Classroom Survival Kit: Engaging Brain Teasers

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One of my top classroom tips for a smooth substitute teaching day includes having a set of brain breaks and other engaging time-fillers on hand. I’ve written about some of these low-tech time-fillers in this blog post. In today’s post, contributing writer Felicia Bartlett details some of her favorite tech-friendly brain breaks. You won’t want to miss these fun ideas for engaging your students!

Engaging All Students with Brief Bursts of Fun

Brain breaks and brain teasers are fun ways to connect with students and break up a long, monotonous school day. I am always searching for new puzzles and short activities that I can do with the students at the beginning or in the middle of class. These fun time-fillers can also help students build their confidence in the classroom, smoothe out the unexpected interruptions in schedule that sometimes occur, and they are simply fun to do!

I have been able to assist with math and reading intervention groups in elementary school for the last 5 years. Usually I begin meeting with small groups during the 2 or 3 months before state testing begins in the Spring. Materials are always provided, such as math worksheets and reading passages from previous tests.

But as I met with each small group, I noticed some students weren’t engaged and didn’t want to be there no matter how nice I was to them.

I found out it takes a more creative approach to working with students.

Why I Use Bell Ringers, Brain Breaks and Riddles in the Classroom

When I was a full-time elementary science teacher, I would always begin each class with a question of the day (“bell ringer”).  It was usually something we learned the previous day or a brain dump about a particular concept. This was a good way to get the students to settle down and think about or review what they knew. Then the lesson or lab would begin. As time went on, I discovered some students had trouble writing things down or just didn’t answer the question of the day. After all, it wasn’t a very exciting thing to do. And the same students would always want to share their answers with the class. 

Then I remembered something about student engagement I had recently learned in professional development.

One brilliant suggestion was to show a picture or part of a picture on the Promethean board and let the students view it and figure out what they saw. Were the animals in a jungle? Did the people look like they were having fun at the beach? What famous building is being pictured?

So I changed the format of my daily bell ringers.

I began showing a variety of pictures of people, places and things. My favorite thing to show is the live view from the International Space Station as it orbits the Earth. This simple activity of showing images brought out students’ curiosity as they walked into my classroom. I could imagine all the light bulbs above their heads getting brighter. As time went on, I discovered that not only was this a great way to engage students, it was also a fun brain teaser. 

Using Classroom Brain Break Ideas (Even in Small Groups!)

Before I begin working with students in math or reading groups, I dedicate a few minutes of our time to brain teasers. I have also added a joke of the day. It’s hard to get students to focus on more skill practice, especially when they are pulled from their large group time (i.e. art or music). These short brain breaks provide a quick rest and reset for these often squirmy students, paving the way for more engaged learning during the lesson.

I always start with handing out one or two of the school’s paper money or tickets. This incentive helps ease some of their regret about missing large group time since they collect it to buy fun things from their teachers. Some students are quiet, some are a little upset and some are excited. Once inside the classroom, I have my Google slideshow ready to go.  

Using a Prepared Google Slides Presentation for Brain Breaks

The first slide is called “Which One Doesn’t Belong?”  It’s also known as “Odd One Out”.  Students can examine the four pictures on the slide and determine which one “doesn’t belong.”

There is no right or wrong answer as long as they have a good reason for selecting a picture. I believe this activity helps students practice their critical thinking skills. Participation might be slow at first, but as students get comfortable defending their answer, it starts to be fun for them.

Sometimes even the most quiet student will raise their hand and participate. I never force anyone to talk if they don’t feel comfortable, however, all students end up talking after a few days.

The next slide is called “How many objects are there and how did you count?” The picture could be a crate of apples, a container of candy, billiard balls on a pool table, etc. The point of this brain teaser is to see if the students can find patterns or estimate the number of objects in the picture– any way a student can think of to “count” the objects more quickly than one by one.

This is usually when I see the light bulbs switch on, as they are engaging with the challenge. I have to give credit to @howie_hua on X for this brilliant idea.

The last slides are usually one or two jokes. I get the jokes from kid friendly websites or joke books (try stashing this fun joke book in your sub bag to have plenty of jokes on hand!). Some are pretty easy to guess the punchline and some are complete eye-rollers! (I consider it a win if a student smiles or rolls their eyes!) A few students have even brought me jokes to tell. 

After this fun warm up, we begin with our skill practice of the day. We complete read a-louds, we work together, we take a mini stretch break and we wrap up our time.

During the mini break, students can get up to write their answer to my question of the day on the white board. The question is usually something like “Who’s your favorite superhero?”, “Would you rather be fast or invisible?”, etc.  If the students have shown focus on their work and have participated during our time together, I reward them with stickers or an item from the Treasure Box! 

Using Brain Teasers with the Whole Group

Brain teasers can also work in a regular classroom. When I sub, I can pull up my Google slide as students are walking into class in the morning and get through a couple of them before it’s time to start the day’s assignments.  I can also use them as a brain break during the day. If I notice students are getting fidgety, I will invite them to stand up and stretch or I will put on a GoNoodle dance video. It’s important to have some movement incorporated in their daily routine. 

Participating in these quick, fun activities helps students take necessary breaks from the long school day. These activities may also help students gain more confidence in the classroom. Students may begin to realize they know more than they think they do. This confidence can translate to other areas in which they struggle. Brain teasers, brain breaks and jokes are all useful and creative activities that add value to the daily structured lesson plan.