A virtual first day of school will look VERY different for primary students this year. It is important to keep distance learning FUN! There are many engaging activities that I have used in my classroom for the first few days, including brain breaks, games and virtual field trips. I plan to incorporate these activities into my virtual classroom for the first few days, and maybe even weeks! Today I am sharing a few fun distance learning activities which my first graders love!
INTRODUCE YOURSELF
This year, I have created a simple power point sharing some fun facts about myself. My teammate also created a fun rap video to introduce our grade level team. I shared these with students and families a few days before school began. I am hoping that this eased their nerves before our first zoom meeting. The kids absolutely loved it!
SHARE YOUR VIRTUAL LEARNING SPACE
Help set the tone for having a great learning space by sharing your virtual teaching space. We want kids to feel proud of their learning space and to feel like it’s a comfortable space. It is important to model what a good learning environment looks like, sounds like, feels like. This will help guide students as they create their own learning environment. Have students share their learning space, too. T
PLAY GAMES
4 Corners– Have students use a personal dry-erase board or a piece of paper and a marker for this game. Students choose a number (1-4 or 1-6), write it on their board, and hold it up for everyone to see. The teacher then rolls a dice, and the number she rolls is out. If the teacher rolls a 4, every student holding up a number 4 will be considered out of that game. Continue until you only have one player left.
Show & Tell– Have students take turns sharing something special to them. My students created an “All About Me” bag. The kids took turns sharing three special things. This was a great way for the students to get to know each other. They love seeing what they have in common with their friends.
Would You Rather– This is another wonderful way for students to get to know each other. The “would you rather” activity asks students to evaluate choices and explain their thinking These questions are a great way to get a conversation started in a fun and interesting way. You can grab some “Would You Rather” questions online and ask these in your group call. Have students take turns sharing their responses.
Simon Says– Play this good old-fashioned game!
Scavenger Hunts– My students LOVE doing Scavenger Hunts! You can play this game live or send your students off to do this overnight. There are many lists for scavenger hunts online. I have played several with my class, including looking for particular shapes, colors, and items that are a certain length. For word study the kids might find things with a certain number of syllables or items that start with a particular sound.
Other Fun Activities
Pet Parade– Students can bring their pet (real or stuffed) to your meeting and share some interesting facts about their pet when it is their turn.
LEGO Challenge– Instruct your students to build something overnight and bring it to your meeting the next day. Students can take turns showing their models and sharing what they like best about it. Some LEGO challenges I’ve seen include building a house, build a model of your room, build a marble run, a boat (some really float), build a pyramid, etc.
Directed Drawings–My students LOVE doing directed drawings. My go to resource for directed drawings come from Art for Kids Hub on YouTube. The kids love to share their drawings after we are finished.
Go Noodle– Pull up your students’ favorite Go Noodle songs and share your screen. Students can get up and get their wiggles out as they dance and sing.
Field Trip Friday
Teachers all over the country are taking their students on virtual field trips. Use the share-screen feature to share a virtual location with your students. You can visit a zoo, aquariums, museums, national parks, or even a theme park. Check out this list for a few ideas:
A virtual first day of school may be a little different. We can incorporate many great activities for or students! What fun distance learning activities would you add to your first day of virtual learning?
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