Games for school projects

Divide your class into even groups. Set a timer and have each group divide the 20 items into four categories that make sense to them.

When each group is finished, give each one time to present their categories and their rationale behind each category. Lay out two long ropes parallel to one another and have students line up in the middle.

Call out a set of opposites like sweet or sour, day or night, cat or dog. Students will jump over the left rope if they prefer the first one or over the right rope if they prefer the second one. Give them a minute to look around, then have everyone return to the middle. This activity is a good way to get to know classmates better and to see who they have preferences in common with. At this point in time, school districts are uncertain whether there will be COVID restrictions in the classroom this fall or not.

Here is a collection of over 40 games and activities for students to get to know one another and work together while maintaining a safe social distance.

This fun game is a lot like the game show Password. Split your class into two teams and have them sit together in teams facing the whiteboard or chalkboard. Then take an empty chair—one for each team—and put it at the front of the class, facing the team members. Prepare a list of vocabulary words to use for the game. Choose one and write it clearly on the board. Each team will take turns trying to get their teammate in the hot seat to guess the word, using synonyms, antonyms, definitions, etc.

Make sure team members work together so that each member has a chance to provide clues. The student in the hot seat listens to their teammates and tries to guess the word. The first hot seat student to say the word wins a point for their team. Once the word is successfully guessed, a new student from each team sits in the hot seat, and a new round begins with a different word.

Source: Uber-Dork. This is a fun activity to get kids lined up. It may take 5—10 minutes, depending on the age of your students, so plan accordingly. The objective is to have students line up in order of their birthdays—January 1st through December 31st. To do this, they will need to know the order in which the months fall as well as their own birthday.

They will also need to talk with one another in order to figure out who goes in front of whom. To make it super challenging, tell them they must do it without speaking at all, only using hand signals. This activity requires strong verbal communication and cooperation. All you need is a long rope with the ends tied together and something to serve as blindfolds for students, such as bandanas or fabric strips.

Have students stand in a circle holding the rope in front of them. Signal them to put their blindfolds on and set the rope on the ground in front of them. Ask students to turn and walk a short distance away from the circle. Assign a partner to any students who may need help. Finally, have everyone come back to the rope and try to form a perfect square with their blindfolds on. Set a time limit to make it more challenging. Divide students into two teams. Before you begin, stake out the boundaries and position a home base at either end for each team.

For each round each team must confer and decide whether they will be rock, paper, or scissors. Have the two teams line up facing one another, and on your signal, have all players flash rock, paper, scissors, shoot! The kids on the losing team must run back to their base before they are tagged by one of the kids on the winning team. This activity takes a little creative thinking. One team will do the challenge first while the other team watches, then they will switch places.

Have all members of the team stand on a flat bedsheet, tarp, or blanket kids should fill up all but about a quarter of the space. Give each student an empty balloon and a slip of paper.

Ask them to write a get-to-know-you question on their paper, such as How many brothers and sisters do you have? Do you have any pets? Next, have them put their question inside the balloon, blow it up, and tie the end. When everyone is ready, have them gather on the rug, and, on your signal, toss their balloon up in the air.

Give them a couple of minutes to bat the balloons around, then call stop. Have each student grab one balloon and come sit in a circle. Go around the circle and, one at a time, have students pop their balloon, read the question inside, and answer the question.

Source: Makes You Think. Divide students into groups of equal numbers. Pass out an equal number of marshmallows and wooden toothpicks to each group. Challenge the groups to create the tallest, largest, or most creative structure in a set amount of time, each member taking turns doing the actual building.

Afterward, have each group describe what they made. This problem-solving activity will help students learn to communicate effectively. Before the game begins, build a small sculpture with LEGO bricks or building blocks and keep it covered in an area that is of equal distance from all the groups.

Divide your students into teams of four or five, and give each team enough blocks to duplicate the structure. To begin the game, reveal the structure, and one member from each team is allowed to come up to look at it closely for 10 seconds, trying to memorize it before returning to their team.

Once they return to their team, they have 25 seconds to instruct the group on how to build a replica of the structure. After one minute of trying to recreate it, another member from each team can come up for a sneak peek before returning to their team and trying again.

The game continues until one of the teams successfully recreates the original structure. Divide students into groups of six or eight or larger if you want to make the task more difficult.

