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30 Fun and Engaging Activities for Elementary Students

October 7, 2022 //  by  Alison Vrana

This comprehensive list is amazing for elementary teachers. Each list focuses on a different concept or type of activity that teachers can include in their classroom. Even better, each list is high interest and engaging for students. These educational activities are tried and tested by teachers and students alike. Teachers can use the lessons to bolster lessons they already have, or they can use the lessons on their own. Here are 30 amazing activities for elementary students.

1. Team Building Activities

From Escape Rooms to human knots, these indoor and outdoor activities for kids are great for bringing your classroom together. Kids will work together and use quick thinking to problem solve and build trust among each other. The classroom bonding activities are perfect for any time of year.

Learn More:  The Teacher's Cafe

2. Language Arts Activities

Teachers know that there is a heavy focus on language arts, especially at the elementary level. This list of 50+ activities will give you lesson ideas that will meet rigorous academic standards. From grammar to reading and writing, this list of activity ideas is the perfect classroom resource.

Learn More:  Really Good Stuff

3. Mindfulness Activities

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In today's digital age with access to so much information online, teaching children to be mindful is more important than ever before. Each of these activities focuses on a different method and reason for being mindful. These lessons challenge elementary students to slow down, control impulses, and think before acting.

Learn More:  Resilient Educator

4. Hands-On Activities

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Elementary teachers know how busy K-5 kids are. These hands-on activities are great for helping kids develop an outlet for their creativity and energy. From making sock puppets to making maps, your students will love these creative activities.

Learn More:  Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

5. First Week of School Activities

The first week of school is arguably the most important time for teachers and students. This list of community-building activities is great for establishing rapport and developing a fun learning environment for your kiddos.

Learn More:  Twinkl

6. Active Learning Activities

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This list of active learning activities focuses on engaging students in tactile activities. This list is broken into large groups, small groups, and individual activities for kids so you can pick the lessons that fit best for your classroom and your goals.

Learn More:  Queensu.ca

7. End-of-Year Activities  

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The end of the year brings a lot of joy and energy to the classroom. As kids celebrate moving into the summer and moving up in grade level, kids need high-energy activities to stay engaged. These activities from teachers are the perfect way to keep kids learning at the end of the year.

Learn More:  Minds In Bloom

8. SEL Activities

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Social-emotional learning and development are at the forefront of education today. These SEL activities for kids teach the value of social-emotional skills, as well as how to develop social-emotional awareness. These are cross-curricular activities that you can use any time of year.

Learn More:  Commonsense

9. First-Day Ice Breakers

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The first day of school can be daunting, especially for our youngest learners. This list of creative craft ideas and fun games will set the tone for the year. Kids will love bringing home the first day of school craft or getting to know their classmates.

Learn More:  Good Housekeeping

10. Aviation Activities

This unique list of aviation educational activities is perfect for a mini-unit in your classroom. Teach kids about flying while challenging students to problem-solve and ask questions. This list of activities comes with printable activity sheets to minimize your prep!

Learn More:  FAA

11. Transition Activities

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Transition activities are great for filling unstructured time in the classroom. These high-energy activities only take 1-2 minutes, but they will do wonders for the structure of your classroom and the learning environment. Plus, kids will love how fun each activity is.

12. STEM Activities

This list of STEM activities is another great list of science experiments that challenge students to think critically. Each activity engages students in learning and using the scientific method and analytical skills to solve problems.

Learn More:  Science Buddies

13. Responsibility Activities

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Elementary school is an important time for kids to learn responsibility. Each of these activities focuses on an element of responsibility in order to foster a growth mindset, cooperation skills, and self-reflection. Each skill also focuses on setting goals and following through on them.

Learn More:  Social Emotional Workshop

14. New Years Activities

Speaking of goal setting, New Year is a great time to encourage students to self-reflect and set SMART goals for the new year. Each of these activities has a fun, engaging element that also relates to celebrating the new year.

Learn More:  What I Have Learned Teaching

15. Music Activities

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You can never go wrong with music activities in elementary school. Whether you use music to introduce a concept, practice a concept, or help students memorize a new concept, elementary kids will love the musical element in the classroom.

Learn More:  Solfeg

16. Spring Activities

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When the weather breaks, and kids finally get to go outside after a long winter, these spring activities will add an element of fun outdoor engagement to your lesson plans. Students will love the fresh air and they enjoy these spring-themed activities.

Learn More:  HMH Co.

17. Growth Mindset Activities

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A growth mindset is an important concept in education right now, and the earlier students learn how to focus on improvement, the sooner they will experience success. These activities are perfect for any time of year, but they also pair well with first-day activities and New Years' lessons.

Learn More:  Proud To Be Primary

18. Movement Activities

Do you have a high-energy class? Let's face it--what elementary kids aren't high-energy? These movement activities can be incorporated into any lesson to help break up the day and encourage students to burn off some energy.

Learn More:  Kappan Online

19. Cultural Diversity Activities

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Cultural diversity is another important concept that kids should begin to learn about early on in their academic experience. These diversity activities will help you create culturally effective lessons that teach diversity, inclusivity, and acceptance.

Learn More:  Fun With Mama

20. Map Skills Activities

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This set of lessons is perfect for both indoor and outdoor learning. Kids will learn valuable mapping, direction, and spatial awareness skills that will help them navigate their world. These lessons are also great because they teach kids to be independent thinkers.

