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Downtime (planned or unexpected) can be the hardest part of the day for students to focus. Quick games played in class give them a chance to go into the next lesson energized. From history-twisted morning assignments to fun math challenges, these activities reinforce learning and can be adapted to any class size.
Quickly rejuvenate and refocus with a 5-minute game
Elementary school children’s attention spans match their age, so a seven-year-old can typically focus for about seven minutes. This means that the game, which only takes about five minutes, is ideal for preschool and kindergarten children. They’re also easy to implement for any age when you only have a short time to fill.
These classroom games for kids can help refocus, boost energy, and enhance learning by combining movement with math, ELA, social studies, or science.
- Move around the map: One student names a country and classmates act out how they would get there (swim, fly, bike, etc.). Students who choose impractical modes of travel, such as swimming from Canada to Alaska, are out.
- Get energized with math tags: The teacher chooses an “it” person. Choose a math skill that has two main parts or concepts (e.g., prime numbers vs. composite numbers). Assign an action to each part (for example, students squat for prime numbers and jump for compounds). Those who make the wrong move will be flagged.
- Take a seat at a historical hot spot: Students choose a famous historical figure and ask questions to guess who it is.
- Figure out figurative language: Calls out a figurative language. Students write down examples and the class selects the best ones to earn points.
- Display the state of matter: One person becomes the caller. Students perform movements in different states of matter as required. Anyone caught in the error state must sit out for a minute before rejoining the game.
- Vocabulary Relay Victory: Say topic-specific vocabulary. Students take turns defining it without repeating previous answers. Anyone who repeats a previous answer or takes longer than five seconds to answer will be eliminated. Keep playing until one winner remains.
- Play with shadow tags: Expand; “it” students mark others by connecting to their shadows. They must move around the person until their shadows merge together.
- Parts of speech trivia: Teams earn points by taking turns naming examples of a given part of speech.
Morning Meeting Numbers Game – Q&A – Numbers Fun Friday Games
Thompson’s Teachings – – – Amanda Thompson
Grade: 1-4
This bundle contains number questions and answers for students to play quiet trivia games during recess. It provides students with different ways to present their answers and incorporates movement and collaboration.
Quick games to play in class in 10 minutes
These games are great for older children or during longer breaks, and are easy to guide students if you need them to do things on their own.
- Create a quick character: Divide the class into groups. Give each team three random items and a character who needs those items. They have five minutes to portray or describe their character. The groups then present and explain. The best character wins.
- Enter the numbers: Name a number and have students find ways to create that number with their bodies. For example 12 requires multiple people. Make the numbers bigger to add more challenge. The last person or group to form the number is out. Play until one person is left or time is up.
- find the real word: Give each student 10 points. Say a false word or a real word. If it is a true word, have the students stand up; if it is a false word, have the students sit down. Challenge them with real words that sound fake. One point will be deducted for anyone who guesses wrong. The person who guesses correctly gets one point. The person with the most points at the end of the game wins.
- Start looking for synonyms: Choose a base word and a leader to watch the game. Say synonyms or antonyms. Students ran in place looking for synonyms and freezing antonyms. The person who makes the wrong move must sit down. The one who persists until the end is the winner.
- Pass the ball: Students sit at their desks and pass around an imaginary beach ball. Each person who “catches” the ball answers a science or math question. The person with the most correct answers wins.
- Move the rhythm around the circle: Students are given a word to start with and they must pass the rhyme around the circle. The person who cannot think of a rhyming word within three seconds moves to the middle until they run out of rhyming words.
Morning Meeting Activities Classroom Games Brain Lounge Recess Friday Fun
by funky apple
Grade: 1-5
This resource includes a monthly pack containing 10 digital images for students to study with. For each set of images, students answer six different questions, encouraging them to discuss and describe the details they notice.
Dice Addition 1-36 Math fitness game for PE, brain breaks and recess
Setting up PE via Ready
Grade: K-3
Using addition, students roll dice based on cards to complete different body movements. They must practice mental arithmetic and collaboration.
Bean Bag Activities and Games: Music, PE, Classroom Community
Create through singing and playing
Grades: Pre-kindergarten to sixth grade
Teachers can participate in 10 unique activities, each of which includes an activity poster and step-by-step teacher guidance. These activities combine gross motor skills with music and creative making.
Strengthen teamwork and focus with a 15-minute game
A quick game played in class that can be played in rounds or expanded to larger groups. This is especially helpful when trying to get kindergarten students involved in elementary school physical education games or keeping older students happily playing indoor recess games.
- sudden psychic abilities: Divide the class into pairs. On the timer, students each say one word. They then need to come up with a word that connects the two words, repeating the process until they both say the same word.
- trigger a chain reaction: Students stand in a circle. One student initiates an action that triggers the next person’s action (e.g., jump, spin, clap, stomp, etc.). The reaction must move smoothly around the circle or it must start over.
- Bidding brain power: Students are divided into groups, each group is worth 100 points. Ask trivia questions based on current ELA, math, social studies, and scientific research. The group must discuss how many points they would like to score the answer. Correct answers will earn these points, while wrong answers will lose these points. The team with the most points wins.
- List likes: Place a subject (celestial body or fictional character) on the board. Students must list as many related terms as they can think of. However, one wrong word can wipe out their entire list. Each group will receive points based on the remaining topics on the board. The team with the highest score after four rounds wins.
- Match Multiplication Bingo Game: Distribute bingo cards and state single-digit multiplication facts that students should know. Have them paint their answers to win. Call them out quickly to make things more challenging.
- Become a grammar detective: Students are given a passage with approximately 10-20 different grammatical errors. Some are harder to find, others are easy to find. Divide the class into small groups and have each group try to spot grammatical errors and write the article correctly. Each team gets one point for each mistake, and the team with the most points wins.
Create your own sports game
Follow health and sports with Ms. D
Grade: Grade 6-12
Have students design their own games to relieve stress. This resource includes instructions, worksheets, self-reflection sheets and rubrics.
Inspire learning with quick games in the classroom
Under-planning is as common as over-planning, and unexpected things happen every day in school. A quick game to prepare for an off-track course or transition can take some of the load off of you. TPT’s educational foundational games give you everything you need, with minimal preparation and maximum fun for your students.
