Just For Fun Games
Just For Fun
Just for Fun games provide a place for students to be silly and start to shake their worries away. Participants are given a safe space (normally many participants are actively involved at the same time to limit the feeling of a spotlight) to become more comfortable with their surroundings. Skipping this stage may result in participants shutting down or deciding they are "too cool" for the next level of challenge. Use these entry level games to work on attitudes and discussing the importance of enjoying the game for what it is, FUN!
These activities are designed as safe distanced options. Where appropriate, we encourage activities to be enjoyed outdoors.
These activities are designed for online. Many can be adjusted to suit in-person participation.
5-Word Group Story
Adapted from: https://www.teachingwithamountainview.com/2020/08/ice-breakers-and-team-building-for.html In-person set-up - If you have space for students to spread out and sit in a circle outdoors, this is the best option. If students are at their desks, make sure that everyone knows who they speak after. You can also list the names of the students on the board and use that order. Just have a plan and make sure everyone knows it.
Virtual set-up - Create a list of the order of story tellers and place it in the chat box for everyone to see. Tip - change your view settings to "speaker view" so everyone can see who is telling the story and then can be prepared for their own turn.
This is a story told by the entire class. The catch, each student may only say 5 words at a time. Before you begin, make sure that everyone knows the speaking order so that you don’t have to stop your story to figure out whose turn it is. Then start the story. As you say the first 5 words of the story, hold up your hand and raise one finger for each word. Then look at the student who is next so they can continue the story. It might sound like this:
Teacher: Once upon a time a
Student 1: dog was running in a
Student 2: park. The dog was brown
Student 3: and white with a black
Student 4: spot over his left eye.
Student 5: A giant green and yellow
Student 6: lizard was chasing the dog
Student 7: through the park as it
Student 8: ran and looked around for
You can finish the story as a class or let it be the start of a writing prompt. After everyone has a chance to add 5 words, challenge the students to finish the story in their writing journals.
Play-dough Power
For this activity, each student will need their own small container of play dough.
Possible virtual adaptation - check in with guardians to see if they are able to make play-dough at home. Use the YouTube video to provide easy instructions where students would only require flour, salt and water (colours are optional).
This is a great first-day-of-school activity. Have it on the students’ desks ready for them to start when they first arrive. Having an activity that they jump right into that doesn’t require them knowing anyone is a great way to ease the new environment jitters.
Have students build something out of play-dough that represents them or shares something about them. Here’s some examples:
● Build your favourite mammal
● Build your favourite insect
● Build your favourite plant
● Build something that represents your favourite outdoor activity
● If you were an animal, what animal would you be? Build it
● Build something that represents your favourite season
● Build something that represents your favourite natural space
After students build, then have a share time where students show what they built and tell how it relates to them. This activity could easily be repeated every morning during the first week of school, or longer, using a different build prompt each time.
Secret Handshake
Adapted from: https://www.teachingwithamountainview.com/2020/08/ice-breakers-and-team-building-for.html Build a sense of classroom community with a class secret “handshake.” Tell the class that you are going to create a secret handshake or motion that you can use with each other during the year. Let the class brainstorm some motions and then put together a simple secret handshake.
Some possible motions include:
● Air high 5’s
● Air fist bumps
● Air hand shakes
● Touching a body part like the shoulder, nose or head
● Wiggling or moving a body part
● Turning around
Try to develop a series that is about 5 movements or 5 seconds long. After you decide on the class secret handshake, then practice it a few times. Continue to practice it multiple times a day so that students can learn it quickly. Then use it as you say good morning, when you pick the class up from lunch or before you say goodbye for the day.
Would You Rather...
Some examples were provided from Would You Rather? Fun Questions for the Whole Family vol. 1.In-person set-up - (ideally an outdoor) space with a dividing line (rope, clear transition from pavement to grass, chalk line, etc.) Ensure this line is big enough to give space for physical distancing OR create another system for students to clearly show one choice over another (sit-down or stand up, raise left hand or raise right hand, etc.)
Virtual set-up - inform participants to "raise their hand" or comment with a specific emoji if they agree with option A and then do the same for option B.
Inform them to complete the assigned task (established above) based on their preference between...
Would you rather:
Walk to school on your hands and knees (crawling) OR walk to school by doing somersaults?
Watch fireworks OR go to the movies?
Be a rabbit OR a fox?
Have a powerful telescope Or a powerful microscope?
Visit every country in the world OR play every musical instrument?
Sail around the world OR fly to the moon?
Have a room with whiteboard walls that you can draw on OR a room where the whole ceiling is one big skylight?
Have a pet dinosaur OR a pet unicorn?
Know all the languages of the world OR be able to communicate with animals?
Visit any other planet in the world OR safely see the core of the Earth?
Visit the underground world of ants OR follow a shark's underwater journey?