Mental Health in Primary Schools

We are excited to share some of the strategies we’re using to help your children stay focused, energised and 'Ready to Learn' throughout the day. Brain Breaks and Positive Primers are a key part of our classroom routine.

What They Are

Brain Breaks: Are short, activities lasting one to three minutes designed to help students shift their mental state. If the class or a student has low energy, we do something active to boost their alertness. If they are over excited, we use a calming break to bring them back to centre
Positive Primers: Quick, joyful activities at the start of a lesson to build a positive mood for learning

The Berry Street Connection

Through our ongoing Berry Street Education Model training, we understand that for a child to learn effectively, they first need to feel regulated, calm, focused, and ready. We use these breaks to help students shift gears between subjects and manage their energy levels throughout the day.

Throughout the year, teachers will receive new Positive Primers and Brain Breaks every fortnight. This allows our staff to build a wide toolbox of strategies to keep students engaged and discover which activities work best for each individual class.

Here are examples of Brain Breaks and Positive Primers that will be introduced to staff this coming week.

Positive Primer:

Transport actions

Call out transport actions for students to enact, eg. pedal your bicycle, fly your spaceship, or sail your boat. This Positive Primer can be used as a Brain Break or adapted to any topic students are learning.

Brain Break:

Scan the QR code or click the link to watch the clip, Fine Motor Soccer.

Students will need 2 sheets of paper per student or per pair of students

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnS2VCbJal8

Maggie Collins

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader