Anyone else feeling some back to school anxiety a little earlier than normal this year?? I know it isn’t just me…because all of this waiting to see what things are going to look like is STRESSFUL! It’s now mid-July 2020, and many of us still. don’t. know. what’s coming for us in this school year. One problem I’ve been trying to solve is how to build classroom community during distance learning, with no-contact get to know you games, or with digital learning.

This is one of the biggest stressors to me: how do we maintain a classroom community from a distance? How do we work on building a culture of kindness, empathy, and values if we’re six feet apart?

This question has been rolling around in my mind for a while now, and I came up with an idea that I think will help all of us maintain that family feeling in our classrooms this fall! Let me tell you all about Fun Fridays!

What are Fun Friday Games?

Fun Fridays are sets of community-building games that come in volumes based on season. Right now, Volume One is in my store, and it is great to roll out during the back to school season! It includes 10 community-building games that you can use in your classroom however you see fit! They are digital (stored through Google Drive) so you can use them remotely or in-person! That makes this a great routine to start during back to school season this year…because you know you’ll be able to keep up with it!

How do I use Fun Friday Games?

When I designed these games with such an unpredictable school year at the front of my mind, this was the routine that I considered using them for, but these games are flexible enough to use however you think they will work best with your own students!

As you go through your week of distance teaching, in-person teaching, or anything in between, go through the Fun Friday games and decide which one you will want to do the Friday of the first week. You can make Fun Friday games something that kids need to earn, or you can simply surprise them with one every Friday that you have time!
On Thursday afternoon, before your kiddos go home or sign off for the day, send them a virtual invitation! Invitations are editable, so you can type in the information they need to know. Some games may require that they have some materials. If you’re doing remote learning, your students will need to know exactly what time they need to be logged into a video call in order to play, so don’t forget those details!
You can choose to kick off your Friday with one of the community-building games, or save it for the end of the day, but either way, your students will know that they have something to look forward to that day! You guys will have a blast playing these games, and your kids will be begging to know when the next Fun Friday will be!

What kind of games are included?

The 30 games included in each volume are highly-engaging games for middle-upper elementary students. They are almost all no-prep. A couple of the games involve a little work and planning on the front end, but then actually playing the game is as simply as pressing play on the powerpoint!

A few of the game titles are:

Guess That Sound: Students listen to sound effects and try to guess (in teams or individually) what they think the mystery sound is.

Pet Parade: Students take some time to brainstorm some words to say about their pet (or favorite stuffed animal), then each student has 30 seconds to share. If this is being done virtually, students could also show their pet or favorite stuffed animal!

Guess Who?: Students share baby pictures of themselves for you to compile into a slideshow. Students then must guess who is who in each slide!

Scavenger Hunt: Students race a timer to find certain items in their home (or your classroom) before the clock runs out!

Trivia Time: 10 fun trivia questions to stump your students! They can play this in teams or individually!

How will these games build community?

The ritual of having something special to look forward to each week is something that has likely been stripped away from many of us. Teachers can’t offer “lunch in the classroom” rewards or other special incentives this year in many places. These little routines create a sense of family in our classrooms, and bond our students to each other. Creating a weekly ritual of having fun, getting to know each other, and working towards the goal of earning something special will give your students a bit of their ‘normal’ back, in a year that is very different!