Monday

Yoga

Last week we went over some beginner yoga movements such as the cat pose and the upward dog pose. Multiple research studies have demonstrated positive outcomes of yoga on students’ mental health such as reduced stress and anxiety (Sarkissian et al., 2018), reduced behavioral issues (Martinez & Zhao, 2018), and improved classroom climate (Roeser et al., 2012). So let’s continue learning more poses!

Neck Stretch

daily brain breaks - week 2
  1. Sit cross-legged or on heels with back straight
  2. Inhale and slowly lower right ear to right shoulder
  3. Exhale and return to center
  4. Inhale and slowly lower left ear to left shoulder
  5. Exhale and return to center
  6. Inhale and lower chin to chest
  7. Exhale and return to center
  8. Repeat for 6-8 breaths

Sun Salutation

daily brain breaks - week 2
  1. Stand tall, arms by sides
  2. Inhale, open arms and bring together overhead
  3. Reach overhead and back
  4. Hold for 3-4 breaths
  5. Exhale
  6. Bend at waist, reach hands toward floor
  7. Relax head between arms
  8. Hold for 3-4 breaths
  9. Repeat

If you would like to learn and teach more yoga poses, download these helpful lessons from Achieve PE:

Tuesday

Musical Letters

Place alphabet cards throughout the room on the floor. Then, play music and let your child dance. When the music stops, they must run to a letter. When they get to the letter, they have to say the name, the sound, and a word that starts with that letter. A fun little twist is having them say it in different voices (alien voice, whisper voice, etc.)!

You could also play this with math flash cards in a similar fashion. When the music stops they must shout the answer to the problem they are standing on.

Wednesday

Movement Maze

Create a movement maze using 2 simple tools:

  • Tape
  • Scissors

Watch this cool example!

If the weather permits, grab some chalk and create a movement path in your driveway or sidewalk!

Thursday

Name Game

Walk around the house and find 10 things that start with the first letter of your name. If the weather permits, this is an easy one to implement outside! Bring a notepad with to write them down. Then, if you do this activity again try to find 10 new things that start with the first letter of your name!

Friday

Draw or Color

Crank up the creativity with drawing or coloring! Let your child free-hand a picture, or print off some templates online. To help with some ideas, pick a theme that you and your child should draw or color from. An example of a theme would be national parks. Find some national park pictures online or in books, then choose one to color or draw!