Ten Activities to Keep Them Engaged!

As elementary teachers, one of our biggest challenges is to keep our students engaged in the learning process!

Capturing the attention of the students is not always easy. But children are naturally curious and have that infectious enthusiasm. Here are ten ways to help capture their attention, making learning fun and memorable!

Books!

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3. The right books can capture their attention and their hearts! I am committed to reading at least one picture book (or a chapter) to my students every day. Sometimes the book is related to something I'm teaching, and sometimes it is just to bring out the joy in books. See the image for a link to 10 of my favorites!

Educational Games!

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2. Integrating educational games into your lessons makes learning more enjoyable. Whether it's math bingo, spelling races, or science jeopardy, games provide a hands-on approach to learning and reinforce important concepts. Plus, they're fun, which means children will want to play them over and over! See the image for more about learning games:

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   Hands-On Science Experiments!

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   Bring science to life by conducting simple, hands-on experiments. From creating a volcano eruption to exploring the properties of magnets, these activities not only make science more tangible but also stimulate students' natural curiosity. These monthly sets are a great source of science experiments:

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   Themed Days!

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5. As much as children need consistency and routine, they also need novelty. Infuse excitement into the classroom by organizing themed days. Whether it's a historical era, a cultural celebration, or a scientific exploration, themed days allow students to delve deeply into a topic and make connections across different subjects. See the image for more about novelty.
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   Outdoor Learning!

1. Take the classroom outdoors! Plan nature walks, scavenger hunts, or even simple math games on the playground. The change of scenery can rejuvenate both students and teachers, making learning a breath of fresh air. See the image to read more about getting them outdoors

Integrate the Arts!

1. Incorporate the arts into your lessons to tap into students' creativity. Whether it's drawing, painting, crafting, or even singing or drama, the arts not only reinforce lessons but also provide a creative outlet for self-expression.

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3. Guest Speakers or Virtual Tours!

1. Arrange for guest speakers to share their expertise or take virtual field trips. These experiences broaden students' perspectives and connect classroom learning to the real world, making lessons more relevant and engaging. Parents of students can be a great resource for guest speakers, and virtual field trips are easily accessible through Google!

Classroom Puzzles and Brain Teasers!

Stimulate critical thinking by introducing puzzles and brain teasers. These activities encourage problem-solving skills and perseverance, while also making learning enjoyable and challenging. Don't they just love word finds and crossword puzzles?

Role-Playing and Drama!

1. Incorporate role-playing and drama activities to make learning more immersive. Whether reenacting historical events or performing a play related to the curriculum, these activities allow students to embody what they've learned. See the image for more about dramatics in the classroom.

Student-Led Projects!

1. Empower students by allowing them to take the lead in projects. Whether it's creating a class newspaper, organizing a STEM project, or planning a cultural exhibition, student-led projects foster collaboration, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment.

What do you think of these ten ideas?

What could you add to this list?

How Can I Prepare for the Last Weeks of School?

What do we really need to do during those last few weeks of school?

Hopefully, by this point in the year, you are done with testing, and pretty much finished with all the "have tos."  Even if you're not quite done teaching everything, I hope you have some time for some end-of-the-year fun!

 

Here are some things you can put into your plans for the last few weeks of school:

 

1. Deepen Learned Skills

 

 

Brain research tells us that we need to review skills in order to maintain them and to deepen them. That means fun activities and games to practice those important skills you've built all year! 

 

This bundle has several fun options for reviewing and deepening skills!

 

2. Prepare for summer habits

 

We want our students to continue some important habits they've developed through the school year. This is a great time to introduce some fun games!

 

Here are the links to a few posts that tell about classroom games that can be played at home:

 

Ten Easy Learning Games

Ten Reasons My Students Play Lots of Games 

 

Plus, here's one to encourage them to enjoy reading! (This is one you can work on all year!)

Relax and Read

3. Make the Last Days Special

 

 

It's time for using those skills they've worked on all year for some fun projects!

It's a perfect time of year for putting on a play or performance of some sort. These activities build important reading skills as well as building community and teamwork.  Here's a post with more information on Dramatics in the Classroom. 

I absolutely LOVE Boom Learning Digital Task Cards! These are easy to assign, and the students love them! Check out this bundle: Science and Social Studies Vocabulary Building Bundle

These are a great way to develop vocabulary for Science and Social Studies. They use brain-researched strategies such as Retrieval Practice, which is explained here:

Here are a few more resources that follow this strategy that are perfect for end-of-the-year review!