Learn More:  National Geographic

21. Reading and Writing Activities

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These reading and writing activities focus on literacy skills for elementary learners. Students will use their literacy skills to decode information and practice critical thinking skills to write about what they read.

Learn More:  Reading Rockets

22. Social Skills Activities

Learning social skills is important, especially early on in elementary school. This list of activities focuses on introducing and practicing social skills in the classroom. Incorporate these activities into your daily lessons, or use them on their own.

Learn More:  Education And Behavior

23. Compassion Activities

In today's world, it seems like kindness and compassion have gone by the wayside, but these activities will teach kids how to be compassionate. These are easy lessons and activities to include in your weekly plans and they will directly impact the learning environment of your classroom.

Learn More:  Everfi

24. Project Activities

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Project activities are important even at the elementary level. Students need to learn how to complete multi-step learning tasks in order to prepare for middle school and high school. These project activities are multi-faceted and encourage long-term learning.

Learn More:  Student Treasures

25. Dinosaur Activities

What elementary kid doesn't love dinosaurs? Almost every school and curriculum includes a unit on dinosaurs. These dino activities are engaging, high-interest, and hands-on. Kids will love them!

Learn More:  Firstie Land

26. ESL Activities

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The ESL population is growing each year, which means you likely have a population of ELs in your classroom. These activities are great for all learners, but they focus specifically on culturally inclusive lessons that help ELs learn.

Learn More:  Go Overseas

27. Comprehension Activities

These activities focus specifically on reading comprehension. These lessons encourage students to practice decoding, active reading, and summary skills to better comprehend rigorous texts. These activities are great for any reading level and text.

Learn More:  Education To The Core

28. Flipped Classroom Activities

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Do you want to include more flipped classroom activities in your student's learning? The flipped classroom offers benefits for students, but the lessons and activities take a lot of prep time and effort to create. Here are several activities to get you started!

Learn More:  View Sonic

29. 5-Minute Activities

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Sometimes we just need 5 minutes for a brain break, or we have 5 minutes to spare in between lessons or at the end of the day. These 5-minute activities are the perfect way to fill time without losing instruction or rigor.

Learn More:  The Teacher Next Door

30. Kindness Activities

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Like compassion, kindness is an important element in the elementary classroom. Although these concepts are similar, this list is unique and focuses on teaching individuals to be kind to one another as well as to themselves.

Learn More:  Sweet Tooth Teaching

Student-Centered World

10 Fun & Interactive Learning Activities for Elementary Students

The best part about teaching primary school students is that for those first years, so many of them are excited about learning. Every day is a new adventure and it isn’t as difficult to get student buy-in for whatever silly lesson you have planned for that day. This doesn’t mean that lesson planning for the younger grades is easy…you just have more of an advantage over, say, the angsty teenage level.

It is important, regardless, to be certain that you are creating interactive learning activities for elementary students because, if they have an innate love of learning at their age, it is important to try to keep that passion alive as long as possible.

Before anything else happens, just admire the energy these students bring to your classroom every day…and then try to use this same enthusiasm for interactive learning activities for elementary students. It’s a requirement!

To begin with, you need to identify what will make classroom activities so interactive. For young kids, you really want to incorporate music, movement, and interactive storytelling in your lessons. If you want interactive learning activities for elementary students to really take a shine to the material that you are teaching them, plenty of visual cues will help out as well.

You absolutely can’t forget the interactive aspect of using technology in the classroom…young students love watching videos about whatever subject matter your curriculum is focusing on.

Try to have fun with the task at hand and you will probably find that interactive learning activities for elementary students won’t just be easier, but they’ll be more enjoyable for everyone involved !

What is interactive learning?

Let’s look at interactive learning through the eyes of those who use it. The interactive process involves a lot more than just watching a teacher talk and move from one place to another. There might be certain topics or information that will be highlighted when interactive learning is used, but it also helps students process information and absorb it better.

It may seem like so much work to have interactive lessons for elementary students because of the amount of preparation that you might have to do in advance. However, interactive teaching can be very effective when done correctly and once you have a lesson created, you can use it again and again.

Interactive teaching involves a lot more than just doing interactive learning activities. It’s a mindset that you need to bring into the classroom with every lesson that you teach. The interactive process involves a lot of different points of view and this can be very effective in getting students to engage in the lesson and absorb what is being taught to them.

The Importance of Implementing Interactive Activity Ideas

Interactive activity ideas play a pivotal role in the elementary classroom, as they cater to students’ diverse learning needs, interests, and personalities. Through the use of small groups and interactive features, these activities promote student engagement and foster the development of problem-solving skills.

Whether it’s a scavenger hunt to explore different math concepts, a fun game of trivia to reinforce sight words or a group discussion on a case study, these activities not only make learning a more enjoyable and memorable experience but also allow students to have a voice in their education.

The incorporation of interactive presentation games, virtual reality experiences, and online learning platforms in both physical and virtual classrooms gives educators the tools to adapt their lesson plans to different topics and grade levels. By posing open-ended questions, using digital tools like QR codes, and creating opportunities for students to participate in interactive events, teachers can ensure that students today are learning in a more engaging way.

