink-snap

Stand up

Wink your left eye and snap your right hand index finger and thumb at the same time

Wink your right eye and snap your left hand index finger and thumb at the same time

Switch from left to right as fast as you can.

Pen flipping brain break

Take a pen and flip it one revolution.

Now do the same thing with your other hand.

Now get a pen for both hands and try to do both pens at the same time.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

While inhaling, children contract one muscle group (for example their toes) for 5 - 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group.

Children relax for 10 - 20 seconds, and then move on to the next muscle group (for example their calves).

While releasing the tension, children try to focus on the changes they feel when the muscle group is relaxed.

Children gradually work their way up the body contracting and relaxing muscle groups.

Pressure Point Massage

Stand up straight.

Gently massage the pressure point between your thumb and pointer finger for one minute.​

Switch hands after 30 seconds.

Book balance

Balance a book on your head. Can you stand up, walk to another area, walk back and sit down without dropping the book?

3 hands, 7 fingers

An activity for three people -

One of the players says, 'One, two, three, show!'

On 'show', each person holds out 0-5 fingers.

The aim is to have 7 fingers in total.

How many times do you have to do it to have exactly 7 fingers?

Once you do, play with both hands and try to get to 11!

Human wave

Do a ‘human wave’ by standing and raising your arms around the room

Pencil Jumps

Place a pencil on the floor and jumps over forwards and backwards, 10 times. Then jump 10 more times side to side.

My Day mime

You have 30 seconds to act out what they have done so far today – starting with waking. You must do this silently and see if anyone can guess what you did.

Buzz

Children stand in a circle facing inwards. A nominated student begins by saying 'one'. The student to the left of the first one says 'two' and so on around the circle, calling out numbers in numerical order.

Every time a number comes along that contains a 7 or is a multiple of 7, students must call out ‘buzz’ instead of the number. Counting then continues as normal until the next multiple of 7 or number with a 7.

For example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, buzz, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, buzz, 15, 16, buzz etc

When someone makes a mistake, the counting starts again. Can the class make it to 100?

Thumb pointing challenge

Clench your left fist and give a 'thumbs up' sign. With your right hand, keep your thumb tucked in and point your pointer finger directly at the raised thumb on the left hand.

Then switch positions, with the left pointer finger pointing at the right hand’s raised thumb. Swap between these two positions and try to improve your speed and coordination.

The rules around fidgets in the classroom may vary depending on the pupil and their need, however there are common guidelines that all children, parents and teachers MUST adhere to:

The purpose of a fidget

Fidgets should be used to help students focus, NOT as toys. They are typically allowed for students with attention or sensory processing needs.

Type of fidget

Fidgets MUST be silent and non-distracting, such as stress balls, putty, fidget spinners, or blu tac. These MUST be provided by the school and not brought in from home. No loud or visually distracting fidgets are to be used within the classroom, these are prohibited. Students are NOT allowed to bring personal fidgets from home, unless agreed with the school SENCo.

Usage of a fidget

Pupil should use fidgets discreetly, keeping them below desk level and ensuring they do not disrupt their own learning or that of others.

At the teacher's discretion

The final decision on whether a fidget is appropriate will lie with the class teacher, with the support of the school SENCo. There are specific rules based on the classroom dynamics and individual pupils needs. Fidgets are not to be used at a parent or pupils’ choice.

Education

Teachers may explain the purpose and rules for using fidgets to the entire class to foster understanding and minimize potential issues.

Monitoring

Teachers will monitor the use of fidgets and intervene if they become a distraction rather than a helpful tool.

Fidgets are NOT toys and MUST not be used as such!

Examples of fidgets that are used within school:

A calming corner (or space) is a comfortable and calming area for children to go to when they need a space in which to calm down their bodies and to process their big feelings.

It is a positive and non-punitive alternative to time-outs that helps children develop emotional regulation, provides structure, and leaves them feeling safe and secure.

The goal when creating a calm down corner is to create a safe space for a child to go to if they’re upset or showing signs of dysregulation. It is not used to punish bad behaviour; it is a safe space for processing emotions.

Calm corners or areas MUST be set up where an adult can oversee it and only one child should use the space at one time – it is a regulation area, NOT a play area.

Why Should You Create a Calming Corner?