Fun and Engaging Digital Science Topics Practice and Review cards Deck #1

Fun and Engaging Digital Science Topics Practice and Review cards Deck #2

Fun and Engaging Digital Social Studies Topics Practice and Review cards Deck #1

Fun and Engaging Digital Social Studies Topics Practice and Review cards Deck #2

4. Share Memories

This is a great time of year to sit back and enjoy the special memories the group has made this year. 

 

It's easy to make a memory book, or a slide show with photos from the year. I've always had the children write down their favorite memories from the year a few weeks before the end of the school year. This gives me time to type things up into a nice book. I've also found parents are quite helpful in donating photos from school events.

These are special memories for them (and you) to cherish forever. I still have memory books from many years past, and I love remembering my former students!

5. Enjoy them

My favorite thing to do at the end of the school year is to take the time to enjoy these special children. I know, it's not easy! Between end-of-year testing, packing up the classroom, and report cards, there's little time left. But these kids are totally worth it, aren't they?  Here's a blog post that suggests some fun ways to enjoy the students. Take time to Enjoy them!
 

Enjoy these last few weeks with your students!

Dramatics in the Classroom

Children learn in many ways. 
I'm particularly partial to the arts. 

Research on the brain proves that the arts make strong connections with the memory. 

Today's post is about one of my favorite arts, dramatics!

There are many ways to use dramatics in the classroom, and many reasons to do it!  Here are some of the "whys!"

 

Yes, it's true. It's a great place for those shy kids! It sounds odd, but seriously, when you give a shy kid a character to play, they really come out of their shell! Did you ever hear that many movie stars are actually introverts? It all makes sense!

Reading scripts gives the children practice with reading skills. And, of course, children need to learn to speak clearly. Dramatics give them plenty of opportunities to practice speaking in front of others!

 

Actors depend upon each other when performing. If someone misses a line, that affects all the others. Therefore, if all team members live up to their responsibilities, they will all be successful.

When pretending to be a character, children need to put themselves in the shoes of the character, and think about how that character feels. They learn empathy!

 

 Actors must pay attention to the script and focus on what is happening in the performance.  

In the context of a performance, problems always arise. Children easily solve these while working together toward that common goal: a successful performance! 

Both verbal and nonverbal communication are important when putting on a play! Children learn to show their feelings with and without words. 

When children put on a skit or a play, or act out a scene, they work hard together toward a common goal. That's the kind of thing that builds confidence and self-esteem! When it's over, they beam with pride!

Now that we understand why dramatics are beneficial to children in the classroom, here are some ways to fit dramatics into your busy day!

Not only is it fun to act out stories of the past, but as the children act out different parts, their movements settle into their memories. I often had my students act out the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, including saying goodbye to loved ones, the constant rocking, eating the ship's food, seasickness, (they loved that part) seeing a newborn baby on the ship, and sighting land. As I described each detail, they went through the motions, and were totally engaged in the trip! The best part? They remember it because they were physically involved as well as emotionally involved.

Similar to the above, but this one doesn't have to be from factual information. It works particularly well with group read-alouds, or if a group is all reading the same book.  It might sound something like this, "Show what Wilber's face looks like when Charlotte wove her web." Or maybe, "Show Max's face when he realizes his dinner is still warm."

Having to recreate these moments helps them build empathy and develop feelings for the characters in their stories.

I remember having to memorize a list of vocabulary words every week. Do I remember those words now? Not many of them! Acting out the words makes them real. Plus, it works across the curriculum! Yes, even math!

Encourage writing stories that have characters having conversations! Kids are so creative, they might enjoy a writing prompt that encourages unusual "personalities" having a discussion, for example, "What would your pencil say to your paper?" or "What would your desk say to your chair?"  This really gets them thinking about conversations and personalities.

 

Reader's Theater is a favorite of the students as well as the teachers! Why? The kiddos like it because it's fun! The teachers like it because it incorporates so many important skills: reading, speaking, thinking, building empathy for others, and working together, to name a few! 

Here are a few Reader's Theater resources for you to explore:

What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg? A Reader's Theater about Life Cycles

Here's a series of character-building Reader's Theater where the children make up the ending:

Starring Empathy

Starring Kindness

Starring Respect 

Here's one more fun resource that the children love, especially when they can make up a voice for each character:

Reading Words in Quotes

I hope you enjoy using dramatics in the classroom as much as I do!