Help Improve Time-on-Task with Any of These 18 Different Break Ideas for Students

When I was in college majoring in psychology, I learned that the famous actor and comedian, Jim Carrey, had behavior problems in Junior High School.

One of his teachers told him that he could do a comedy routine for a few minutes at the end of class for following the rules and completing work. This had a huge positive impact on Jim’s in-class behavior.

We want students to complete their work because “it is the right thing to do,” “it’s part of life,” “they have to learn in order to be successful,” etc.

I want you to take a second to think about the things you do in your own life. Most things you do have some intrinsic value to you.

You go to work because you really enjoy it and/or you earn a paycheck and are able to take care of yourself and your family, which is very important to you.

You mow your lawn because you don’t want your yard to look disgusting and be out of control. You clean your floor so you don’t get bugs or have your guests think you are dirty.

Whatever the reason you do things is, it has some value to you.

Some kids don’t find intrinsic value in school.

Unfortunately, many kids don’t find intrinsic value in school. I know for me, I didn’t actually care about doing well in school until I realized at 18 that I wasn’t going to graduate if I didn’t get my act together.

I had to be scared for my own future before I acted.

All kids are different…some find the value in school because they genuinely want to learn and know more, others do worry about their future, others want to please their parents and teachers, the list goes on.

Then we have our students who do not feel an internal connection to school. It is hard to put effort into something you don’t care about. No matter how much we tell them that they have to listen, have to stop talking, have to complete their work, they continue the same behaviors.

It kind of reminds me of when my ex-boyfriend talked to me about football. No matter how many times he told me to pay attention, my brain automatically went elsewhere, because there was no internal motivation to learn about it.

I think we all hope that over time students who are not interested or motivated to complete the work, will find something about school that they see as genuinely interesting and worth learning about.

Until then, they just might need us to give them a reason to care.

Teachers use many strategies to get students motivated to learn.

Some examples include:

• giving students choices
• tapping into different learning strengths (e.g, some students learn better with verbal input, others with visual, etc.)
• incorporating students’ interests
• making the lesson fun through a game
• using encouraging words and having a positive attitude

Give students time for preferred activities.

Another great strategy to motivate students is to give them breaks to engage in activities they enjoy, if they have met certain expectations.

For instance, if students complete a writing activity, they may play a game, as an example.

This is motivating for two reasons:

1. Students get to work towards something they like.

2. Research shows that taking breaks is beneficial to work production.

Studies show that adults are much more productive when they work in 52 minute increments with 17 minute breaks in between. Imagine how long a seven-year-old should work before needing a break.

What kinds of breaks do students need?

I have done a lot of thinking over the years about what kind of breaks are best for the whole class. What makes sense to me is to give the students time to do the exact things we keep telling them not to do.

The most common things I hear in classrooms related to behavior include: stop talking, stop doodling, stop sleeping, stop daydreaming, stop humming, put that book away (we are not doing that right now), and stop getting out of your seat.

The most common negative things I hear from kids are “This is boring,” “What does this have to do with my life?” “I don’t care about this.”

So…why not let students have time to do the things that we keep telling them to stop doing and give them time to do things that they feel connected to? This will make learning time more productive because:

1. it gives them a mental break, which has a positive effect on work production
2. it gives students something to do that they care about
3. It shows your students that you care about their interests and their desire to make the day more relevant to their own lives.

When students know you care about and respect their thoughts and feelings, they are more motivated to do the right thing, just like you want them to.

You might think that breaks will take away from class time, but there will actually be more time for learning because you won’t have to stop to reprimand or redirect as much and students will be more productive during learning time.

How do you implement breaks for your students?

You may need to try different work times and break times to see what works best with your class.

For example, you could take a 5 to 10-minute break between each lesson, a before-lunch, and before-going-home break, or you can have your students work for a predetermined amount of time and then take a break, following this pattern until the end of the day.

You have to decide what works best for your class taking into account your students’ ages, academic levels, attention spans, and interests.

Individual students with a higher level of need may benefit from more breaks (shorter chunks of work).

You might think that students already get a break with lunch, but that is not something they have to work for, and for many students, it is just not enough.

Some teachers take away recess when students don’t complete work or follow rules; however, this is not recommended because children are actually more productive when they have the opportunity to burn off energy.

Additionally, it is highly beneficial to remind children of what they are working towards, rather than to threaten that you will take something away.

You May Also Like: The American Academy of Pediatrics Explains Why Recess is Crucial for Children

Also, when you threaten to take something away from a student you open up the door for them to respond negatively and shut down (e.g., Take recess away! I don’t care!).

Consider individual student needs when giving breaks.

