Brain Breaks Are Not Wasted Time: How Movement Helps Your Homeschooler Focus and Thrive

You finally sit down to start school. Your lesson is planned, your coffee is hot, and your child cannot sit still. If that scene feels familiar, this episode is for you.

Host Angela Lasch sits down with Heather Haupt, author of The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks and founder of Cultivated Learning, to explore a question every homeschool parent has wrestled with: Is all that wiggling really a problem? Heather brings a background in neuroscience to the conversation, and her answer may change the way you see your school day. Movement is not a distraction from learning. It is how God designed the brain to learn best.

Heather was homeschooled herself and is now homeschooling her own five children, so she is not speaking from the outside looking in. She has lived this, and she gets it.

In this episode:

• How being homeschooled and now homeschooling her children shapes the way Heather understands learning
• What a brain break actually is, and how it differs from simply letting kids run around
• What is happening inside the brain when a child gets up and moves during a lesson
• Encouragement for the mom who feels movement time is wasted academic time
• How to build brain breaks into your daily rhythm without losing control of your day
• The connection between movement and your child's emotional regulation
• Simple, practical brain breaks you can use today, even in a small space
• A preview of Heather's sessions at CHEA's Parenting & Homeschool Convention this July

Closing encouragement: This podcast is a word of hope for the homeschool mom who is second-guessing herself today.

Connect with Heather Haupt at Cultivated Learning: https://cultivatedlearning.org

Meet Heather in person this summer. Heather will be speaking at CHEA's 41st Annual Parenting & Homeschool Convention, "Preserving Liberty," July 10 and 11, 2026, at Calvary Chapel Downey. This is where vision gets restored, friendships are deepened, and hearts are renewed. Register and find all the details here: https://cheaofca.org/annual-parenting-homeschool-convention

Connect with CHEA of California. CHEA is California's go-to organization for homeschool families. From your very first questions about getting started to years into your homeschool journey, we exist to inform, equip, support, and protect your God-given right to direct your children's education. 

Website: https://cheaofca.org 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHEAofCA 

Instagram: @cheaofca

Subscribe and stay connected. The California Homeschool Podcast publishes once a month to encourage and equip you on your homeschool journey. If this episode encouraged you, the best thing you can do is subscribe right here on YouTube and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. It truly helps more California families find us.

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