Christmas Brain Breaks for the Wild Weeks Before Winter Break

Quick answer

What makes a good Christmas brain break?

A good Christmas brain break lasts about one to three minutes, needs little or no equipment, and works in the space beside a desk. Match the energy to the moment: Santa Says or a freeze dance to burn off energy, snowflake breathing to settle the room. Keep the theme to winter and giving so more students feel included.

• Ages 6–17 should get 60+ minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily (HHS).
• SHAPE America recommends 50 percent of PE class time in moderate-to-vigorous activity.
• Breaks fit best after long seated tasks and late in the school day.

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• Every break needs a seated option for students who can't stand.

Which holiday break fits which moment of the day?

Pick the break by what the room needs. Before lunch or after a long seated task, energy needs to go out. Late in the day or before a quiz, it needs to come down.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans advise 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity a day for ages 6–17. A two-minute break is a small slice of that, so it adds to PE and recess and does not replace them.

Which holiday breaks burn off the extra energy?

These three breaks need almost no setup and run beside the desks. Each has a clear end, and nobody is eliminated.

Santa Says

The class follows only the commands that start with “Santa says.” The teacher calls about ten commands: prance like a reindeer, ring jingle bells overhead, stack presents, shiver like a snowman. A command without the phrase means stay still. A student who moves anyway shakes out both hands for three seconds and stays in. The class earns a point for each command everyone gets right, and the round ends after the tenth command. A student can take over as Santa for the next round.

Reindeer freeze dance

Students stand beside their desks and move as reindeer while the music plays: prance in place, paw the floor, wave antlers made of hands above the head. When the music stops, the teacher calls a shape such as a snowman, a wrapped present or a tree, and the class holds it for three seconds. A wobble costs nothing. Restart the music and go again. The round ends after six to eight pauses.

Present pass

Each row works as a team to pass one soft present, a beanbag or a pair of rolled socks, to the back and return it. Students stand in line beside their desks. The first student passes the present overhead, each student passes it on, and the last student turns and sends it back at waist height. Pass it, never toss it, so it never flies toward a face. A student who drops it picks it up and play continues from that spot. The row calls “Delivered!” when the present reaches the first student again. Rows try to beat their own time on a visible timer instead of racing each other.

Which breaks calm the room in the afternoon slump?

After lunch recess or a class party, a quiet break gives the room a way down. These three run seated or standing, with the music off.

Snowflake breathing

Each student holds one hand up with the fingers spread and traces it with the other index finger. Breathe in while tracing up a finger and out while tracing down. Five fingers make five slow breaths, about 30 seconds. Repeat on the other hand if the room is still loud.

Melting snowman

Students sit tall with arms overhead and shoulders tight, like a frozen snowman. Over about ten seconds, narrate the melt: fingers soften, arms drift down, shoulders drop, chin settles toward the chest. Anyone who feels dizzy keeps the head up and only melts the arms. End with one big breath.

Santa's list

This memory break needs almost no space. The teacher calls three actions, such as clap twice, tap both knees, touch your nose, and the class repeats them in order. Each round adds one action. If the class loses the order, the teacher repeats the list slowly and the round restarts from the last action everyone had right. The game ends at six actions or when the stop cue sounds, whichever comes first.

How do you run breaks when the desks are in rows?

Rows leave narrow aisles, so keep every move in place and set the ground rules before the first break. A supervised class needs a ten-second space check: chairs pushed in, bags off the floor, shoes on, and roughly an arm's length of clear space around each student. No running, no throwing, soft objects only.

Teach one start cue and one stop cue, such as a chime and a raised hand, in a practice round on a calm day. Then use the same cues for every break. Each break above has a seated version for students who use a wheelchair or can't stand: arms for the prancing, shoulders for the freeze, hands for the passing. Any student can pick the small version.

How do you keep holiday breaks welcoming for all families?

Not every family celebrates Christmas. Some celebrate another winter holiday and some celebrate none, and a student should be able to join a break without feeling pulled into someone else's holiday. Keep the theme to winter and giving, and check your school or district's policy on holiday activities, since those policies differ.

• Name breaks by the action. “Snowman freeze dance” and “Present pass” work for anyone, and Santa Says can become “Winter Says.”
• Use winter images such as snow, mittens, gingerbread and presents, and leave out religious songs and stories.
• Make participation flexible: a student can do the seated version, the small version, or run the timer.
• Keep the music low or off. Some students are sensitive to noise, and a chime works as a stop cue.

Do not take a break away as a consequence. SHAPE America's position statement on physical activity as punishment calls withholding PE or recess as a consequence inappropriate, and a wound-up class is often the one that needs the break. For students who need adapted movements all year, plan the seated and small versions with the student's IEP or 504 team and your adapted PE teacher.

How do classroom breaks connect to December PE class?

If you teach PE, hand classroom teachers a half-page list of the breaks you like to use between subjects in December. The same moves scale up in the gym.

Reindeer freeze dance becomes a locomotor freeze: students skip, gallop or slide around the space with room between them, then freeze on the stop cue. Santa Says works as a warm-up with commands like “gallop like a reindeer” or “jump like a snowman” on a clear floor. Keep the themed warm-up short. SHAPE America recommends moderate-to-vigorous activity for 50 percent of PE class time (see its 2017 dodgeball position statement), so the main activity should fill most of the period.

For that main activity in the last weeks of December, see Christmas PE Games for Winter Break and Christmas Stations for PE Class. Earlier in the season, Thanksgiving Brain Breaks cover the short week in November. After the break, Winter Brain Breaks keep the snow theme going into January without the holiday, and Brain Breaks and Classroom Games, K–5 gives you a set for the rest of the year.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Christmas brain break videos from YouTube?

Yes, if you preview the video first and it fits your school's screen and holiday policies. Some holiday movement videos run 10 minutes or longer, which is far more than a brain break, so cue a short segment or stop after one freeze round. Check that students have clear space around the desk and keep the volume low enough to hear your stop cue.

How many holiday brain breaks should I run in a day?

Start with about two or three a day and add one when the room gets restless. Good moments are after a long seated task and in the last stretch of the afternoon. More than that can eat into instruction, so set a timer and end every break on a signal.

Do these breaks work for middle and high school classes?

Yes, with a change of tone. Older students usually respond better to short challenges than to character voices. Run Santa Says as a speed round with faster commands and let students call them, or turn Santa's list into a partner challenge where each student adds one action. Keep each break to one or two minutes.

Can I run these breaks without music?

Yes. Use a chime, a clap pattern or your voice as the freeze cue, or raise your arm and have students freeze when it goes up. Silent breaks suit students who are sensitive to noise and keep the sound from carrying into the next classroom. The calm breaks above already run without music.

Which Christmas brain breaks work best for kindergarten?

For kindergarten, use one-step breaks: the reindeer freeze dance, melting snowman and snowflake breathing work best. Keep each break to about one minute. Show every move yourself before the class tries it. Hold off on Santa's list until students can remember three actions. In Santa Says, give only one or two commands without the phrase, because five-year-olds often move on every call.