Brain Breaks in the Classroom

Question: Many schools use big screen programs such as Go Noodle, Danny Go and DJ Rafa as “brain breaks’. These are flashy and totally captivating. What do you advise about coaching teachers to use this less? 

Answer: That’s a great question - it’s important to be thoughtful about how screens are being used in the classroom setting. There is quite a bit of research around “brain breaks” (sometimes they are called active breaks or movement integration strategies) in the classroom. But first, let’s dive into what brain breaks are and what they look like.  

The practice of brain breaks has been widely used, even pre-pandemic. Brain breaks are brief, intentional pauses in classroom instruction that incorporate movement, calming strategies, or sensory input with the goal of helping students reset, refocus, and stay engaged. They usually take 1-5 minutes, and teachers can build these throughout a lesson to help reduce fatigue, support transitions, or give students a reset during more demanding tasks.  

Evidence behind “Brain Breaks” 

Multiple studies, such as these randomized controlled trials and this systematic review, have shown that brain breaks help children stay physically active and help them stay more focused in the classroom and ready to learn. After these breaks, children are often more engaged and able to spend more time on-task during lessons; however, the breaks did not seem to impact cognitive functions (attention, working memory, executive functioning) or academic achievement (reading, math). 

It’s important to note that in the majority of the research mentioned above, the brain breaks used physical activity but not screen programs. 

Looking at Go Noodle 

We were able to find some research specifically on the use of Go Noodle. These studies showed that: 

• In 2nd and 3rd graders,  reading fluency and accuracy increased immediately following a physical activity break using Go Noodle, compared to no physically active brain break. Effects were especially strong if students regularly participated in classroom Go Noodle brain breaks. 
• With K-5 students, compared to other movement integration products, Go Noodle was easiest for teachers to integrate movement strategies in the classroom but it did not increase children’s sedentary behavior or physical activity, based on data collected using child accelerometry devices. 
• In an evaluation of different movement integration products, elementary school teachers reported that Go Noodle planning time was around 3.2 minutes and duration of use was around 6.3 minutes per day. Teachers reported liking that Go Noodle incorporated cool-down periods, calming activities and that it provided a mental break for the teachers themselves.  

Not All Brain Breaks are Equally Effective 

A study of 7-to-9-year-olds found that kids did better with brain breaks that combined both high cognitive engagement and high physical exertion. Children who did activities that were physically active and required them to pay attention showed improvement in executive functioning and math performance.  

Using Brain Breaks Intentionally  

Overall, brain breaks can be useful in the classroom to increase physical activity and increase on-task behavior in children! When designed in ways that are mentally stimulating and complement what the students are learning, they can be more beneficial.  

While the studies presented showed no evidence of a negative impact of brief video-based brain breaks, such as Go Noodle on elementary school-aged children, there were no studies on preschool-aged children.  

In general, media use in early childhood does not have a negative impact if it: 

• is well-designed with children’s developmental needs in mind,  
• is used socially rather than individually, and  
• is used intentionally rather than as an in-the-moment tool to calm kids down.  

School teachers may need guidance on when the use of media is appropriate and on how to effectively implement its use. We encourage teachers to: 

• Avoid using media to fill open time or as a distraction tool 
• Ensure it complements the material that students are learning  
• Make it developmentally appropriate for the age of the students  
• Choose high-quality, educational content that is not full of extraneous “bells and whistles” design, branded content, or advertisements 
• Encourage non-screen brain breaks  

If parents do not want screens to be used in their child’s preschool classroom or child care setting, we recommend they bring this up to teachers in a collaborative, problem-solving manner.  

Conversation starters could include: 

• “I’m trying to limit my child’s use of screen media while they are young. Can we talk about how tech is used in the classroom?” 
• “Like lots of parents, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of YouTube and videos in kids’ lives. Is there a way students could get a break or physical activity without using screens?” 

For more information, check out: 

• PBS Kids brain break videos called “Get Moving!” that help encourage physical movement in young children  
• This article on how to use brain breaks from our partners at Understood 
• Examples of brain breaks from Edutopia  

References 

• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2023, October 16). Preferred method of screen time/Selecting best shows/games for toddlers.  
• Dugger, R., Rafferty, A., Hunt, E., Beets, M., Webster, C., Chen, B., Rehling, J., & Weaver, R. G. (2020). Elementary Classroom Teachers' Self-Reported Use of Movement Integration Products and Perceived Facilitators and Barriers Related to Product Use. Children (Basel, Switzerland), 7(9), 143.  
• Egger, F., Benzing, V., Conzelmann, A., & Schmidt, M.. (2019). Boost your brain, while having a break! The effects of long-term cognitively engaging physical activity breaks on children’s executive functions and academic achievement. PLOS One, 14(3), e0212482.   
• Masini, A., Marini, S., Gori, D., Leoni, E., Rochira, A., & Dallolio, L. (2020). Evaluation of school-based interventions of active breaks in primary schools: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(4), 377–384.  
• Reyes-Amigo T, Grao-Cruces A, Sanchez-Oliva D, Garcia-Hermoso A, Reyes-Molina D, Yañez-Sepúlveda R, Olivares-Arancibia J, Hurtado-Almonácid J, Páez-Herrera J, Salinas-Gallardo G, Mendoza E, Ovalle-Fernández C, Sepúlveda-Figueroa F and Ibarra-Mora J (2025) Acute effect of school-based active breaks on physical activity level and on-task classroom behavior in primary schoolchildren. Front. Public Health 13:1644819.    
• Understood. (2026). Brain breaks: An evidence-based behavior strategy.  
• Weaver, R. G., Dugger, R., Burkart, S., von Klinggraeff, L., Hunt, E. T., Beets, M. W., Webster, C. A., Chen, B., Armstrong, B., & Adams, E. L. (2022). Classroom teachers’ “off-the-shelf” use of movement integration products and its impact on children’s sedentary behavior and physical activity. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 12 (12), 1116–1123.   
• Wold, H., Prusak, K. A., Barney, D. C., & Wilkinson, C. (2023). The acute and chronic effects of Gonoodle Brain breaks on reading fluency among elementary school children. The Physical Educator.  

Age: 2-11 

Topics: Brain breaks, early childhood, elementary, educators, active breaks, movement integration strategies, physical activity breaks  

Role: parent/caregiver, teacher