Some students (such as those with ADHD or autism) may need more breaks or different kinds of breaks than the whole class. Keep in mind that it is useful to use a timer for your breaks and remind students of how much time is left a few minutes before break time is coming to an end.

Whole Class and Individual Break Ideas for Students

In this article you will find several suggestions for whole class and individual breaks/fun activities to let your students work towards.

Some of these ideas are more practical for elementary school students, but many can be used for all students from preschool to high school.

Incorporate your students’ likes and interests into these break times. Give choices.

Here are seven whole class break ideas for students.

1. General free time.

Allow students to talk, draw, read a book of choice, hum, get up and stretch, pick a game to play with a peer, rest at their desk, etc. (this would be similar to indoor recess which many teachers do on rainy or cold days)

2. Talk-to-peers time.

For example: Talk with peers at your desk for ten minutes (set a timer).

3. Draw at your desk.

Provide paper and coloring supplies.

4. Get up, stretch, move around (may or may not be teacher-led).

5. Watch a non-academic video.

6. Read a book of choice.

Students can pick a book from home, school, or one to read online.

7. Play games

This can include board games, outdoor games, movement-based games such as the freeze game in the video below, etc.

8. Use the computer/tablet.

Students can play games, look up an area of interest, use a drawing app, etc.

9. Go outside on a nice day (in addition to regular recess).

10. Play sports in the gym.

Go to the school gym for basketball, red rover and more.

11. Dance to music.

Research indicates that short bouts of physical activity throughout the school day lead to a 20 percent improvement in on-task behavior even for the least on-task students.

Related Article: How to Use Exercise to Support Students with Autism and ADHD

If you want, you can give two options on a break. For example, “You can either draw at your desk or read a book of your choice.” Also, because this is a break, students should have the option to sit quietly if they do not want to participate.

Individual student Break Ideas

For individual students, you can utilize some of the ideas above such as read a book of choice, go on the computer, get up and stretch, and draw at your desk.

Here are more breaks ideas for individual students. Keep the student’s preferences in mind and give choices.

1. Take a walk in the hall.

This can be with or without a peer or staff member. Some schools may not allow students to walk alone in the hall, so you need to find out your school’s policy on this)

2. Read to a younger class.

A student may enjoy reading a book they find easy to a younger class or student (e.g. a fifth grade can read to a first grader)

3. Help a younger class.

A student may enjoy helping in a younger class. They can pass out or collect papers, help younger students find their belongings, assist students with math, etc.

4. Run an errand to the office.

5. Perform for the class or share something with the class (remember the Jim Carrey story?).

Check out the article “Want to Take Over My Class? Be My Guest!” for a related idea.

Again, check on school policy.

6. Help out in the office.

7. Do an activity (play game, draw, talk, etc.) with the school counselor.

Please share your own ideas for break times in the comments section below.

Additional information about break ideas for kids.

For information, such as what do when a few students do not earn their break because they did not put forth effort, follow class rules, etc. check out How to Motivate Your Students and Get them to Listen to You (39 Strategies for Classroom Management).

A visitor to my site asked this question after reading this article:

“Is it really a good idea to restrict students from break time because they refused assignments?” I thought this was a GREAT question and wanted to include my response in the article:

I think it depends on the student, their individual needs, the reason for the refusal, if it is an ongoing problem, etc. There is also a difference between outright refusal and not completing work due to talking, doodling, etc.

It is important for the teacher to do what he/she is comfortable with while weighing students’ needs. If it works for the teacher to give all students breaks, regardless of behavior, I think that is fine. It is not a black and white situation.

However, positive behavior support, which I advocate, is partially founded on the principle of students being rewarded for a job well done. On the other hand, it is also very important to get to the bottom of work refusal.

For example, if the student experienced trauma, has trouble learning, or is suffering from anxiety, restricting breaks probably would not be the best idea. That student would likely need more support or a different kind of support than this type of system offers.

Just to give an example, I worked with a student with sensory needs who had three breaks a day, regardless of performance. The breaks themselves enabled him to focus better during class time.

Please share this information to make things a bit easier on students and teachers!

For more behavior strategies check out:

• Top 10 Discipline Tips for Kids with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
• 15 Behavior Strategies to Help Children with Autism (great strategies for kids with and without autism)
• How to Prevent and Handle Temper Tantrums
• 25 Privileges You Can Let Your Child Earn for Good Behavior
• 12 Effective Strategies for Children with ADHD
• Printable Classroom Rules with Matching Visuals
• Please Don’t Take Away My Recess-A Poem About ADHD

Education and Behavior – Keeping us all on the same page for kids!