The best teachers understand that interactive activities are the best way to cater to students’ interests, making the learning process an exciting journey filled with discovery. In an online setting, breakout rooms and live qualified teachers can help create smaller groups for more personalized attention and discussion.

Whether it’s a fun memory game, an educational scavenger hunt, or a virtual field trip, these interactive activities offer a purpose beyond just imparting knowledge; they facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject matter and encourage student collaboration. From classic games to custom-made educational swag stations, these interactive ideas allow students to express themselves while acquiring essential knowledge.

In this digital age, the possibilities are endless, as teachers can use video content, project-based learning, and interactive content to enhance their teaching methods. 

Ultimately, the inclusion of interactive activities not only piques students’ curiosity but also ensures that they remain active participants in their own education, preparing them for success in the ever-evolving world of education and beyond.  Here are some great interactive learning activities for elementary students:

Interactive games are a fantastic way to engage students across subjects. Think of classics like Jeopardy, Boggle, Pictionary, Scrabble, and more, offering interactive learning activities that make lessons enjoyable. For instance, a game of Jeopardy can be used to reinforce historical facts, with students forming teams and competing to answer questions. Similarly, a game of Pictionary can help in vocabulary building, where students draw and guess words related to their lesson.

Interactive games are great interactive teaching techniques for elementary students because they help them become more active in the classroom. Interactive games can be utilized with just about any topic that you want.

Games and gamification are easy and effective learning tools in the classroom for several compelling reasons. Firstly, they make learning fun, transforming the educational experience into an engaging and enjoyable endeavor. When students are actively involved in games, they become more motivated and eager to participate, which naturally enhances their retention of information.

Secondly, games provide a practical and hands-on approach to learning, allowing students to apply knowledge in real-life scenarios. This fosters a deeper understanding of the material as they navigate challenges, solve problems, and make decisions within the context of the game. Additionally, games promote active participation and healthy competition among students, encouraging teamwork and critical thinking.

By incorporating elements of achievement, rewards, and competition, gamification further stimulates students’ intrinsic motivation and can be easily tailored to suit various subjects and age groups. Overall, games and gamification serve as user-friendly and highly effective tools to make learning both accessible and enjoyable, ultimately improving students’ educational experiences and outcomes.

Storytelling

Storytelling is great when it comes to interactive learning activities for elementary students. This technique helps bring lessons to life for young learners and kids love interactive storytelling! Interactive storytelling brings lessons to life, allowing students to make choices and participate actively in the narrative, fostering comprehension and engagement.

An example could be an interactive history lesson where students become “time travelers” making decisions that impact historical events, bringing the past to life, and making it more relatable. Alternatively, in a language arts class, students can collectively create an interactive story, with each student contributing a paragraph to the evolving plot.

You can also use interactive storytelling as an interactive writing activity for kids. Have students make up their own interactive stories and encourage them to include interactive elements in each chapter.

Let’s say you’re using a story about farmers. You can incorporate interactive elements into introductions and parts of the book that are supposed to be boring like, “Now we plant some seeds”. This interactive storytelling tool allows students to make choices at various different places in the book. For example, if you wanted them to pretend that they were planting seeds, you could have them actually plant some beans in a small cup of dirt.

Interactive writing, including interactive story writing, encourages students to contribute their ideas and make the learning experience more engaging and collaborative. In a science class, students can create collaborative blogs or digital journals about ongoing experiments, sharing their findings and insights.

In English class, an interactive writing activity might involve students co-authoring a mad-lib-style story, where each student fills in missing words to create a humorous narrative.

Interactive Q&A techniques like discussion boards and debates get students thinking critically and interacting with their peers on various subjects. For example, in a history class, a discussion board could be set up for students to debate the causes of a historical event and its impact.

In a biology class, students can engage in a virtual debate on topics like climate change and its effects on ecosystems, fostering critical thinking and research skills.

Another interactive Q&A learning activity that also builds community is interactive debates. Interactive debates are interactive discussion boards that help students come up with different sides of issues and allow them to debate the issue in a safe environment, which only benefits their learning.

Interactive Q&A isn’t always limited to interactive discussions or interactive debates. There are so many ways that interactive Q&A can be used for interactive teaching activities, but interactive discussion boards and interactive debates are the two most common ways that interactive Q&A is used in classrooms.

Interactive posters ignite discussions and can be tailored to any topic, providing a simple and cost-effective way to make learning fun. For instance, in a geography class, an interactive poster displaying world maps can prompt students to place labels and flags on different countries while discussing their cultures and landmarks. In an art class, students can create interactive posters that reveal hidden information about famous artists and their works when scanned with a mobile device, adding an element of discovery to the lesson.

Interactive Posters are a simple and inexpensive interactive teaching tool. There are also many interactive poster templates online that can take interactive activities to a new level. They can include fun interactive learning activities with topics like weather, ocean animals, endangered species, early civilizations & more.

Interactive posters serve as a valuable and budget-friendly educational resource that can be tailored to diverse subjects, making learning a more engaging experience. For example, within a geography class, an interactive poster featuring world maps encourages students to place labels and flags on various countries, initiating discussions about their unique cultures and landmarks. This not only reinforces geographical knowledge but also fosters an appreciation for global diversity.

