Hey teachers! :) Don’t give up your movement breaks when remote learning is the model you’re working in! We KNOW how important breaks are for keeping attention focused and there are so many options that are easy to use ... redeploy strategies you’ve used in the classroom and just tweak them a little bit!
Establish routines that include movement for starters, transitions, and wake-up, shake-up times. :)
Starting out your day, instead of roll call, have Make Your Move - when they hear their name, they make their signature move - get some wiggles out before sitting down at the screen. Or try a rhyme game ... “If your name rhymes with _____ , do a dance!” This is a fun way to get everyone interested and on task, and sneak in a little rhyming lesson.
For transitions in the virtual classroom, when you want to switch subject matter or get new supplies out, use a YouTube or a class song to get everyone moving and set a time limit. Try “We Can Count to 100” on YouTube to count up, clean up and regroup (while also getting LOTS of practice counting all the way up to 100.) You could use this for “bio-breaks” also, while remote learning, so everyone isn’t hopping off at odd times.
When you see that attention is waning or bodies are getting twitchy, have a cupcake or muffin tin ready with movements taped in the bottom and a big pompom. Make a show of tossing the pompom high so it lands in one of the cups, and have your students do whatever comes up, counting to 10. Once you do one or two, slide back into your lesson.
For an alternative, try a game of Follow my Move, where students take turns choosing a stretch, exercise or dance move and everyone follows, while counting to 5 or 10. ( More counting practice!) Spacing this out throughout your screen time, using popsicle sticks with kiddos names, will keep them wondering who’s next ....
Using popsicle sticks of your own to draw or label a movement, stretch, activity is also a great way to keep them organized and make sure you have LOTS of options during your on-air time. There are even sets you can find on teacher supply websites if you want to go that route.
For littles, a good old fashioned ABC March around individual spaces gets a little percussive movement in to get the wiggles out. Really get silly with how hard you march and lift those knees! Acting out simple finger plays with the whole body is effective for getting the blood flowing and minds on task, while highlighting rhyming or counting :) Think 5 Little Monkeys or The Itsy-Bitsy Spider with LARGE hand and arm movements ...
Transitions could also include a little Teacher I Spy! incorporating shapes and colors, or a more movement - oriented “Find Me ...” where the student has to bring an object back to the screen that is a particular shape, color, or whatever. If you’re learning about numbers, make it “Find me 8 of something small ...” These brief movement breaks will incorporate learning, but allow movement - win, win!
Have fun!