Children don’t misbehave because they want to. They misbehave because they don’t possess the necessary skills required to manage and control their behaviours when they are in distress.

A calm-down corner provides teaching moments so that we can help a child develop these skills.

Calming corners will contain all the tools needed to help children learn and practice these skills.

There are multiple benefits to using a calm corner, as opposed to traditional consequences like time-outs or removing privileges.

These benefits include:

1. Building Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to

recognise our feelings and the feelings of others (empathy) and to use that information to guide how we think and behave.

Early development of emotional intelligence begins with identifying core emotions, such as happy, sad, angry, and tired. Later, we develop the ability to recognise more complex feelings, such as annoyed vs. furious. The Zones of Regulation supports with this.

Finally, we learn to use this emotional information to guide behaviour and manage emotions through self-regulation.

2. Teaching Children that Unpleasant Emotions are Normal

Everyone feels angry, sad, jealous, etc., from time to time. These emotions

are unpleasant to experience, but they are normal.

We often tell children, “It’s okay; you don’t need to be sad/angry,” or we

isolate them by sending them away, giving a consequence. This sends the message that these feelings should be shunned and hidden.

Children should never feel ashamed of their emotions or feel like they’re being punished for feeling a certain way. It’s important to let them know that the way they are feeling is okay. Unpleasant emotions can be a learning experience.

Calm corners will support children to learn that their feelings are valid, but certain reactions to those feelings are not.

That knowledge will come through frequent practice and mutual emotional regulation opportunities.

Within the Zones of Regulation we accept this by saying, ‘I can see you’re in the red zone, can I help you?’ or ‘I can see you’re in the red zone, that’s OK, when you’re back in the green zone we will talk’.

That learning opportunity is lost if the child is isolated when experiencing these big emotions, therefore they must understand that they are using the calm area to return to their ‘green’ zone.

3. Calming Corners Provide Structure

Children need structure. They thrive when their lives are consistent and predictable. This is true for all children but especially important for children who struggle with rigid thinking.

One of the many ways to add structure to a child’s life is by structuring their day.

Setting up different areas which are scheduled into different parts of their day, or activities, or routines will help a child feel safe and secure in school.

The calming corner will give a child a safe place to go when they have strong emotions.

4. They Help Children Learn from Their Mistakes

All children should know that everyone makes mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes, but we need to learn from those mistakes.

Explain to the child that making a mistake can make you feel bad for a little while, but it doesn’t mean that you are bad.

Understanding this helps children tolerate unpleasant emotions better, everyone has a ‘window of tolerance’

Continue to reassure the child that their feelings are normal and valid.

However, once they’re back in the green zone, explain the impact their actions have on others. Understanding how their behaviour affects the way other people feel is an important part of developing emotional intelligence.

How we can regulate ourselves when feeling anxious or in a dysregulated state of mind:

A common physical symptom is fast and shallow breathing. To reduce this, breathing strategies are useful to return to a normal rhythm. One way of doing this is by using breathing techniques, here are some examples however there are many more online.

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a form of therapy that involves tightening and relaxing your muscle groups, one at a time, in a specific pattern.

The goal is to release tension from your muscles, while helping you recognize what that tension feels like.

When practiced regularly, this technique may help you manage the physical effects of stress. Research has also found that it has therapeutic benefits for conditions like:

• high blood pressure
• migraines
• sleep issues

How to do it (this is an example for whole body relaxation) -

• Start by lying or sitting down. Relax your entire body. Take five deep, slow breaths.
• Lift your toes upward. Hold, then let go. Pull your toes downward. Hold, then let go.
• Next, tense your calf muscles, then let go.
• Move your knees toward each other. Hold, then let go.
• Squeeze your thigh muscles. Hold, then let go.
• Clench your hands. Pause, then let go.
• Tense your arms. Hold, then let go.
• Squeeze your buttocks. Pause, then let go.
• Contract your abdominal muscles. Pause, then let go.
• Inhale and tighten your chest. Hold, then exhale and let go.
• Raise your shoulders to your ears. Pause, then let go.
• Purse your lips together. Hold, then release.
• Open your mouth wide. Hold, then let go.
• Close your eyes tightly. Pause, then release.
• Lift your eyebrows. Hold, then release.

Healthy Minds Lincolnshire- Progressive Muscle Relaxation (youtube.com)