In an art class, for instance, students can craft interactive posters that unveil hidden information about renowned artists and their masterpieces when scanned with a mobile device. This element of discovery adds a layer of excitement and interactivity to the lesson, turning the exploration of art history into an engaging adventure.

Moreover, interactive poster templates available online take these educational tools to the next level, offering a plethora of creative possibilities. These templates cover a wide range of topics, from weather and ocean animals to endangered species and ancient civilizations, enhancing the variety of interactive learning activities that educators can incorporate into their lessons.

The simplicity and accessibility of interactive posters make them an excellent resource for educators at all levels, effectively bringing interactive lessons to life and captivating students’ interest in a fun and informative way.

Interactive quizzes and tests help reinforce knowledge and offer students a chance to self-assess their understanding, enhancing the learning process. In a math class, interactive quizzes can include fill-in-the-blank questions that require students to complete equations, reinforcing their problem-solving skills. In a foreign language class, a quiz can be designed with true or false questions, testing students’ comprehension of grammar rules and vocabulary.

There are several types of interactive quizzes that you can utilize with your students:

  • Fill-in-the-blank interactive quizzes – Fill-in-the-blank quizzes are a form of interactive assessment where students complete sentences or statements by filling in the missing words or phrases. These quizzes are effective for testing students’ recall and understanding of specific facts or details within a subject. For instance, in a history class, a fill-in-the-blank quiz might ask students to complete sentences related to historical events, encouraging them to recall specific dates, names, or key details.
  • Fill-in-the-blank worksheets with answers – These worksheets are extended versions of fill-in-the-blank quizzes and include a list of possible answers. Students must choose the correct answers from the provided list to complete the blanks. These worksheets are particularly useful for assessing students’ comprehension of a topic with multiple possible answers. For example, in a language arts class, a fill-in-the-blank worksheet might ask students to complete sentences with the appropriate vocabulary words from a provided list, testing their understanding of word usage.
  • Multiple-choice interactive quizzes – Multiple-choice quizzes present students with a question or statement and offer several answer choices, with only one being correct. Students select the correct answer from the provided options. Multiple-choice quizzes are versatile and can be used to assess a wide range of topics, from math problems to literature analysis. For example, in a science class, a multiple-choice quiz might evaluate students’ knowledge of the periodic table, with questions like, “What is the atomic number of oxygen?”
  • True or false interactive quizzes – True or false quizzes consist of statements or sentences that students must categorize as either true or false based on their understanding of the content. These quizzes are ideal for testing students’ grasp of straightforward concepts and factual information. In a geography class, a true or false quiz might feature statements like, “Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world,” encouraging students to apply their knowledge of geographical facts.
  • Interactive true or false worksheets with answers – Similar to true or false quizzes, interactive true or false worksheets present statements or sentences that students need to categorize as true or false. However, these worksheets also include a list of correct answers. Students must select the correct answer (either “true” or “false”) for each statement based on their understanding of the subject matter. In a health class, an interactive true or false worksheet could assess students’ knowledge of nutrition with statements like, “Carrots are a good source of vitamin C (true/false),” giving students the opportunity to test their nutritional knowledge.

Videos are a great interactive teaching technique for elementary students and interactive activities for elementary students are interactive teaching at its finest. interactive videos teach kids while they’re having fun with their friends, which helps them retain the information.

Appropriate videos use a variety of teaching techniques, including:

1) Causal Learning (also called Associative Learning). What is it? Say you want to teach your kids about colors. Instead of simply telling them what each color is, interactive videos use interactive games, technology, and interactive apps to have kids associate colors with interactive activities such as interactive puzzles or interactive stories that they’re learning about. When this happens enough times, it sticks in their heads!

2) Repetition Learning (also called Spaced Practice). With the repetition of interactive teaching techniques, interactive lessons are taught to interactive students, and then interactive students are tested repeatedly on interactive topics.

3) Motivation Learning (also called Extrinsic Motivation). Interactive videos can teach kids while helping them have fun at the same time! interactive videos for elementary interactive learning activities use technology to create games that children love and find engaging. This creates a motivation for interactive students to learn interactive topics, which can help them retain what interactive videos teach them. interactive Learning Activity

4) Modeling Learning (also called Imitation). Interactive students are more likely to practice interactive learning with interactive apps if they think it’s cool – and interactive videos use many different features that make interactive lessons cool! From interactive gadgets to interactive avatars, interactive videos use interactive ideas and interactive storylines to create an interactive learning experience that’s always fun.

5) Collaborative Learning (also called Social Learning). Interactive students learn better when they’re having interactive fun with other interactive students – especially if interactive activities involve teamwork! interactive videos for elementary students often have interactive activities that require interactive students to work together and help each other out, which creates interactive teamwork between interactive students. interactive Learning Activities for Elementary Students

Whiteboard Lessons

One of the best interactive learning activities for elementary students is doing interactive whiteboard lessons. The actual interactive part comes into play when you mix interactive learning activities for elementary students, such as interactive whiteboard lessons, with interactive online games. To maximize the interactive learning experience you should play interactive, game-like activities that build upon the concepts covered in your interactive whiteboard lessons.

