Thirty seven years of teaching school is in my past and my future is full of hope and promise.
Four Corners is a simple game that students of all elementary school ages love to play. This is fun to play with the lights out if there is a window letting a little light into the
room. Give each corner a number one to four. One person is it. They go to the front of the room and face the wall and count to ten slowly. While they are counting the rest of the students quietly go to one of the corners. When “It” gets to ten they say I choose number , and they choose one of the corners. Anyone that is in that corner is now out and they sit down. Anyone that has not made it to a corner is out, also.
This continues until only one person is left and they become “It”. When there are eight or less students left in the game then there should not be more than 2 students in any one corner and if there are then they are all out. When there are only four students or less left then there should not be more than one student in a corner or they are out.
I like this game because it is pure luck and anyone can win.
Quiet Ball is another simple game that you can play at the end of the day to reward a class for being good that day. The class forms a large circle around the outside of the room. You will need a nerf type ball that will not hurt anyone when thrown. The first rule is you need to throw the ball good. If the throw is good and the catcher doesn’t catch it then the catcher is out, but if the throw is bad the thrower is out.
The game is called quiet ball because only two people may talk without getting out. If anyone talks besides these two students they are automatically out. You choose a student to be a judge. He or she will determine if the throw is a good throw or a bad throw. The person who is throwing the ball says the name of the person he is throwing the ball to and then throws the ball. If it is a good throw and it is caught no one is out. If it is a good throw and it is not caught the person who was to catch it is out. If the throw is a bad throw then the thrower is out. If it is a bad throw, but it is caught no one is out.
They should not throw the ball to anyone that is not at least three people away from them until there are just a few left. The last person standing is the judge for the next game. Any arguing with the judge is automatically out. Judges need to be fair so keep your eye on them and over rule them if you need to.
I like this game because it is quiet.
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