74 – Uju Brain Breaks

Alright team, I know we all love a good Go Noodle video as a brain break or when our kids bodies show us they need to get up and wiggle before their brains can learn any more… but… if Go Noodle is getting a little old for you or your students this time of the year… I have a new YouTube channel for you to check out!!! It is called Uju – pronounced yoohoo!

Check out the Uju Channel and all their different playlists at this link.

Here’s what I love — their Brain Break playlist! They offer multiple different Brain Break types or styles such as Two Truths and a Lie, Four Corners, Would You Rather, and many other types of Brain Break videos. Here’s what I think makes these brain breaks great – with each style, they pose questions and ask the students to do a movement or exercise to show their answer. So, for a Would You Rather video, they may pose a question like “Would you rather drink sour milk or eat a spider?” Then they have an adult show on the screen and tell the students, “If you choose sour milk, do jumping jacks. If you choose spider, balance on one leg.” I love these because they are asking kids to think and make a decision while moving at the same time.

In the Two Truths and Lie Brain Break Videos, students must choose which statement they think is a lie (which fact is false about animals, for example) and do the movement to show their choice. Have you ever noticed that sometimes students can be a little wishy washy when they have to make decisions in front of each other. They may say, “Oh, yeah… I choose that too…” This activity helps students to make a choice and be confident in that choice since they have to do the movement for 20 seconds before the video reveals the answer. There’s no saying, “I meant that…” or “I knew that!” if you were doing jumping jacks but the answer movement was a stretch!

So… next time we have to stay inside because it is raining at WIN Time or Recess, or the next time you can tell your students are in need of a wiggle break so they can refocus and get back to work, try out a Uju Brain Break Video (remember, it is pronounced Yoohoo!)

PS – Uju also has Mindfulness Minute videos! Check out that playlist here if you need your students to calm down and meditate!

Written by Meredith Akers, Principal

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