This is week three of Engaging Games for any Classroom Series. Two more engagement games will be introduced that you can use in your classroom for any grade and any content. All you need are problems written on tiny pieces of paper.
If you missed week one’s games, click here for the post.
To check out week two’s games, click here for the post.
Egg Hunt
Materials:
-Tiny Problems cut out. (Only one set.)
-Tiny Problems recording sheet
-Plastic Eggs (one per question)
-Clipboards (optional)
Set up:
Place one Tiny Problems question inside each egg. Write the number of the question on the outside of the egg so your students know where to write their answer on their recording sheet. Finally, hide the eggs around your classroom. Be sure they are in places you want your students looking. I usually hide them in plain sight. This way they are easy to find when the activity is over.
How to play:
The teacher will tell the children they are going on an egg hunt.
When they find an egg they must answer the question on their recording sheet.
Before they move onto another egg, they MUST put the question back in the egg and return it EXACTLY where they found it. This way, their friends can answer the question too.
There are many other options out there if you choose not to use plastic eggs. Use what works for your classroom and your students. I use the eggs all year round because I had tons of them at home. Thankfully, I didn’t need to buy anything new for this activity.
Jenga
Materials:
- Tiny Problems cut out. (Only one set.)
- Dry erase boards for students to record answers.
- 2 to 6 Jenga games
Set up:
Split your class up into groups based on the number of Jenga games you have. Have the Jenga game set up in the center of the group.
How to play:
The teacher will read a question aloud to the class.
All students will answer on their recording sheet or their dry erase board.
The teacher will ask the students to flip their answer.
The teacher tells the class the correct answer.
Any child who gets the answer correct will take a turn to pull a Jenga block from the tower.
This continues until the first tower falls.
Restack and play again.
There are other versions of this game too. You can print a copy of Tiny Problems for each group to have their own set and the kids can take turns answering. You can just circulate the room and be a watchful eye.
Stores also sell colored Jenga towers. You can make color coded Tiny Problems questions to match the blocks as well. Each color can be a different subject or concept you taught.
For social distancing this year, I bought the mini Jenga towers from The Dollar Tree. Each student had their own Jenga tower and played alone as they answered the questions I read aloud.
I’ve also played BACKWARDS Jenga. All the mini Jenga blocks were up on my front table and children were asked Tiny Problems. As they answered correctly on their dry erase board, they earned a block. As they answered questions, they needed to build a tower using all the blocks they earned.
There are so many different ways to incorporate Jenga tower games into your teaching. I like full class participation so I always have all my students answer the questions. This way, no one is waiting around for a turn to answer.
That’s all for this week. Come back for the last three games in the series that will keep up the excitement and engagement in your classroom. Please feel free to join my email list for more game ideas like this and an exclusive EDITABLE math freebie to get you started right away. Thanks for stopping by and I will see you next week.
Happy Teaching!
Kelly
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