For instance, an interactive math lesson using a whiteboard can integrate an online game like “What’s My Word?” where students associate math problems with corresponding visuals, enhancing their understanding. In a science class, an interactive whiteboard can be used for virtual dissections, giving students a hands-on experience without the need for actual lab materials.

For whiteboard lessons, you should use a good interactive whiteboard software program. They help with students’ cognitive development by encouraging student participation as part of their functionality, which makes implementation easier on your end.

One of the most effective interactive online games to use in your interactive whiteboard lessons is a game called, `What’s My Word?’. This interactive online game is interactive and supports learning in a cognitive way. It also helps with students’ phonological awareness (listening skills).

The way this interactive online game works is that the teacher says a word to the class. The children then try to guess the word using all sorts of interactive learning activities for elementary students. The interactive online game animation shows what the word is as they try to guess it. This interactive, guessing game helps students with listening skills and improves their imagination (which comes from creative thinking that interactive games promote).

There are many options like this out there for every topic you could imagine.

Math Stations

Interactive math stations are another really good interactive teaching technique for elementary students. The interactive part comes into play because the activities you do in the stations require students to move around and interact with each other. There is a ton of data out there that explains why our students need to move often throughout the school day, so this is a great way to build upon that.

Interactive math stations can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make them, but they always involve a little bit of movement. They also allow you to differentiate your instruction. This means that you can choose a station or group of stations that suit the needs and abilities of individual students.

Interactive math stations offer a dynamic and hands-on approach to mathematics education , making it accessible and enjoyable for students. For instance, in a math station focused on geometry, students might engage in a geometry scavenger hunt where they search for and measure real-world geometric shapes in their classroom or school environment. This practical application of mathematical concepts not only reinforces their understanding of geometry but also demonstrates the relevance of math in their daily lives.

In another math station, students can delve into problem-solving puzzles like Sudoku or logic games, honing their critical thinking and analytical skills in an engaging and interactive manner.

Moreover, interactive math stations promote differentiation in instruction, allowing teachers to tailor activities to suit individual students’ needs and learning styles . For example, a station might offer a range of math games, from basic addition and subtraction for younger students to more advanced algebraic puzzles for older ones. In this way, students can choose activities that align with their current skill levels and gradually progress to more challenging tasks as they build confidence and proficiency.

Additionally, interactive math stations provide opportunities for peer collaboration, where students can work together to solve math problems, share strategies, and learn from one another, fostering a supportive and interactive learning environment. These stations serve as versatile tools to make math education more accessible and engaging while catering to the diverse needs of students.

Interactive math stations can have many techniques incorporated into them, but there are some that work especially well with math stations in particular. These include:

  • Use interactive boards.
  • Use interactive whiteboards.
  • Use interactive books and interactive portfolios.
  • Give your students interactive math notebooks or interactive lap books.
  • Have your students use interactive graphs or interactive datasheets.

Science Centers

Interactive science centers can be super interactive learning activities for elementary students because they put the concepts in your curriculum into action. Kids are hands-on learners, and interactive science centers allow them to learn about the natural world around them in a way that has practical applications.

Interactive science centers turn science concepts into hands-on experiments, offering practical applications and fostering a love for learning. In a physics center, students could experiment with simple machines like levers and pulleys, applying the principles of physics in a tangible way. A biology center might feature microscopes, allowing students to examine and identify different microorganisms, making the subject more engaging and memorable.

There are interactive science learning kits online ad that provide interactive experiments and demonstrations for kids to explore. It’s a really interactive way for elementary students to learn about the natural world around them.

Interactive science centers can be pretty elaborate or very simple, depending on the activities you include in your interactive learning activities for elementary students. They can use everyday household items to explore science concepts and the interactive learning activities can be as simple as interactive learning activities for elementary students like dropping colored salt into the water and watching it dissolve.

When looking at interactive science centers online or in stores, don’t just look at the items you’ll need to buy. Look at how other teachers have used their own science centers in their classrooms and take a look at the activities that go along with them. You can find interactive learning activities to do at home by looking at interactive science projects.

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This article was originally published on July 27, 2021

About the Author: Jenn Breisacher

After moving from a teacher-dominated classroom to a truly student-centered one, Jenn found herself helping colleagues who wanted to follow her lead.  In 2018 she decided to expand outside of her school walls and help those out there who were also trying to figure out this fantastic method of instruction to ignite intrinsic motivation in their students.  Read more about her journey with Student-Centered World at studentcenteredworld.com/about

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50 Back to School Activities for Elementary Students

  • August 22, 2023

When putting together lesson plans for the upcoming school year, it can be tempting to dive into reading and math curriculum from day one. There’s always so much to get through, and time seems in short supply.

However, it’s worth making time for fun student back-to-school activities in your elementary classroom. If students can connect with their peers early in the school year, those positive relationships can make a world of difference throughout the year.

As an educator, you can use these 50 first day of school games, activities, and printables for elementary students to help your class get to know each other and find things they have in common.

50 First Day of School Activities for Elementary Students

Getting to know you back-to-school activities.

1. “Dicebreakers”: All you need to play this first day of school icebreaker is a few sets of dice and plenty of willing students! Students roll the dice to answer a variety of getting to know you questions.

stock photo of students in a classroom

2. Autograph Scavenger Hunt : This activity encourages students to connect with as many peers as possible on the first day. Tell students to locate a different person for each box, if possible.

