Super Simple Brain Break Tip

Super Simple Brain Break Tip

While many of us know that increased physical activity levels are associated with higher academic scores, it can be hard to implement more exercise time during the school day.

Here is a simple tip –  suggest to the teachers to squeeze in a super quick movement break every hour on the hour no matter what they are doing.

Just take two minutes to drop the pencils, stand up and move around.  It can be as simple as doing the same activity every hour ie. stretch and marching in place or as varied as changing the activity every hour or every day.  You could even provide suggestions to perform the movement breaks sitting down such as these free seated stretch breaks.  With kids in school for about 6 hours that would total up to an additional 12 minutes towards the 60 minutes of physical activity per day that is recommended.  Not to mention shake those wiggles out and get kids ready to work.  I know this can not work in every classroom but for some, it might be another idea to add into the school day.  When you make it part of the regular routine it will become more like a habit and students will understand the expectations of behavior following the quick break.  If you do not like the movement every hour suggestion, read how to establish a brain break routine for more ideas.

Need ideas?  Check out 10 Simple Activities to Encourage Physical Activity,    Mini Movement Breaks (print this out to give to teachers to change the activities up – super easy and the breaks require no equipment), go on a quick Imagination Action Journey, perform activities from Roll Some Fun (print and throw the dice to determine what activities to perform) or get an entire collection of brain breaks for all year long!

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Tactile Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy

As pediatric therapists, assessment and treatment of children with cerebral palsy frequently focuses on motor impairments although, children with unilateral cerebral palsy (hemiplegia) are also likely to have sensory impairment.  Research indicates that tactile registration for children with hemiplegia is consistently worse with their impaired hand than their unimpaired hand.  Both hands of children with hemiplegia performed worse than either hand when compared to typically developing children. Forty percent of children with hemiplegia had tactile registration and perception deficits, 37% had perception deficits only and 23% had no tactile deficit. The larger the tactile registration deficit, the poorer the performance on all tactile perceptual tests.  The researchers concluded that tactile dysfunction may contribute to functional impairment and is a possible target for intervention (Auld, 2012).

Here are a few suggestions to encourage tactile registration and perception during therapeutic play activities:

1. Provide different textured toys during playtime.  For example, verbalize and discuss differences between soft/hard, bumpy/smooth, fluffy/scratchy, etc.  If the toys are just smooth plastic, then try and add a sensory component to the toy.
2. Add weight to toys to increase input.  For example, try stacking boxes with weights in them (ie 1 lb. bag of beans).
3. Add to texture during arts and crafts time.  For example, add sand to fingerpaints or use shaving cream.
4. Focus specifically on tactile perception and registration.  For example, the child can close their eyes and rely only on their sense of touch to identify objects.  They will not be able to use their sense of vision to determine what the object is and how to hold it.
5. Add tactile input to weight bearing activities.  For example, when a child is working on weight bearing with an open hand, try performing that skill on different surfaces such as bubble wrap (bumpy), sand paper (rough), dry towel (scratchy), yoga mat (smooth) or cold (gel ice pack).  For the bare feet, try walking or balance with on different tactile surfaces such as grass, sand or dirt.

References:

Auld, ML et al. (2012). Tactile function in children with unilateral cerebral palsy compared to typically developing children. Disability & Rehabilitation, 2012, 1–7, Early Online. DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2011.650314

Teaching Motor Skills to Children with Cerebral Palsy and Similar Movement Disorders – A Guide for Parents and Professionals – The ELECTRONIC version of Teaching Motor Skills is a must have reference for all therapists who work with children with cerebral palsy. Whether you are a beginner or experienced therapist you will find the information concise, informative and very helpful to carry out everyday functional tasks including stretching with children with cerebral palsy. The book provides activity suggestions throughout the developmental sequence such as head control, tummy time, sitting, transitions, walking and beyond. There is also great information that reviews additional interventions for children with cerebral palsy such as bracing, surgical and medical management.  Find out more.

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