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Young children often need a break after concentrating on schoolwork, especially during a time when many school-aged kids are learning remotely and are using digital devices for extended periods of time. And those children who are not old enough to attend school, the long days at home can also necessitate something new to break up the monotony.

To help with this, Lily Brubaker, a recent University of Akron alumna, created “brain break” videos to engage young children as they take a rest from their daily activities. Brain breaks are short intermissions that use physical movement or sensory movements to relax and refresh the brain. 

Brubaker, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in child and family development, worked on this project through the Akron Community Internship Program (ACIP) in °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s Experiential Learning (EXL) Center this past summer in collaboration with Child Guidance and Family Solution’s . The opportunity arose when Brubaker, who was a manager at the EXL Center, applied for the ACIP internship after finding a job during the COVID-19 pandemic was proving difficult.

In her videos, Brubaker leads young viewers in physical activities such as yoga poses, simple body stretches and a dice game where children roll a die and the number indicates an activity to do, such as arm circles or jumping on one foot.

“Each of these videos was created to target a specific skill, whether that be to strengthen emotional intelligence or simply to calm down,” says Brubaker. “Each video is short enough to keep a child's attention, and also allows children to repeat the skill at home on their own.” 

The videos have been distributed to many early childhood education partners around the city as parents are looking for ways to provide sensory learning breaks for little ones doing virtual learning at home. The videos featuring Brubaker can be .

Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.