Openers
 

Homepage

Health Lessons

Physical Education

Extras

Gym
Shoulder Molders

Classroom
1.) ZIP-ZAP
This is a fun and goofy icebreaker. The class makes a circle and one person stands in the middle with the “power of lightning.” He/she turns around to any person in the circle and “zips” them by pointing at them with their hands together like you are praying. (Emphasize that this is NOT a gun) When a person is zipped they must duck immediately and the 2 people beside them turn towards each other (over top of the zipped person) and point at each other and say “zap.” If anyone hesitates or does not duck in time they become “it” and start by “zipping” someone.

2.) EYE GAME
Have students sit in a circle and have them put down their heads. When they look up they have to look at a certain person. If that person is also looking at them, they are out. You go around until the last person has not looked at the same person looking at them.

3.) HORSE AND COWBOY
The students get into two circles and get a partner across from them. They the go around and when you yell “Horse and Cowboy” the cowboy has to get on the horse (piggy-back ride). The last person to get on their horse those two people are out. (They have to find their partner during this game)

4.) BEGINNING OF THE YEAR GAME
At beginning of year have list of interview questions (handout). Students pair up and ask other students questions. If you have time, you can allow each student to tell about their partner.

5.) FAVORITE FOODS
Have the students get in a circle around the room. Using a (soft) ball have the students throw it to one another. When a student catches the ball they have to name a favorite food. This works well for opening a nutrition unit.

6.) BIO-POEM
Make a list of 10 questions. Example: “I, (state your name), What are you afraid of? Where do you live? Who do you live with?, etc. Welcome to my World!” Have each student read their bio-poem to the class.

7.) NAME GAME
Get students into groups of 5 or more. In a circle with a (soft) ball have them throw it to another student. They will have an order of passing. As they pass they have to say their name and the person’s name who they are passing it to. After a few minutes, have them just say just say the other persons name. This is great for learning names. You can even do this with favorite places to eat, food, songs, etc. You can also do different activities such as kicking to a person, passing with elbow, etc. So fun!

8.) SWEDISH MEATBALL
Groups of about 6 students stand in circles. There is a ball that is tossed back and forth between the students. Every time the ball is caught, the person that catches it says their name. After about 4 or 5 times of saying your name after catching the ball it is up to the group to remember your name and shout it out every time you catch the ball.

9.) SPIDER WEB
One yarn ball and have person start with it (teacher). Pass it to another student and say the person’s name. The yarn rolls around the class and makes a spider web. This is a symbol of our classroom and gives us an aspect of what “team” means to one another and the classroom environment.

10.) GOOFY NAME TAG:
As a quick icebreaker perhaps the first day of school, have kids write on a folded piece of paper their real name. On the other side, have them write the name of their first pet and then their mother’s maiden name. For example, Bubbles Klein. This is a goofy thing and the kids seem to like to share their names. It also allows you to learn their names since they now have a name tag to display.

Divide students into even groups. No more than four per group is recommended. Each group gets one piece of paper and a marker. Rules: No talking or laughing and each person must participate. The goal is to make a face without communication. Once a student starts a line, he/she is done as soon as they pick the marker up off the paper and then pass it to the next student.

Once everyone has completed the face (about 5 minutes) then make a title. One person writes one letter the next person writes the next letter and so forth.

Lesson: Communication is important and effective through talking as well as laughing.

Ask the students if it turned out the way they expected. It never does. :)

11) Name Game:
Have at least 2 groups of people stand in a circle. Arrange circles side by side so that two people (one from each circle) are back to back. Play music for them. As the music plays have them rotate. When the music stops the two that are back to back have to turn around and say the other's name. The person that says the name last must go to the other circle. Continue until everyone is in one circle.

3) Tell the kids a few days ahead of time to bring in an item that is special to them. Then, have the kids sit in a circle and go around and tell the class why it's special. It allows you to get an idea of what the child is into and allows the children to learn something new about their classmates.

12) "Kool Kids":
Everyone has a spot to sit in a circle. One perosn is the kool kid in the center. He/She says something that makes him cool in hopes that some other people share that interest. Ex: Kool kids are wearing blue shoes. Everyone that is wearing blue shoes that day gets up and changes seats. The kool kid in the center tries to run to a spot. Whoever is left is the new kool kid and shares their idea. Sayings can be anything that describes them, that they do, etc. Can end the game with kool kids love phys. ed. and hopefully everyone is running around to find a seat.

13) Ultimate Chicken:
Basic rules from ultimate Frisbee except replace Frisbee with a rubber chicken. Especially fun for elementary and middle school because everyone wants to touch the chicken. It's fun, different, and wacky enough to break the cycle of the normal routine.

6) Give every student a name, item, or object that pairs with another one in the room (ex: peanut butter and jelly, or Penn and Teller). They need to find their "match", learn 3 things about them, and tell the class.

7) This summer, the most popular ice breaker at the children's day camp I was directing is called the name game. We would get a rhythm going by doing a clap, snap, snap, clap or different rhythms and the children have to say everyone's name in front of them in line. It gets difficult as you keep going to the back of the line. The kids laugh and love the difficulty.

8) Everyone sits in a circle. The first person starts (you) and say your name and a food that starts with the same letter. (You can make the foods healthy if you wish.) The next person says the person's name and food before them. Then they say their name and food. It continues until the last person says everyone's name and food in the order. It gets difficult towards the end but you definitely remember names!

