When it comes to classrooms, the one thing that they cannot be is boring! Fun activity ideas, therefore, are much needed not only to take the fatigue out of lesson plans but also to help students bond with teachers while learning the necessary skills.
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Some of the key advantages of classroom activities include:
They cater to various learning styles. Research has it that students have different learning styles. While some learn best when they are reading and writing, others could be visual learners or auditory ones. There could also be kinesthetic or tactile learners who use their hands & bodies to learn effectively. It is imperative therefore that teaching methodologies support these different learning styles. Classroom activities come in extremely handy as an educator. From acting out a historical scene to a quiz, there can be enough & more fun activities to support young learners.
✔️ Encourage creative expression– With innovative classroom activities, you can offer students the opportunity to develop ideas and also to express themselves.
✔️ Conducive learning environment– With games & activities you can put students at ease and create a comfortable atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Importantly, with meaningful classroom activities students can learn at a deeper, more integrated level.
✔️ Encourage Interaction– Activities are a great way for students to interact with each other, form bonds & learn from each other in the process. That it also encourages team spirit, is a given.
Let us look at 10 fun classroom activities that will interest students & which can make the classroom experience extremely rewarding.
1. Elevator Pitch
If you thought Elevator Pitches are only for the corporate world, you could also use them as effectively in the classroom. It will be a fun exercise to have your students prepare a short elevator pitch summarizing the concept that you are teaching. Not only will this be an interactive exercise, but it will also reinforce the concept. That student will also get to practice their speaking skills is an added perk!
2. The Power of Stories
There is nothing quite like the power of stories to connect with one another. Since Life Skills are an integral part of teaching, why not use the power of stories to help students not just connect with each other but also learn from each other’s unique situations? This activity involves using a ball of yarn and passing it on the edge to one student at a time. When the student receives the yarn, he or she needs to share a situation where they overcame a certain challenge. Needless to mention that this collective learning will stand each student in good stead!
3. Inventing a Solution
Once again aimed at sharpening the problem-solving skills of students, this exercise involves giving each team of students a certain problem for which they need to offer creative solutions. You could choose to keep the problem based on a lesson you are teaching or it could be an imaginary problem or even a problem from everyday life.
4. Quiz
There isn’t a better way to keep the class interactive than to help students retain the essence of the lesson learned than an interactive quiz. You can announce a quiz in advance or keep it impromptu.
That it also helps improve teamwork is a big advantage.
5. Jumble Sentences
Those English lessons will benefit from the Jumble Sentences activity, where you break up a sentence into words and then have a race to see which team puts them together fast. There couldn’t be a better way for students to practice their grammar rules than this fun exercise.
6. Unscramble Words
This activity can be used for just about any subject. You could get children to unscramble words related to the topic that you are teaching. For each word that is unscrambled, the student could be asked to share its definition or example as the case may be. It is an extremely effective way to revise a concept or chapter while having fun in the process.
7. Game Show
What if you could turn those revision classes you have before an upcoming exam into a Game Show on the lines of Kaun Banega Crorepati, for example? The questions could get more & more difficult & you would have revised the entire syllabus while keeping the entire class engaged.
8. Bringing historical characters alive
Whoever said that history was boring didn’t think of bringing historical characters alive. Having taught a class on a certain character, you could have students dress up like the character & give a presentation on his life & times. The odds are these facts will not be forgotten by the entire class for a long time.
9. Debates
To get children to think through a certain topic, it will help to assign the topic to some children who speak for it, and others who speak against it. Not only will it improve understanding of the topic, but it will also be a great learning experience for students where they will be able to see two sides that normally exist for every complex issue. Needless to say that this is one learning that will stand the child in good stead not just academically but also in the context of life.
10. Peer Review
This is one exercise that always works well in encouraging students to help others & foster collaboration. It will be a delight to see students share their understanding of the topic with classmates. All you need to do is to keep an eye on that a peer review session does not turn into an opportunity for any student to bully the other or to put another student down.
To Sum Up
Whether you want to reinforce the learning from a certain topic or want to inculcate life skills in students, fun activities always work well. You could also have a brainstorming session with the students to see which activities they enjoy and also to seek ideas for fun activities from them. Needless to say that when you implement some of the ideas given by them, there is likely to be greater ownership and engagement.
At one of the best CBSE schools – Pragyanam, we ensure that children are equipped with the necessary life skills. Our goal at Pragyanam is to raise mindful and conscientious individuals who aspire to live a life of fulfillment. Our emphasis is clearly not on rote learning; we, therefore, undertake a whole lot of classroom activities to ensure student engagement.
Here’s to creating a joyful & enriching learning experience for students!
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