3. Beach Ball Game : If you’re looking for a getting to know you activity on the first day of school that gets students moving, try this one! Write a question on each side of the beach ball in permanent marker and have fun tossing it around while learning all about your students.

4. Get-to-Know-You Jenga : Even board games can be icebreakers if you make a few tweaks. As students build the Jenga tower, they’ll ask and answer fun questions that are all about them.

5. Inside-Outside Game : This game (number five on the linked list) encourages students to share what makes them unique as well as what qualities or experiences they have in common.

6. Classroom Scavenger Hunt : Familiarize students with their new classroom with this fun scavenger hunt activity.

7. Get to Know the Teacher : Introduce yourself to your students and share a fun fact to help them feel comfortable in your classroom with this activity (#4 on this list).

8. Me Commercial : Need an “all about me” activity for older elementary students? The 10th activity on this list has you pair your students to create commercial-type skits so they can all get to know each other.

9. This or That? : If you need a simple icebreaker activity, try playing “This or That?” with your class. Students get to weigh in on questions like “Batman or Spider-Man?” and “Cats or dogs?”

10. Back-to-School Bingo : For a first day of school activity that gets students moving, try this getting to know you twist on bingo!

11. Meet Your Match Game : In this classroom team building activity, you’ll hand each child a puzzle piece and help them find the classmate with a match–showing them how they are more alike than they might think.

12. “I Like It” Tag : Turn this classic P.E. game into a get to know you activity by using it to unite students with similar likes.

13. Find Someone Who… : In this get to know you game, students learn fun facts about their new classmates and find things they have in common.

14. Get-to-Know-You Snowball Fight : You don’t have to wait until winter to have a snowball fight! Have fun making paper snowballs with your class, then use them for a unique icebreaker (pun intended!) game.

15. Chit Chat Cards : It can be tough for new elementary students to think up conversation starters. Help your new students connect faster by putting together some “chit chat cards.” (See number three on this list.)

Back-to-School Activities for Teaching Mindset, Team-Building and Social Skills

stock photo of teacher and student in a classroom

16. Student Pairs: What’s Your Name? : This activity (#1 on this list) can help students say “Hello” and learn each other’s names.

17. Class Helpers : Act out or read aloud this script with your new students to teach them about sharing and being nice to others in class.

18. What Makes a Good Friend? : Use these pictures as a back-to-school activity about the attributes of a good friend and how students can make new friends this school year.

19. Color My Feelings Art : This art project is a great social-emotional learning activity to do during the first few days of school.

20. A Fan of Validation : Everybody likes to know that they are wanted and belong in class. Use this activity to show students how compliments can lift a person up.

21. Think–Pair–Share : Even early elementary students can learn how to use critical thinking skills with this class discussion activity. Scroll down a bit at the link to see more about this activity.

22. Emotion Cards : Share these emotion cards during the first days of school to help your new students recognize and share their feelings with you and their classmates.

23. Stringing Conversations Together Game : Activities that teach social skills can be especially helpful for early elementary students. This game encourages students to practice making conversation with new people.

24. Paper Chain Challenge : This fun team-building activity requires your students to work together in teams to build the longest paper chain.

25. Social Skills Read Alouds : If you want to teach social skills the first day of school onward, try reading one of these books as a class.

26. Random Acts of Kindness Ideas : This craft encourages students to treat their new classmates with kindness and give them suggestions on where to start.

27. What Does a Good Friend Do? : What does it mean to be a true friend? Brainstorm qualities of a good friend with your students, then create a poster together to hang up on the wall as a daily reminder.

28. Helpful Words : Teach students how to have a growth mindset as they encounter new challenges during the school year with this worksheet.

29. Birthday Line Up : In this elementary team building activity (#13 on this list), students can practice communicating with each other to complete a task.

30. Wrinkled Heart Empathy Craft : Empathy is an important skill to teach your students for building a caring classroom environment. Use this back-to-school activity to explain the importance of compassion to your students and help prevent bullying.

31. I Wish My Teacher Knew : Students can share things about themselves that they want you to know at the beginning of the school year with this activity.

Back-to-School Reading and Math Activities

32. Back-to-School Picture Books : Get students excited about a new year and help them feel less nervous by reading aloud one of these back-to-school-themed books.

33. Math About Me : Finding engaging ways to teach students math can make a big difference during the first days of school. Use this activity to let students introduce themselves while learning about numbers.

students and teacher reading a book

34. “I Am” Poems : Your students could be poets and not even know it! Make these visual poems together, then hang them up in your classroom.

35. Goal Setting : With this first day of school worksheet as their guide, students can set new goals for the upcoming year while practicing writing skills.

36. Back-to-School Resolutions : Have your elementary students write down a few resolutions for the school year, then take turns sharing them with the class.

37. Alphabet Relay Race : Teach new skills while having fun! In this game, students work in teams to put together the alphabet.

38. Can You Guess? A Story in Two Voices : Pair your students into groups of two and have them read aloud this guessing game picture book as a fun back-to-school reading activity.

39. STEM Marshmallow Challenge : For a back-to-school game that also teaches math and science skills, try this group challenge in which students build different shapes from toothpicks and marshmallows.

