When the kids at Prosper ISD’s Folsom Elementary School need to refocus, their teachers give them a break — a "brain break."
Folsom first-grade teacher Jenn Brown has been teaching for nine years. She told NBC 5 she's a big believer giving the kids brain breaks for a few minutes a few times per day.
"Kids cannot go all day without taking a second to just chill out," she said.
One recent school day, Brown’s students were busy learning how to sort information into different groups. When the class’s attention became difficult to command, Brown called for a brain break — a 90-second silly dance set to the tune of "What Does the Fox Say?"
"It helps them be able to get their thoughts together and to complete better work," Brown said of her class. "And to just take a break and have a little fun."
Down the hall, Katie McLain’s fourth graders took a quick break from writing narrative stories to hold a cup-stacking competition. Adrian Milton, 9, was on the winning team.
"We love [brain breaks]," Milton said with a smile. "Because when you’re working at school and you’re working really, really hard, sometimes you just need a break to re-get yourself into the mode."
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Folsom principal Laine Jones told NBC 5 she embraced brain breaks about 10 years ago.
"We need to get the kids to stand up after sitting for a long period of time," she said. "I think you’ll see students doing [brain breaks] in some form in most schools these days."
