Do you ever have days where your students just can’t sit still? Maybe they are wiggly in centers or can’t focus on your whole class review. When you get students moving with games for early elementary, you can have an effective review using fun games for early elementary.
Effective Games for Early Elementary
There are so many games you can play that get students up and moving. It all depends on what you want to do. Games for early elementary students can be used to help introduce topics, refocus students, and review concepts.
Introducing Topics with Games
When you are first introducing a topic, you can use a game to get students familiar with the ideas. For example, if you want to introduce a CVC word or sight word, you might go on a word scavenger hunt. You can put the CVC or sight word around the room on sticky notes. Then have students go and look for it while it is written on the board for them to reference. If you’re hunting for a CVC word, you can hide letters around the room and see how many words they can make.
Introducing topics to students with games can help them get invested early which will make learning all about the topic way more fun for students. Keep in mind, not everything can be introduced with a game. If you are introducing CVC words for the very first time, you might want to wait to play a game using this concept.
Refocus Students with Games for Elementary Students
Another way you can use games is to help students refocus. Sometimes playing a simple game of Simon Says to get students up and moving can be really effective! You can also use educational games like “I Have Who Has.” This is a game that gets students up and moving. To play, all students get a card. Then, they have to find the person who has the other card that goes with the one he/she has. If you are looking I Have Who Has games, check this bundle!
Using Games to Review
Getting students up and moving during review is a low stakes way to assess what your students are fluent in and what they may need more help with. I like to use I Have Who Has games for this activity as well because you can see what students struggle to “find.”
I Have Who Has Sight Words
Sight words can be so hard to master. However, you can study multiple sight words at a time with this game for elementary students. This I Have Who Has Sight Word game focuses on high-frequency words that can be tricky! Not only do you practice high frequency words, you also build listening and speaking skills while promoting a positive classroom community. This is also a great game to use with your other sight word activities because it's low-prep and simple!
If you want to work on simple letter and number recognition, you can also use I Have Who Has! This is a great way to spend those “few minutes” you might have here and there before a special, recess, lunch, or the end of the day.
I Have Who Has Ten Frames
You can also use I Have Who Has with Ten Frames. Just like with sight words, all of your students get a card. Then, they stand up and find the person who has the other card they need. You can have students work on addition and subtraction with the numbers they have. For example, tell students once they find their partner, they need to add the two numbers together. If you’re working on subtraction, you can have them subtract the smaller number from the larger number.
Using this game for math review is a great way to start or finish your math portion of the day. Which means this is great for a “do now” or a bell ringer as well as an exit slip.
Using games for elementary school is a great way to get students up and moving creating an engaging classroom. “I Have Who Has” is one of my favorites because it is low-prep. All you need to do is print and go! When you create an engaging environment, students learn more. Plus, you create a fun classroom environment where students flourish! If you love this game, make sure you check out all of our low-prep games at Adventures in Kinder and Beyond!
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