Calming brain breaks
Twelve slow breathing and settling moves for after recess, before a test or whenever the room has got loud. Reach for these after lunch or recess, at the end of a noisy transition, before a quiz, or when a few students are wound up. Every one is done with no talking.
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
Balloon breath
Breathe in slowly through your nose as you picture a balloon filling up. Breathe out slowly through your mouth as the balloon lets its air go.
Standing: Stand with your feet apart. Let your arms float out a little as the balloon fills, and float them back down as it empties.
Seated: Sit tall with both hands resting on your belly. Feel it rise as the balloon fills and fall as the air goes out.
Five-finger trace
Hold up one hand with your fingers spread. With a finger of your other hand, slide up the side of your thumb as you breathe in and down the other side as you breathe out. Do all five fingers.
Standing: Hold your hand out in front of you at chest height, and keep your feet planted.
Seated: Rest your hand on the desk or on your lap while you trace.
Smell the soup, cool the soup
Pretend you are holding a warm bowl of soup. Breathe in through your nose to smell it. Blow out slowly through your lips to cool it down. Repeat five times.
Standing: Hold the pretend bowl in both hands in front of your chest.
Seated: Hold the pretend bowl in both hands just above your desk or your lap.
Slow-motion pour
Pretend to pour a glass of water from a heavy jug, as slowly as you possibly can. Lift it, tip it, pour, set it down. Take your time with each part.
Standing: Use both hands and keep your elbows close to your sides, so you stay inside your own space.
Seated: Pour at your desk with one hand or two. Use whichever arm moves most easily for you.
Wave breath
Breathe in as a wave rolls toward the beach and breathe out as it slides back. Let one hand move like the wave in time with your breath.
Standing: Sway your whole body a little with the wave, with your feet staying where they are.
Seated: Move only your hand, or keep still and picture the wave while you breathe.
Heavy hands, light hands
Make your hands as heavy as stones and let them sink down. Then make them as light as feathers and let them float up. Go back and forth three times.
Standing: Let your arms hang heavy at your sides, then float them up to shoulder height.
Seated: Let your hands sink onto your lap, then float them up above your desk.
Look, listen, feel
Slowly look around the room and quietly find three things you can see. Then find two things you can hear. Then find one thing you can feel, like your feet on the floor. Keep your answers in your head.
Standing: Stay where you are and turn only your head as you look around.
Seated: Stay in your seat and let your eyes travel slowly around the room.
Hand on belly
Rest a hand on your belly. Breathe in for a count of four so your belly pushes your hand out. Breathe out for a count of four so your hand sinks back in.
Standing: Stand with soft knees and one hand on your belly.
Seated: Sit back in your chair with one hand on your belly. If your belly is hard to feel, rest your hand on your chest.
Sleepy cat
Be a cat getting ready for a nap. Move slowly, curl up small and take three long, sleepy breaths.
Standing: Fold forward a little with soft knees and let your head, arms and shoulders relax.
Seated: Round your back, lower your head toward your lap or rest it on your folded arms on the desk, then sit up slowly.
Square breathing
Trace a square with one finger. Breathe in along the first side, pause along the second, breathe out along the third, and pause along the fourth. Count to four on every side. If pausing your breath is uncomfortable, just keep breathing slowly.
Standing: Trace a big square in the air in front of you.
Seated: Trace the square on your desk or on your knee.
Snow globe
Shake your hands, arms and shoulders like a snow globe that has just been shaken. Then stop and be as still as you can while the snow settles slowly, one breath at a time.
Standing: Shake gently, keeping your feet in place, then stand very still.
Seated: Shake your hands and shoulders, then rest your hands in your lap and sit very still.
Melting ice pop
Start as stiff and frozen as an ice pop. Then slowly melt: your shoulders drop, your arms soften, your jaw relaxes and you settle into a calm, comfortable position.
Standing: Melt into a gentle droop with soft knees, and stay on your feet.
Seated: Melt into your chair and let your arms and shoulders hang loose.
How to use it
- Press Draw a break (or N). Each card is a slow breathing or settling move that can be done with no talking.
- Read the card aloud in a quiet voice, then press Start timer. Most calming cards run about a minute.
- Let the chime end the break, then go straight into the next task. Press Print if you want the twelve calm cards on paper.
Ideas for class
- Start a calm card in the first minute after recess, while students are still settling into their seats.
- Keep “Balloon breath” and “Hand on belly” for the moments just before a quiz or a presentation.
- Use “Look, listen, feel” when a room is wound up. It gives eyes and ears a job to do.
- Say once that closing the eyes is optional. Looking at the desk works just as well.
- Do one calm card together every day at the same time for a week, so the class knows what it means when you start one.
Related
Questions
Do I have to ask students to close their eyes?
No. Closing eyes is optional on every card, and looking down at the desk or at a spot on the wall works just as well.
What if holding my breath, as in square breathing, is uncomfortable?
The card says to keep breathing slowly instead. No student needs to hold their breath for any of these breaks.
Are these meant to treat anxiety or anger?
No. They are short, quiet pauses for the whole class, not treatment. If a student is struggling a lot, that is a conversation for the school's counselor and the family.
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