Free break card printables

A break card is a replacement behavior. The child hands over a card or points to a symbol, and an adult gives the break, instead of the child shouting, leaving the room or throwing the pencil to get the same result. That only works if the request is honored every time at the start, and if someone is counting, so this set has the teaching cards, the choice board and the two record sheets that go with them.

What's in this set

1. Eight "I need a break" cards: four designs, two of each, to cut out. A pause symbol, a quiet-corner chair, a clock with a five-minute return, and a blank photo box, each with a name line.
2. Break choice board: six calm options drawn as symbols, drink, walk, quiet corner, squeeze, breathe and music, each with one line saying what it means in your room, plus a what-I-chose line.
3. Break request strips: three strips to cut apart with the frame "I need a break because I feel ___, I would like ___, I will come back in ___ minutes" and an adult-says-yes box.
4. How long a break?: two cards showing 1, 2, 5 and 10 minutes as shaded dials to circle, so a child who cannot read a clock can still see that ten minutes is longer than two.
5. One-day break tally: six parts of the school day with columns for breaks asked for, breaks given, breaks the adult offered first, and what happened just before.
6. Weekly break log: twelve lines for day, time out, what the class was doing, which break was chosen, time back and whether it helped.
7. My own break cards: six blank cards with a 40 mm picture box and a writing line, for the breaks this child actually asks for.

Nothing in this set has an answer key. These are cards, boards and logs, so there is nothing to mark.

Frequently asked questions

What if the child asks for a break all day?

Expect that for the first week or two: the child is testing whether the card really works. Record it on the one-day tally. If the number is still high after two weeks, look at the "what happened just before" column, because the requests usually cluster around one activity that needs changing.

Can I say no to a break?

Not while you are teaching the card. Later you can ask for one more item first, or offer a shorter break, but a refused request has to be rare, and it must never be followed by giving in after an escalation.

Where should the break happen?

Somewhere boring and predictable: a bean bag in a corner, a chair facing a wall, one lap of the hall with an adult. The choice board has a line under each option so you can write what it means in your room.

How long should a break be?

Start with five or ten minutes and give the full time even if the child settles in thirty seconds. Once breaks are reliable, start offering the one and two minute options as well.

Can I use these in my classroom?

Yes. Every sheet is free for non-commercial educational use and may be photocopied for your room. Please link to this page rather than re-uploading the files.

More life skills printables

Break cards work best alongside the printables that make the work itself predictable. The chore chart printable and the reward chart printable show a child what is coming and what it earns, and the I spy worksheets or the cutting practice worksheets give the calm corner a quiet, low-demand activity.