When I taught I was always looking for fun games that were also educational. In fact, we played educational games so much that, at Back to School Night, I told parents,
If your child says that we played games in school today, he or she is being truthful, but they are always educational games... unless we have indoor recess and believe it or not...some children will choose these games to play during indoor recess!
In today's Society everyone is tethered to technology, which has many positive attributes for classroom use, but many of these games are played ALONE!
So why good old fashioned classroom games?
1. Games are a great way to introduce, revisit, reteach, remediate and review a given topic.
2. They can be played in any grade from first grade through college with a few tweaks here and there!
3. Students are involved in their learning and motivated to learn.
4. They are build community and teach important social and emotional life skills.
5. They are FUN!
So.......drum roll please........Here is one of my all time favorite games that my kiddos asked to play over and over again and that's a good thing!
THE TABLE GAME
Before I tell you how to play the game, let me tell you...WHY I LOVE THIS GAMES AND YOUR CHILDREN WILL TOO!
🍭 Children play in groups and they have to work together so it teaches collaboration and builds classroom community!
🍭 It can be used for any topic or skill that you teach and with ANY grade level...maybe even your family(name our deep dark secrets😁)...YIKES!
🍭 One child is the scribe and everyone gives ideas...so it easily includes those who may have some OT needs or other needs. The scribe makes sure that everyone gives some new ideas.
🍭 You may not repeat ideas already given...so...it encourages critical thinking and problem solving...stretches thinking!
What you will need to play:
1. Set up groups of children in various places in the room where they can all see you and the board! I had round tables designated by colors. So..this was an easy task.
2. Paper and pencils or crayons for each group.
3. An idea for a topic that you want to use...This can be anything; such as: Short a words, weather facts, ways to solve a specific problem, name ways we can be a good friend, what do you know about bats, Why is it important to be kind, names of states, names of countries, strategies used to read a word, things that are green, yadda, yadda, yadda...
The sky is the limit!
4. A way for you to jot answers...Smart Board, wipe off board, tablet etc.
5. A way to designate groups. For example: number the groups, station the groups around the room so you might have the _______corner or color code the groups...your choice, but each time you play keep the names the same so you do not have to reinvent the wheel...that is a pet peeve of mine!!!
6. A way to choose the groups...I always put colored marbles or unifix cubes in my pockets ot in a basket and randomly picked which table answered first each time.
NOW How to Play...
1. Choose your groups and designate a scribe. I changed them when we played again so children could take turns scribing when we played with different topics!
2. Set the expectations: Mine were: 3 inch voices so others do not hear your ideas, good sportsmanship...no put downs, if an answer is repeated you get 3 strikes and your out(meaning you are in if you have a repeat first and second time, but if I call your table and you have a third repeat...YOU'RE OUT), if your table is out, you will help the teacher judge the answers.
3. Share the topic or skill.
4. Give them 10 seconds to brainstorm their answers while the scribe write their ideas. I gave a 5-4-3-2-1 STOP Pencils Down.
5. Begin to call on groups to give their answers. Write these answers on the board...I sometimes abbreviated answers. Once all groups have had a turn, give a 10 second brainstorm to regroup. Then start all over again.
6. If a table gives a repeated answer 3 times, that table is out.
7. You keep playing until there is one group left.
There you have it...my all time favorite GAME! EASY PEASY!
Have questions? Leave them in the comments and I will answer them as quickly as I can! Also, let me know how it worked for YOU and the topics you used!
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