Lesson Starters & Brain Break Activities

Whether it’s through a hands-on challenge, a brain teaser, or a quick brand recognition exercise, lesson starters activate prior knowledge, encourage curiosity, and build connections between concepts. By making learning interactive from the start, these activities create a dynamic classroom environment that promotes collaboration and deeper discussion throughout the lesson.

Lesson starters are great for:

✅ Introducing a new concept.
✅ Revisiting concepts you’ve already taught.
✅ Energising the class/getting them excited about a topic.
✅ Filling short gaps meaningfully (at any point in a lesson).

Different ways to integrate:

  • Start a lesson with a short activity that connects to the learning objectives (e.g., knowledge they need to demonstrate or topics they need to understand).

  • Place starters at the beginning of new instruction (e.g., new lesson or new topic), as a lead-in or to connect to prior learning.

  • Break up long lessons, with movement or creativity to re-energise the class.

  • Spend 5-10 minutes at the end of a lesson allowing students to reflect on the topic or wrap up a class session.Lesson starters are short, generally between 5 and 10 minutes, engaging activities designed to set the tone for learning, spark creativity, and encourage critical thinking. These activities help students transition into a learning mindset while fostering teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.

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