Monday, July 20, 2015

Back to School Get to Know You Games

Back to school is hectic!  There's no way around the hustle and bustle and learning names, labeling items, filling out forty-seven forms for each student and still finding a moment to rest.  It get so overwhelming that many times we forget to just slow down and enjoy the day.  The forms will get filled out.  Items will eventually be labeled. Sanity will prevail.

The most important thing for back to school is building those relationships quickly.  This BTS game show is one thing I've done with my class that gets everyone involved.  Gets everyone talking.  Gets everyone getting to know each other in a fun, organized manner.

This game also promotes teamwork and cooperation.  With a fun Back to School theme, all of the answers for this game are school related.  The topics include:

Scrambled-this is almost like playing hangman except no one dies! LOL  Students pick a letter and it plops into a space.  Keep on choosing a letter until you figure out the word.  First person to guess it wins the points!

AlphaBody-I love this category!!  Students use their bodies to spell out words!  Are bananas your favorite food?  Be ready to peel yourself or to shape your arms and legs into a capital B!

Make a List-Gather into teams and help create a list of what might be found in your backpack.  In your teacher's desk?  On the playground?  Which team will come up with the most acceptable answers?

Main Idea-look at this list of three words and see what they all have in common.  Candy canes, zebras, and the American flag?  Shhh... they all have stripes!

DrawIt-This plays just like Pictionary.  A word is given (in a Word document) and students will draw it on the board for other players to guess.  You'll soon find out who your aspiring artists are!

I love using Game Shows to help break the ice and also to make learning fun!
The game show listed here is for 2nd to 6th grade. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-GAME-SHOW-BTS-2nd-6th-Grade-w-Contestants-interactive-ppt-1350403

I also have it for PreK to 1st which can be found here:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Back-to-School-GAME-SHOW-BTS-K-1st-Grade-w-Contestants-interactive-ppt-1347086