collaboration

Keeping Learners Active and Engaged Indoors: Fun and Educational Games for the Classroom

As educators, we all know the importance of keeping our learners active and engaged in the classroom. This is especially true during the winter months when outdoor recess may not be an option, or when air quality is poor as it has been recently here in Dushanbe. But just because we’re stuck inside doesn’t mean we can’t have fun and learn at the same time!

In this blog post, I’ll share some of my favorite games that I’ve been using to keep my learners moving and learning, even when we can’t go outside. These games are all adaptable to different grade levels and subjects, so you’re sure to find something that will work for your class.

1. Which One Doesn’t Belong?

This is a great game for getting learners to think critically and discuss different concepts. To play, simply display a group of four pictures, words, math equations, etc., and label them A, B, C, and D. Ask learners to turn and learn with their partners to discuss which one doesn’t belong. Remind them that there is no right or wrong answer. This pre-discussion is especially helpful for multi-language learners.

Once learners have had a chance to discuss, ask them to vote with their feet by moving to a matching corner in the classroom. Then, bring the class back together and share ideas. To extend their thinking, ask learners to come up with reasons for an answer they did not choose.

2. Musical Chairs

This classic game is a fun way to get learners up and moving while practicing any subject. I found a great resource for musical chairs on Instagram from @headoverheelsforteaching. They also have a product available on Teachers Pay Teachers that includes everything you need to play musical chairs in any subject: Musical Chairs Learning Activity – For Any Subject

3. Ultimate Tic Tac Toe with Collaborative Problem Solving

This is a fantastic game for math class or any subject that involves strategic thinking and teamwork. Played on a large 3×3 grid containing nine smaller tic-tac-toe boards, teams aim to win individual small games and the larger 3×3 grid. The twist? Before placing their mark, every member of a team must collaborate to solve a math problem (or a problem related to the current subject). Once the team agrees on the solution, one member explains their reasoning to the teacher. A correct explanation earns them the right to place their X or O on the chosen small board. This variation fosters collaboration, communication, and reinforces problem-solving skills, giving learners multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding and learn from each other.

4. Capture the Flag

This is a fun and active game that can be adapted to any subject. To play, print out flags on different colored paper, laminate them, and attach magnetic tape so they can be easily stuck to a whiteboard or projector screen. Divide the class into teams and give each team two flags of each color. Assign a point value to each color flag, but don’t share the point system with the learners. After each question, a group can steal a flag from another team if they answer the question correctly. At the end of the lesson, reveal the point value of each flag and calculate which team has the most points. This game gets learners up and moving around the classroom throughout the lesson.

5. Indoor Snowball Fight

Who says you can’t have a snowball fight indoors? This is a fun and engaging way to practice any subject matter. To play, print out snowballs with different questions related to your topic. You can also include some “yellow snow” cards that require learners to do a short exercise routine. Crumple up the snowballs and toss them around the classroom. Learners pick up a snowball, answer the question on a recording sheet, and then complete any exercises if they get a yellow snow card. This game is sure to get your learners moving and learning! Here is a link to a snowball fight resource I created on Canva that can be adapted to any topic: Indoor Snowball Fight

6. Boom, Clap, Snatch (with a Twist!)

This is a quick, easy, and engaging game that can be used to review virtually any material, from true/false statements to phonics sounds. It adds a physical element that gets learners listening attentively and reacting quickly. Here’s how to play:

Preparation: Partners sit facing each other. Place a “tented” card (folded in half to stand like a small tent) between them. The card can display a true/false statement, two different phonemes being learned, two vocabulary words, or any other paired items you want learners to distinguish.
The Rhythm: Establish a rhythm using body percussion. For example:
- “BOOM”: Learners pat their laps.
- “CLAP”: Learners clap their hands.
- You can create various rhythmic patterns, such as “BOOM, CLAP, CLAP,” “BOOM, BOOM, CLAP,” or even more complex sequences. This adds an element of focus and coordination.
The Cue: After establishing the rhythm, you’ll say a cue related to one of the items on the card. For example:
- If the card has “True” and “False,” you might say, “The capital of France is Paris.”
- If the card has the phonemes /sh/ and /ch/, you might say the word “ship.”
- If the card has two vocabulary words, you could give a definition for one of the words.
The Snatch: As soon as learners hear the cue, they race to “snatch” (grab) the correct card in front of them. The first learner to grab the correct card wins that round.

This variation of Boom, Clap, Snatch adds a layer of quick thinking and listening comprehension to the physical actions, making it a fun and effective review activity.

7. Quiz, Quiz, Trade

Quiz, Quiz, Trade, a Kagan cooperative learning structure, is another great way to get learners moving and interacting while reviewing material. Here’s how it works: Each learner creates a question or problem related to the topic being studied. For example, when studying place value, learners might write a number in expanded form on a sentence strip and then create a slider to cover one of the addends. Learners then pair up, quiz each other on their questions, and then trade their question strips. They then find a new partner and repeat the process. This allows learners to review the material multiple times with different classmates, reinforcing their understanding and promoting social interaction.

This is a great collection of games to keep your learners active and engaged, even when you’re stuck indoors!

