Brain Break Dice: Summer Theme
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Type of Resource: PDF
Number of Pages: 8
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What’s Included in the Summer Brain Break Cube?
- Colorful cube inserts featuring six engaging summer-themed movements: swim in the pool, catch a butterfly, row a boat, build a sandcastle, hike up a hill, and rub on sunscreen. Each card combines pretend play with gross motor activity, keeping kids moving and smiling.
- Black-and-white cube inserts that save ink and double as a coloring activity. Kids can color their own cube pieces, adding fine motor practice and ownership to the game.
- DIY cube template so you can create a sturdy paper cube without needing any special supplies. Just print, cut, fold, and tape... it’s that simple.
- Easy-to-follow directions for teachers, parents, and therapists, making it simple to introduce and manage brain breaks in any setting.
Required Materials:
- Laminator
- Paper Cutter
- Paper, Printer, Ink
Standards Alignment
✔ Texas Pre-K Guidelines: Physical Development, Gross Motor Skills (movement, coordination, balance)
✔ Virginia ELDS: Physical Development, Building strength, flexibility, and large motor control
✔ Common Core ELA:
- SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations (sharing ideas during group activity)
- L.K.6: Use words and phrases acquired through play (summer vocabulary and action words)
✔ SEL Standards: Encourages self-regulation, relationship skills, and cooperative play
Skills Addressed with Summer Theme Brain Breaks
Primary Academic and Physical Development Skills
- Gross motor skill development: Each roll strengthens balance, coordination, and large muscle groups through actions like rowing, swimming, and hiking.
- Listening comprehension and following directions: Students hear the action, understand it, and act it out—an essential preschool and kindergarten skill.
- Vocabulary building and thematic learning: Words like “sandcastle,” “butterfly,” and “row a boat” expand vocabulary in a meaningful, summer-themed context.
- Body awareness and spatial movement: Students learn safe movement within a group setting, practicing spatial boundaries and control.
Secondary Life Skills and SEL Benefits
- Self-regulation and sensory input: Quick movement breaks help children reset their bodies and emotions, preparing them to re-focus.
- Cooperative play and social skills: Rolling the cube and acting out together encourages turn-taking, patience, and teamwork.
- Confidence and self-expression: Silly pretend play gives students freedom to shine in a safe, supportive way.
- Focus during transitions: Structured brain breaks smooth tricky times of day, reducing challenging behaviors.
Turn summer energy into focused fun with this Summer Brain Break Cube!
When kids are squirmy, fidgety, or losing focus, nothing resets their energy like a quick and playful brain break. This Summer Brain Break Cube is filled with silly, high-energy gross motor activities that let children pretend, move, and laugh while building important coordination skills.
With every roll of the action cube, students might build a sandcastle, row a boat, or swim in the pool.
These themed brain breaks bring summer right into your classroom or therapy sessions while giving kids the sensory play they crave.
Brain breaks don’t need to be complicated. This easy-prep activity keeps transitions smooth, circle time lively, and indoor recess engaging… all while giving children meaningful opportunities to practice gross motor skills.
How to Play with the Gross Motor Action Cube
- Print your choice of colorful or black-and-white inserts.
- Slide them into a differentiated instruction cube or assemble the DIY cube included.
- Choose a child to roll the cube during circle time, transition time, or indoor recess.
- Read the movement together (“Build a sandcastle!”) and encourage the whole group to join in.
- Keep rolling until students have released their energy and are ready to focus again.
It’s quick, fun, and the perfect way to add summer joy to your classroom routines!
How and Where to Use the Summer Brain Break Cube
- Circle time brain breaks give students a chance to move their bodies in between songs, stories, or lessons. Adding a quick roll of the cube keeps attention high and makes circle time more interactive and fun.
- Transition activities smooth out tricky parts of the day, like moving from centers to the carpet or from math to literacy. A short burst of themed movement helps kids reset their focus while keeping transitions positive.
- Indoor recess games bring summer fun inside on days when the weather is rainy, too hot, or simply not safe to play outdoors. Students still get the energy release they need without chaos.
- Occupational therapy sessions benefit from playful summer actions like swimming, rowing, or building a sandcastle. Each movement strengthens large muscle groups while providing much-needed sensory input.
- Speech therapy and ESL/ELL support use the cube to reinforce action verbs and seasonal vocabulary. Acting out movements gives students a multi-sensory way to practice words like “row,” “swim,” and “catch.”
- Sub plans become easier with this no-prep option that kids already know how to use. It keeps the classroom running smoothly and provides meaningful gross motor play even when you’re not there.
- Homeschool breaks are simple to add between lessons for preschool and kindergarten learners. Parents can roll the cube to give their children playful, summer-themed movement time that supports learning at home.