40. Early Chapter Book: A Place for Shad : For a classroom read-aloud during the first week of school, share this story about a boy named Shad who makes friends after moving to a new neighborhood.

41. Beginning of Year Activity : Students can practice their writing skills while sharing what they are excited, nervous, and wondering about in the upcoming year with this worksheet.

Back-to-School Arts, Crafts, and Brain Breaks

student doing arts and crafts in class

43. All About Me Selfies : Drawing self-portraits can help your students express themselves in class. Your students can take (or rather, make) their own selfies to show off their unique personalities.

44. Four Corners with a Twist : This fun back to school game gets students moving all over the classroom!

45. Time Capsule : A time capsule can be a fun way to measure your students’ progress over the year. Plus, your students can get to know each other by seeing what they put in the time capsule.

46. Charades Relay Race : This twist on a classic game of charades is a high energy way to help students practice working in groups while also getting their wiggles out.

47. Group Project Coloring Sheet : Share out this coloring page when your students need some quiet time to encourage an atmosphere of working together in class.

48. First Day Jitters Activity : It’s normal to be nervous on the first day of school! This activity will remind students that they’re not alone and that this school year will be one to remember.

49. Friendship Tree : Print out this mini poster and have every student stamp their thumbprint on the tree branches for a fun back-to-school art activity that makes everyone feel welcome.

50. Paper Plate Apple Bags : Students can put together these cute paper plate apple bags as a fun craft that also gives them a tote to carry around their school supplies.

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These exciting educational activities will keep your children plenty busy .

learning activities for kids

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From practicing sight words to simple coding activities, these projects cover literacy, STEM, and social studies, among others, so you can focus in on your kids' particular area of interest (or subject where they need the most additional practice). The one thing they have in common is that there's some kind hands-on component to all of them, so kids can get really involved in their own learning. As they get older, they can even help set up the activities for themselves, too. These are mostly geared for elementary school students, but if you have a toddler or a preschooler, you can check out these fun toddler activities , since even the tiniest students deserve a brain workout.

Sunflower Word Family

sunflower word family learning activity for kids

Kids just learning to read can explore different sound combinations with a word-family sunflower. Write word endings on the petals, fill a paper-plate center with all the letters of the alphabet, then let kids spin and read the results.

Get the tutorial at Happy Tot Shelf »

RELATED: These 50 Fun Activities for Kids Will Keep Them Entertained for Hours

Pipe Cleaner Constellations

pipe cleaner constellations

Lots of classrooms make students create dioramas of the solar system, but what about mapping out other celestial bodies? This activity uses pipe cleaners and beads to give kids a hands-on way to learn how stars connect to form different consteallations.

Get the tutorial at 123 Homeschool 4 Me »

Chromatography Flowers

a coffee filter flower with an led in the center is decorated with swirls of color as part of this at home science experiment for kids

This is a science experiment that turns into something you'd want to display on a desk or table. Draw stripes on coffee filters with markers, and then fold them up into triangles and dip the pointy end in water; the water will travel up the filter and separate the marker into different pigments, making a cool pattern on a flower-shaped filter.

Get the tutorial at Steam Powered Family »

RELATED: Easy Science Experiments for Kids You Can Do at Home With Everyday Items

Sight Word Craft-Stick Puzzles

sight word popsicle puzzle

If you're practicing sight words , go beyond the run-of-the-mill flash cards with a craft-stick matching puzzle. You can tailor the words by grade level , and add more pairs as your kids become stronger readers.

Get the tutorial at And Next Comes L »

LEGO Coding Maze

the pieces to a lego coding activity are spread out on a floor

You don't need screens or apps to show kids the foundations of coding. Set up a simple LEGO maze, and give kids commands to get a minifigure to go through it. The mazes and concepts can get more sophisticated as the child gets older.

Get the tutorial (plus printable commands and maze templates) at Research Parent »

Backyard Treasure Hunt

backyard treasure hunt learning activity for kids

One way to sharpen those map-reading skills? Hide a treasure in the backyard and have the kids use a map to find it. It's even better if they can hide something from you and draw the map themselves.

Get the tutorial at Life Over C's »

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Fraction Flowers

fraction flowers learning activity for kids

Not only will these beautiful blooms help kids visualize their fractions, it'll teach them equivalents: Two one-eighth peals will be the same size as a one-fourth petal, for example. Not into flowers? Try pizza slices.

Get the tutorial at Teach Beside Me »

Sidewalk Chalk Letters

sidewalk chalk learning activity

Get their brains and bodies working at the same time! Hop from letter to letter to spell out different sight words.

Get the tutorial at Buggy and Buddy »

Decoder Wheel

decoder wheel learning activity for kids

Ready for some spy missions? An easy decoder wheel lets kids write and decipher secret messages. From there, you can move on to other types of codes , or talk about how cryptography has been used in history .

Get the tutorial at Dabbles and Babbles »

Word/Definition Memory Game

worddefinition memory learning activity

Practice two skills at once: Write new vocabulary words on one card, definitions on another, and then play a traditional Memory game. You can also do this with synonyms and antonyms.

Get the tutorial at Diary of a Not-So-Wimpy Teacher »

Color-Mixing Experiment

color mixing experiment

The classic vinegar-and-baking-soda experiment becomes extra exciting when food coloring is added to the mix. In addition to using an eye dropper or baster to make more "explosions," kids can also see what happens when different colors combine.

