Using energizers in the classroom is certainly not a new concept. As a matter of fact, this very topic is often mentioned during many of our Milady Master Educator classes. However, every time I ask the question “how many educators in the room are integrating energizers into your daily classroom activities?” I often receive blank looks and on occasion, a few educators will raise their hands.
The purpose of incorporating energizers into your classroom is to simply get your students out of their chairs and to allow them to disconnect from the material that you are presenting. These quick, little 2–3 minute activities help refresh and refocus students and can help them overcome fatigue or even worse, those blank looks that we often see on our students’ faces.
So, if we all know the purpose of energizers, then why are so many educators not utilizing them? I believe it’s because some educators might not know what to do. Look no further, I found this great app called GoNoodle (https://www.gonoodle.com/). This amazing app brings energizers right into your classrooms with a simple click. That’s right, you create a free account and receive access to a variety of video categories to choose from such as mindfulness, sensory and motor skills, or choose from types of moments such as dance, stretch, breathe, partner up, or freestyle. Once you have created your account, you simply click on the desired video category and voila, you have a fun, visual energizer to get your students moving.
So, the next time I ask you, “are you integrating energizers into your daily classroom activities?” The response will be YES!