Keeping students focused and regulated throughout the school day can be a challenge—especially with younger learners who are still developing their ability to self-regulate and manage energy levels. One of the most effective (and low-prep) ways to support classroom wellness is by incorporating regular movement breaks.

Movement breaks aren’t just a fun way to burn off energy—they actually support learning. Research shows that short bursts of physical activity can help improve attention, reduce stress, and reset the brain for better information processing.

Here are a few easy movement break ideas that can be used throughout the day:

• Human Ruler
  Have students stand up straight. Teach students that 0 will have them pointing their hands down to their feet. 6 is halfway on the ruler and will be their arms flat out in front of them. 12 will be their hands straight up above their head. Any numbers in between, students must decide where to put their hands.
• Act out the Sports
  Teacher shouts out a type of sport and students have to silently act it out either by themselves or with a partner nearby. You could do this with any type of charade like movements!
• Fruit Salad
  Children are either an apple, banana, cherry or grape. Call out a fruit and have students switch seats. You can call multiple fruits at once. At the end, call Fruit Salad and have all of them find a new seat.
• Shake it Down
  Have students shake their left hand, right hand, left foot and right foot 16 times each. Then say “cut it in half” and do 8 times each, then cut it half and do 4 times each, then 2, then 1. After you’re done say “shake it down” and boogie to the ground!
• Land, Air, Sea
  Have students put a pencil on the ground in front of their feet. When you call land, they stand behind their pencil. When you call sea, they stand in front of their pencil. When you call air, students jump!

The key to success is consistency and timing. Embedding movement into your daily routine—before transitions, after seated work, or just when energy starts to dip—can help maintain a positive classroom environment and support both physical and emotional well-being.

Even just 2–3 minutes can make a huge difference. Movement breaks aren’t time lost—they’re time well spent in creating a classroom that’s focused, energized, and ready to learn.

Here is the link to my free copy of these 5 Energizers you can use in your classroom!