What are your favorite indoor classroom games? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you.

Saying yes…

August has arrived and we are gearing up for a new academic year. With it comes a twinge of anxiety and a whole lot of excitement. After all, as educators we never know how far our impact will carry.

At this moment, my mind is buzzing with ideas, to do lists, organizing a combined learning space, memories of previous academic years, and it is just a tad overwhelming. Yet, when I take a moment, and think about those memories, I am reminded of how much I learnt last year.

Being a part of a collaborative learning community led to growth and learning I could not have imagined at this time last year. We began the year in two separate classroom as teachers who shared ideas, and ended it as a Kindergarten learning community, that knocked down walls, both literally and figuratively!

So, how did it all begin? It is probably a combination of many things, but the one that keeps coming back to me is our willingness to say ‘yes.’

Saying yes…

Saying yes has not meant that I, or our collaborative learning community did everything that was proposed.

Saying yes is more about being open to new possibilities for the benefit of all learners.

Saying yes is about considering what we can achieve together.

Saying yes is about failure and learning.

Saying yes is about learners’ agency: both educators and students.

In the past year I have said yes to:

working as part of a collaborative team that was able to do more together than I could achieve on my own;

deepening my understanding of how young learners develop number sense;

becoming a Seesaw Ambassador;
writing a blog;
tweeting;

leading PD for my colleagues;

and most importantly of all, our learning community said yes to our young learners.

Our learners discovered their voice and felt valued;
They learnt how to plan and manage their own learning;
They learnt about listening and collaboration;
They learnt creative problem solving skills;
They learnt about failure, perseverance, resilience and grit.

And I’m sure the list could go on. I am reminded of this quote by Mother Teresa that came across my Twitter feed:

Being open to new experiences and learning will have an impact!

Will YOU say yes today?

Reflection for Change

As we move towards the end of our academic year, I am in the process of collating data, writing reports and reflecting on the progress of the learners in our class. It is also an opportunity to reflect on my practice as a teacher. A year ago, I was doing the same thing and my reflection left me feeling vulnerable. Though I was working hard, I felt I could be more effective. By admitting to myself that change would benefit my learners, I had taken the first step towards becoming both a better learner and educator.

The first thing I did was to really look at the data. If I could identify my learners areas of strength and growth, it might be a reflection on my own strengths and areas for development. The two areas for development that I chose to focus on were writing and the development of number sense.

And then, I needed to dig deeper. I needed to understand why the learners in my class were not confident writers, nor did they show confidence when working with number. I realized, that though I had taught it, I had not ignited a passion for writing or playing with number. I needed give learners that sense of ownership over learning, so that they felt passionate about learning.

The next steps… the how?

Professional Development

Education is changing. As educators we need to be learners for two reasons. Firstly, as role models for the learners in our care and secondly, to give them the best education we possibly can. So when I felt like I needed to learn more about developing number sense, I looked for online courses and did something about it. I highly recommend Christina Tondevold’s (@BuildMathMinds) number sense courses.

Getting Connected

Education is changing. The best ways to find out and be a part of these changes, is by being connected. Initially, I used educational groups on Facebook to keep me in the loop. Now, I am more of a Twitter fan. I find it is incredibly diverse and generally very positive. I share ideas and I get to see what other people are sharing. Reading the blogs of other teachers around the world, inspired me to start this one. Recently, I read a blog post by Adam Hill (@AhillAdam) ctitled ‘Sins to Avoid as Teacher Tweeters,’ that shares great advice about how you can use Twitter to build your Professional Learning Network.

So far, the focus of changing my teaching practice, focused on things I could do myself. However, to truly make a difference, it wasn’t just me that needed to change my thinking, it needed to be a team effort. I realized that collaboration was not just about attending planning meetings, sharing ideas and trying them out in our individual classes. It was about letting go of the culture of “my students in my class” and start taking responsibility collectively. The my learners became our learners.

Through the collaboration within our grade team, we are able to harness our creativity to problem solve together. We take our ideas and build upon them, hopefully making them better. We are open-minded and willing to try new things. Not everything we have done as been successful and that is how we have learnt and evolved as teachers. Combining our knowledge and experience means we can do better for our learners.

Empowering Learners

The biggest change in my role as an educator has been the shift from my learners, to our learners to we are learners. Our focus this year has been building our learning community. At the center of this is our students, our learners. We need to listen to them and support them on their learning journey, not direct their learning. What does each individual learner want to learn? How can we help them get there? And if educators are there to support learners, then so are their families, thus adding to our learning community. How can we build family partnerships?

By giving learners the ownership of their learning and by keeping their families involved, they have shown an enthusiasm and commitment towards learning that I have not seen before in all my years of teaching.

Sharing Experiences

Finally, if I am truly shifting thinking towards a collective responsibility, then I have a responsibility to share my experiences. I’ll be honest and say that tweeting, writing this blog and leading PD, pushes me well out of my comfort zone. For myself, I do so as a way to clarify my thinking and hopefully get feedback from my learning community. For other learners and educators, I share because I hope I can help others, as so many have helped me.

Quotefancy-6290868-3840x2160 — Link to quotefancy