Created by Paige Honeywell

LOW ORGANIZATION GAMES

Buried Treasure
Cones, balls/bean bags
Place cones(or cups) in an open area all spread out.  Under most of the cones, place a ball/bean bag.  For as many teams, there should be the same number of colors for ball/bean bags.  Have all the teams stand behind a starting line.  One member from each team is to go out and uncover one cone in hopes of finding their color.  If they get their color, they are to retrieve it back to their area.  If they uncover another color, they cover it back up and go back to their team, so another member can try their luck.  The point is to memorize/ remember which cones their team already picked up and were duds.  

Star Wars
Rings, cones, balls, star wars music.
Place students in teams of three.  Have each team pick a “space shuttle”( a cone inside a ring).  Two members stand inside the ring, while one member waits to go battle.  Each team gets one ball.  One member at a time gets a chance to go and nock over their cone with the ball only.  If a team gets their cone knocked over, they all must do something(pushups, etc…) in order to refuel their ship.  No one is allowed to touch any other teams.  The two members at each ship are supposed to defend their cone, while their third member is out trying to knock over another teams cone. 

Shark Island
Mat, rings, balls
Place the mat in the center of an area.  This is the island.  Place some rings around the island equal distance from the island.  These are smaller islands.  Place the balls(coconuts) inside the smaller coconuts.  Pick a couple sharks( not many), and the rest are people.  the object is for the people to get some coconuts for food back to their island of companions.  All the people start on the main center island, and the sharks around the island.  The humans are safe on any of the islands, and the sharks can only tag them when they are not on safe ground.  If a human is eaten(tagged), they go to a designated area which is a hospital.  In order to get out of the hospital, one of their companions must throw them a coconut.  

Alligator Tag
Clothes pins
Put the clothes pins in a bag(non-see-through), and tell the kids that you have tiny alligators in the bag.  Offer anyone a chance to put their hands in bag(if you get anyone, just advise them not to).  Then you put your finger in the bag, and have an alligator bite you when you pull it out.  You don’t have to do this, but it makes it so much more fun!!    

This game is a tag oriented game.  Give each kid two alligator, and have them clip them on their shirts.  The object is to have as many alligators on your shirt when the whistle blows to stop.  You have to grab them off of someone’s shirt.

Man From Mars
4 cones
One student is "it" -- this student is the "Man from Mars." The rest of the players line up on one end line. Two end lines are needed. The Man from Mars will call out, "I am the Man from Mars. I'll chase you to the stars if you have on ......" (ex. blue socks, a hat, jean shorts, etc.). These players will run across the playing field to the other end line. The Man from Mars will try to tag as many people as s/he can. The players that are tagged will join the Man from Mars in the middle and help tag until everyone has been tagged.

Rob the Nest
Rings, bean bags/balls
Give each team member a ring(nest).  Put a ring in the center of the area, and place six or so bean bags(eggs) in that ring.  The teams are allowed to grab one egg at a time to bring back to their nest.  To win, you must have 3 eggs in your nest.  You may still eggs from others nests. 

You can also play the opposite, and make the goal to have no eggs in your nest, and have others place them in for you.

 Musical Hoops
Hulla Hoops, CD player
Place rings around the area.  Have the kids dance around like musical chairs, and when the music stops they have to all have something in one of the rings(i.e. elbow, foot, whole body).  Each round take away one ring.

 Huddle Football
Little Foil ball, Cones
Have the kids into two teams.  Place cones up in an end zone fashion.  Have one team huddle up and give them the little foil ball to them.  Have them pass it around so that the other team cant see.  Have the foil ball team all close their hands to make the other team not know who actually has the ball.  Starting at one end zone, have the ball team try to cross the field to the other end zone.  The other team has to tag someone from the ball team.  Once tagged, they must stop and open their hands.  Once the person with the ball is tagged and revealed, that’s their first down.  They get back in a huddle, and sneak off the ball to another member, and try again.

 Maze
Make 16 blocks(4x4) for each team.  Draw a map for the blocks that shows the blocks that need to be stepped on in order to make it through.  One team member is in charge of the map,(maybe one person from the other team is in charge of watching the other teams map).  One by one, each team member gets one step in the squares, if they step on the wrong block, the map holder makes a buzzer noise, and the next member tries his/her luck.  The key is to remember what block is the correct path as you move through the maze.

 The Old Fox
Place cones up on either side as end zones.  Split the kids up on either side.  They are the bunny rabbits.  Instructor is the fox.  When the rabbits ask the fox “what time is it?” the fox says a number, “its 7 o’clock”.  The bunnies then take 7 hops towards the fox, or other side.  The only way the bunnies can run away is if the fox says, ”breakfast”, “lunch”, or “dinner”, instead of “what time is it?”  This is also the only time the fox can eat(tag) a bunny.  Once eaten, they are frozen until another bunny tags them.  They must stop running when the fox says, “I’m full”.  The goal is to make it to the other side with-out getting eaten. 

 Warm-up Exercises

Crazy Cones
16 cones
Place 8 cones up, and 8 cones down.  Split kids into two teams, and have one team try and place all the cones up, and one team place them all down.  When the whistle is blown, see what team has the most for their team. 

 Smerf Ball
A couple of balls(smerf balls)
Pair kids up in two’s.  have them throw back and forth until whistle is blown.  Once blown, the team member with the ball is “it”, and must try and get their team member out(only their member).  Once tagged with the ball, that team member is now it.  Whistle blown again, back to throwing catch, and so on and so on. 

This site is intended to give professionals lesson ideas to help make their classes more effective and efficient.  the lessons on this site were submitted for use by anyone, as long as proper credit is given were it is due.  This site does not tolerate plagiarism, and will be shut down if issues arise. 

If you would like to submit a lesson plan, please send me an email with the file attached.  [email protected]

This site is maintained by David Wachob. Questions or Concerns, [email protected]