Welcome back to another Social Emotional Learning Study Groups (SELSG+) monthly newsletter! As educators, we know this a unique time in the classroom. It’s the time in the school year between the Thanksgiving and Holiday breaks and it’s easy to tell – some of our students are buzzing with excitement about the upcoming holidays, others may be struggling with the changes to routines, and still others may not look forward the holiday season for a variety of reasons. No matter how our students view the upcoming holiday season, it can impact behaviors in the classroom. So, we are here to talk about another SEL strategy to add to your classroom toolkit: Classroom Breaks. First, let’s talk about what Classroom Breaks are NOT. When you implement Classroom Breaks with your students it’s not a free for all, it’s not a way for kids to escape work, and it’s not a waste of time. In fact, Classroom Breaks can help improve student focus, increase academic productivity, support social skill development, and reduce stress and unwanted classroom behaviors. For more information on the benefits of Classroom Breaks, check out this article here! Classroom Breaks are highly flexible and can be implemented as a whole class strategy, a strategy for a few students who need additional supports, or a combination of the two. When setting up Classroom Breaks in your classroom, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.
So, what might Classroom Breaks look like in the classroom? Let’s look at an example from a sixth-grade classroom where Maggie has been struggling to focus on her independent work. She often ends up wandering around the room and talking to her peers. Her teacher has decided to set up impromptu breaks with Maggie to help her reset and self-regulate during independent work time. Maggie and her teacher have agreed to a signal that either can use to suggest a break time: tapping their watch twice. When Maggie is prompted to take a break, she moves to a designated spot in the classroom, chooses a fidget to play with, and sets the time for three minutes. When the timer goes off, Maggie returns the fidget to its box and goes back to her desk. Maggie and her teacher have practiced this routine over and over until Maggie is able to follow these steps independently. Here’s another example of how a teacher uses breaks in her classroom. There are a number of different activities you can utilize during classroom breaks to give students structure during the break including coloring sheets, breathing activities, reading materials, fidgets, mindfulness activities, music, and journaling/writing prompts. Creating a list of activities, you are ok with in the classroom and allowing students to choose from the list can be a powerful way of giving students voice and increasing the effectiveness of the break time. If you are implementing set breaks for the whole class, you might consider short physical activities (e.g., jumping jacks, running in place) as well – there is evidence that this can be effective in improving behavior and focus during the day. Here’s some more ideas for breaks in the classroom! If you haven’t already signed up to have the monthly SELSG+ newsletter delivered to your inbox, sign up for our mailing list here: https://selsg.ua.edu! And be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and SEL resources
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