Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Beat the Buzzer
The class shouts answers together to build a streak before the buzzer. Every right answer makes the clock a little faster. Can you beat the class record?
Math Brain Break Games
10 quick math games for the whole class: 5 minute math brain breaks that get students out of their seats while they practice. No prep, no logins, and every game has 5 levels from adding within 20 up to integers and one-step equations.
A math brain break gets kids moving without stopping the math. Students stand, sit, hop, dance and walk to corners of the room while they answer, so the energy goes into practice instead of off-task chatter. Each game runs on one projector or smartboard, a round takes 2 to 4 minutes, and the same game works for a 1st grade class or an 8th grade class because you pick the level on the start screen.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Estimation Station
A picture flashes for a few seconds: a pile of apples, a shaded bar or a big multiplication. Students make their best estimate and the closest guess wins.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Four Corners Math
Four answers, four colored corners of the room. Students walk to the corner with the right answer before the timer runs out.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Make It!
Four number cards and a target. Students use every card once, with any operations, to make the target, then stand up and shout “Make it!”
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Math Simon Says
Simon says hop on one foot if 6 × 7 = 42! Students do the move only when Simon says it and the math is true. Trick rounds keep everyone listening.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Mystery Number
Clues appear one at a time: I'm even, I'm greater than 40, my digits add up to 9. Students stand up when they think they know the number.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Number Line Hop
Students hop left and right on the spot to move a frog along the number line, then call out where it lands. Then watch the frog jump to check.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Pattern Freeze Dance
Music plays and students dance while a number pattern builds on the screen. When the music stops, everyone freezes and calls out what comes next.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Rock, Paper, Math
Partners count “Rock, paper, MATH!” and throw out fingers, then race to add or multiply the two hands. The rule changes with each level.
Grades 1–8 · Brain break
Stand Up, Sit Down
A math sentence appears on the screen. Students stand up if it's true and sit down if it's false, then the answer pops up.
Where to start
- Get everyone moving: Stand Up, Sit Down, Math Simon Says, Pattern Freeze Dance
- Walk, hop and race: Four Corners Math, Number Line Hop, Beat the Buzzer
- Partners and teams: Rock, Paper, Math, Make It!
- Thinking games: Mystery Number, Estimation Station
Every game has the same 5 levels: add and subtract within 20, times tables and division facts, multi-digit operations, fractions, decimals and percents, and integers and one-step equations. Get all 10 in the Brain Break Pack.
Questions teachers ask
How long does a math brain break take?
One round takes 2 to 4 minutes. You choose how many questions or rounds to play, so a brain break can be as short as you need.
Do I need to prep anything?
No. Open the game, put it on the projector and press Start. Four Corners Math works best with a colored sign in each corner of the room, but you can just point.
Which grades are they for?
Grades 1–8. Every game has 5 levels, from adding within 20 up to integers and one-step equations, so one game works across grades.
Do students need logins or devices?
No. The whole class plays together on one screen, with no student accounts, and once a game is downloaded it works offline.
Can I try a game before I buy it?
Yes. Every game has a free demo on its page. Games are $5 each, the Brain Break Pack is $19 for all 10, or $150 for all 174 games and every future game.
Skills these games cover
Brain break (10)
Standards practiced
Common Core 1.OA.C.6Common Core 2.OA.B.2Common Core 3.OA.C.7Common Core 4.NBT.B.4Common Core 4.NBT.B.5Common Core 4.NBT.B.6Common Core 4.NF.B.3Common Core 5.NBT.A.2Common Core 5.NBT.B.7Common Core 6.EE.B.7Common Core 6.RP.A.3Common Core 7.NS.A.1Common Core 7.NS.A.2Oklahoma (OAS) 1.N.2.1Oklahoma (OAS) 2.N.2.1Oklahoma (OAS) 4.N.2.2Oklahoma (OAS) 4.N.2.3Oklahoma (OAS) 5.N.3.1Oklahoma (OAS) 5.N.3.3Oklahoma (OAS) 7.A.3.1Oklahoma (OAS) 7.N.2.1Oklahoma (OAS) 7.N.2.2Oklahoma (OAS) 7.N.2.3Oklahoma (OAS) 7.N.2.4
The All-Access Teacher License includes every game, every grade and all future games.