1. Brain Gym and Break States

2. Brain Buttons Exercise
Rub your “Brain Buttons” with the thumb and first finger of one hand. (You’ll find these “buttons” at the soft spot under your collarbone)
As you rub them, move your eyes (not your head) slowly up and down, i.e. tracking where the ceiling meets the wall to where the floor meets the wall, then left to right and right to left.
While you rub your brain buttons, place the first finger and middle finger of your other hand over your navel
Rest your tongue against the roof of your mouth and think of something nice.

3. Break States/ Brain Gym Outcomes of this session
You will:
Understand the rationale for using Brain Gym
Understand how to use break states, and brain gym activities in school
have the opportunity to practise some brain gym activities
Know how to access further information about brain gym.

4. Cross Crawl Standing, begin to “march” in time
Raise your knees, and alternately touch each knee with the opposite hand
Progressively move your elbows to each knee in sequence.
When done slowly this exercise requires fine motor involvement and balance. Research shows that cross crawl improves co-ordination, visual auditory and kinaesthetic ability and can improve listening, writing and memory.

5. Names in the Air
With your preferred hand write out your full name in the air, using large movements. Do it forwards and backwards
Now use your other hand to write your name with both hands simultaneously.(If you are right handed start in the centre and work out. If you are left handed start at the outside and work in
Try this several times before going on to another name or word
Do it again but this time with eyes closed.

6. Names in the Air
You can use this activity to help learn key words, difficult spellings numbers or formulae
This is a left and right brained activity which activated hand-eye co-ordination and assists eye-teaming across the visual mid-line. It helps establish directionality and orientation in space.

7. Movement and Physical Activity
Strengthens heart and muscles
Improves the flow of blood to the brain and increases the connections between neurons
Aids integration of learning and construction of meaning
Allows full body-mind integration

8. E. Jenson “Completing the puzzle: A Brain based approach to Learning.
“Unless learners are in the appropriate learning state, it’s time to stop everything and start changing their states”
E. Jenson “Completing the puzzle: A Brain based approach to Learning.

9. Tension Relievers Take a long deep breath through the nose
Hold for 2-3 seconds
Exhale slowly though the mouth, relaxing the jaw and shoulder muscles and breathing away tension
Repeat several times

10. Alphabet Edit
Read the letters of the alphabet aloud as a small class or group whilst completing the accompanying action
Instructions: l is a left arm raise, r is a right arm raise and t is both arms together

11. Alphabet chart A B C D E F G l t r r t t l H I J K L M N l r t t r l l
O P Q R S T U
t t l r t r r
V W X Y Z
t l l l r

12. Hook ups Sitting, put one ankle over the other one
Extend your arms with the back of the hands together and thumbs pointing down
Lift one hand over the other,palms facing and interlace your fingers
Roll the interlocked hands straight down and in towards the body so that they eventually rest on the chest with the elbows down
rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind the teeth
Sit like this for 1 minute , breathing deeply with your eyes closed

13. Brain Gym and Break States
Are an effective way of changing the physical and mental states of the learners in your class
Involve physical and mental activity
Connect left and right brain and help to improve motor co-ordination.

14. Regular use of Brain Gym can
Alleviate stress
improve eye-hand co-ordination
improve concentration on focussed activities
quicken the response time to visual stimuli.