Provide each team with an image and blank pieces of white card stock, one per team member. First, each team must cut up the image into the same number of pieces as there are group members.

Use it to: Host online classes with video and screen sharing Engage your classroom with online polls, breakout rooms and virtual chats Host zoom games where students can join the fun from home or at school! Flipgrid Price: Free Come up with discussions that really get your class talking! Google Classroom Price: Free Encourage virtual teamwork with your one-stop-shop for lessons, assignments and class discussions. Google Classroom provides access to: Google Meet — Host video lessons and presentations online.

Google Forms — Host surveys and quizzes for your class to fill out. Google Calendar — Keep track of lessons and give students insight into the structure of their day. Google Slides — Present lessons in a presentation format and include visuals to keep your class engaged.

And more! Prezi Price : Free Virtual learning can never be dull when you have this many fun effects and templates to choose from! Digital escape rooms No room needed! Two Truths and a Lie Put a spin on this classic icebreaker game through online polls, presentation decks, or quiz platforms like Kahoot!

Virtual journal writing Instead of daily journal entries on paper, encourage virtual journal submissions through an online platform like Google Docs. Virtual Scavenger Hunt Create a checklist to bring your scavenger hunt online. Your list can include: Items they can find around their home find 3 items that have stripes Information they can find online when was the telephone invented? Information about one another find a classmate who is left handed Host one big scavenger hunt, or provide one daily checklist item for them to find by the end of the day.

Read aloud videos Record yourself reading a book out loud, then send the video to your students and have them listen during class time. Virtual brain breaks Brain breaks are an effective way to keep kids energized and ready to learn more. Try these: Videos that encourage activity like an action song or yoga video Online games try assigning five minutes of Prodigy time between class tasks Fun discussion topics that prompt online chats Ex.

Virtual zoo or aquarium Lions and tigers and bears … and penguins and sharks and monkeys! Oh my! Virtual national park tours Your class can visit some of the most famous parks and learn more about nature without even stepping outside! Virtual walking trails Let your class explore mountains, trails, forests or even the pyramids! Ellis Island tour Provide students with a hands-on history lesson through this interactive online tour of the historic Ellis Island.

Museums and art galleries Some of the most well-known galleries in the world offer amazing online exhibits anyone can enjoy. Make sure to: Share your digital class schedule Let students know the best way to ask questions online Communicate classroom rules try using Bitmojis to keep things light and fun! Send fun virtual questionnaires Give students fun questions that will help them find out what they have in common and build community for the rest of the school year.

Design virtual lockers Use a fun Bitmoji template and have students create virtual lockers to display their personal style or show off their favorite things. Send an online survey to each student asking questions like: How do you learn best? What questions do you have for me? What do you want to learn the most this year?

Encourage socialization Social emotional learning is critical for student success. Try these: Assign social emotional learning activities online Have frequent breakout rooms for students to socialize in small groups Create a collaborative class playlist on Spotify or listen to music as a class Hold regular discussions with the whole class and allow students to use chat functions or speak out loud.

Hold virtual morning meetings Have a daily check-in with morning meetings where you and your students can share feelings, thoughts and ideas for the day. Host theme days Have regular theme days where the class wears a certain color or accessory, or dresses as a specific character. Get the most out of your virtual classroom Online teaching can be a tough balance. Looking for an online activity to supplement your math lessons?

Prodigy can help make learning math fun! If using as a game, break students up into three teams. Then, instruct students to roll the die and together as group come up with a story. Games can have a powerful impact on learning and are also quite useful in the classroom because they allow students to socialize and learn to communicate better with one another.

Around this time…. Search for:. Engaging Classroom Games for All Grades. Janelle Cox. October 8, Classroom Activities.

Home Teacher Resources Classroom Activities. Share on facebook. Share on linkedin. Share on twitter. Share on print. Why are Games an Effective Engagement Tool? Engaging Classroom Games for Students Here are some current, popular K classroom games to help motivate and engage learners. Minecraft Minecraft is transforming education with millions of students learning with the education edition.

Kahoot and Quizizz Interactive game platforms like Kahoot and Quizizz are so engaging that many teachers are now reporting that their students are requesting to play them as part of their learning.