Seated brain breaks at the desk
Twelve chair and desk movements for students who stay in their seats, including students who use wheelchairs. These work when the room is too full to stand, during testing breaks, in a small classroom, or whenever you want a break that every student can join from where they are.
Ready for a break?
12 cards in this deck. Press Draw, or the N key. Everyone does the move together.
Cards are drawn from a shuffled deck, so none repeats until all have been used.
Keys: N or → draw the next break · Space start or pause · R reset · M chime · F full screen
All 12 cards
Seated twist
Sit tall. Put your right hand on your left knee and gently turn your upper body to look behind you. Hold for two slow breaths, then switch sides.
Standing: Stand behind your chair and turn from the waist, keeping your feet planted.
Seated: Twist gently from the waist while you sit. Turn only as far as is comfortable.
Desk push
Press your palms flat against the edge of your desk and push for five seconds. Rest, and repeat three times.
Standing: Press your palms against a wall or against the back of your chair.
Seated: Press on the desk. If it is too far away or too low, press your palms together in front of your chest instead.
Shoulder blade squeeze
Pull your shoulder blades toward each other, as if you are holding a pencil between them. Hold for three counts, then relax. Do it five times.
Standing: Stand tall with your arms relaxed at your sides.
Seated: Sit tall, with your arms relaxed in your lap.
Ear to shoulder
Lower your right ear toward your right shoulder while both shoulders stay low. Hold for three slow breaths, then switch sides.
Standing: Stand tall with your arms loose and do the same slow tip.
Seated: Sit tall and tip slowly. Stop if you feel any pinch.
Desk cat and cow
Round your back and tuck your chin like a cat, then lift your chest and look up like a cow. Move slowly. Do it five times.
Standing: Put your hands on the back of your chair and do the same slow round and lift.
Seated: Sit near the front of your seat with your hands on your knees or on the armrests, and round and lift.
Draw with your foot
Lift one foot a little and draw a circle in the air with it, then a square, then a triangle. Switch feet.
Standing: Hold your chair or desk for balance and draw the shapes with one foot.
Seated: Draw the shapes with your foot, or draw them in the air with one hand if your legs do not move that way.
Thumb touch
Touch your thumb to each of your fingers in turn, from pointer to pinky and back again. Go slowly first, then as fast as you can without making a mistake. Switch hands.
Standing: Hold your hands out in front of you.
Seated: Rest your hands on the desk or in your lap.
Raise the roof
Push your palms up toward the ceiling as if you are lifting the roof, then lower it slowly. Do it eight times.
Standing: Push up with both hands, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
Seated: Push up from your chair. Use one arm if that works best.
Seated march
Lift one knee, lower it softly, then lift the other, as if you are marching while sitting down. Add arm swings if you like.
Standing: March softly on your own spot, or just lift your knees one at a time.
Seated: March from your chair. If your legs do not lift, pump your arms as if you are marching.
Puppet string
Picture a string tied to the top of your head, pulling you up tall. Sit as tall as you can for five slow breaths, then let the string go slack and relax.
Standing: Stand tall, with your feet flat and your shoulders loose.
Seated: Sit tall with your back away from the chair, then sink back and relax.
Write the alphabet in the air
Pick a hand or an elbow and write the letters of the alphabet big in the air, as far as you can get. Make capitals or lower case, whichever you like.
Standing: Write in front of you, away from your neighbors.
Seated: Write in front of you from your chair. Use a finger, a hand, an elbow or your head.
Wrist stretch
Press your palms together in front of your chest with your fingers pointing up. Slowly lower your hands toward your waist, keeping your palms together, until you feel a stretch in your wrists. Hold for ten seconds.
Standing: Keep your elbows out and your shoulders down.
Seated: Do the same at your desk. Lower your hands only as far as is comfortable.
How to use it
- Press Draw a break (or N). Every card here is built for a chair or a wheelchair, with a standing version beside it.
- Read the card aloud and press Start timer. These run from 30 to 45 seconds, so they fit between tasks.
- Press Next break, or Print to keep the twelve seated cards at the front of the room.
Ideas for class
- Use a seated card in a small room where standing would mean bumping into a neighbor.
- Run one between test sections, when students need a quick reset but must stay at their desks.
- Pick “Desk push” and “Shoulder blade squeeze” for a long block of seat work.
- Choose cards where nothing depends on legs (“Raise the roof”, “Thumb touch”, “Write the alphabet in the air”) and make them the class's usual breaks.
- Look on the get-moving page for noisier cards, and keep this page for the quiet ones.
Related
Questions
Is every seated card suitable for a wheelchair user?
The seated version of each card is written to work from a chair or a wheelchair, and where a move uses the legs the card names an arm or hand move to use instead. A student always chooses how much to do.
Can I use these during a test?
Every card on this page is silent, so none will disturb a room, but check your testing rules about breaks first.
Do students need to stand up for any of these?
No. A standing version is shown for classes that want it, but nobody has to leave their seat for any of these twelve.
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