Get the tutorial at The Best Ideas for Kids »

Pop Top Math Game

pop top math game

This game is so simple to set up: Stick math equations on the top of a bottle cap, and write the answers inside. Then, if a student answers a math fact correctly, they get to keep the top. If not, it stays in the pile. The player with the most caps at the end of the game wins!

Get the tutorial at Crofts' Classroom »

story map learning activity

If kids are going to grow up to be writers, it helps to know how stories are put together. A story map lets them dissect the parts a book. They can either make one for tales they know well (something like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"), or use them as an outline for an original creation.

Get the tutorial at Mrs. Byrd's Learning Tree »

Marshmallow Shapes

marshmallow shape learning activity for kids

A delicious lesson in geometry, you can use mini-marshmallows and toothpicks (or small pretzel rods) to build different shapes. As kids get more advanced, they can move from 2D to 3D creations.

Binary Code Jelwelry

coding a binary bracelet learning activity for kids

Another coding-related activity that doesn't require a screen, this craft uses different colored beads to represent the 1s and 0s in binary numbers. Kids can convert letters into binary and "code" their names into a necklaces or bracelets.

Get the tutorial at Mama Smiles »

Fingerprint Forensics

fingerprint learning activity for kids

Forensics 101: Leave a fingerprint on a drinking glass — it helps if your fingers are a little greasy, so pizza night is the perfect time to try this out — then have your kids use flour and a paintbrush to "dust" the glass for prints. You can even try to "lift" the fingerprint with a piece of tape and transfer it to a piece of construction paper. You can talk about the common patterns found in fingerprints , and how prints are used by law enforcement.

Family Flag

mixed race girl holding united states flag outdoors

Tell your kids they're going to become vexillologists — it sounds super impressive! Vexillology is the study of flags, so talk about the symbols on the flags of different countries and what they represent. Then, they can design their own flag — show them the North American Vexillological Association's " Good Flag, Bad Flag " guidelines — or you can come together and create a flag for your family.

Mental Math

mental math learning activity

The great thing about this activity is that kids can do it independently, whenever they have a few minutes (like in the car): Write out a series of math problems on craft sticks to give kids a chance to practice doing math in their heads. See how many sticks they can get through in a certain period of time.

Get the tutorial at Lesson Plan Diva »

Star Crystals

a star shaped crystal hangs from a window as part of this at home science experiment for kids

By growing crystals in a Borax solution, kids can learn science and make a new decoration for their rooms. (Just use extreme caution with the Borax, and make sure they know it's not sugar.)

Get the tutorial at One Little Project »

Pasta World Map

pasta world map learning activity for kids

Give the world map a 3D twist with this crafty learning activity. You can paint coffee filters for the oceans, or use different colors and shapes of pasta for different regions or geographical features.

Get the tutorial at Parenting Chaos »

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13 Virtual Games to Play in Your Elementary Classroom

From scavenger hunts to Pictionary, we’ve gathered a batch of virtual games to get students talking, laughing, and engaging with peers.

While most educators feel too worn out to take on anything else this year, classroom games—old and new—can provide a much-needed respite for students and teachers who are burned out on video lessons and miss social connection.

We found some easy-to-use virtual games that elementary teachers are playing with their students this year, along with tips on how to incorporate them into the classroom.

Gaming With Google Slides

After noticing how much her students missed informal socializing during hybrid learning, Liz Henneberry, a third-grade teacher in Franklin, Massachusetts, transformed Connect Four , Trouble , Chess , and Checkers to Google Slides; the latter two are adaptations from Eric Curts' templates , and all of Henneberry's templates can be downloaded and immediately used in your virtual classroom. During recess breaks, students click a board game shelved in a virtual recess room, which creates their own copy of the game. Students can then share the game with their friend using Google Drive so that the two can play a round together. If students are new to sharing Google Slides, Henneberry recommends modeling the step-by-step process first.

Similarly, Robin Nahhas says her third-grade students have loved playing Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe , a downloadable game she created on Google Slides so that they could practice their multiplication facts. Before playing, Nahhas goes over directions and the code of conduct with students, reminding them of protocols such as not interfering with classmates’ games or else having their gaming privileges revoked.

A multiplication Google Slides version of Tic Tac Toe to play virtually

Then, she pairs up students and places them in breakout rooms on Zoom. Each student in the pair selects a set of color pieces, and when it’s their turn, they roll two digital dice, multiply the numbers shown, and place a piece onto the virtual board with the corresponding number. To play again, they move their pieces back to the side of the board. If students need help solving a problem, they can rely on their partner or click the “Ask for Help” button after trying one of the strategies they learned in class with pencil and paper first.

Games to Boost Creative Thinking

During morning meetings, fifth-grade teacher Sarah Wood says she incorporates games like scavenger hunts that the whole class can play together while learning from home. When it’s time to play, Wood projects a word like blanket and a matching image on a slideshow, and then students run to find the item in their homes. When they find the object, they can share it on video or by typing in the chat box.

Wood has even focused the game around particular learning goals, like having students find objects that reinforce vocabulary or putting together a project with the items. Once, they were asked to find a broom, a blanket, and a few heavy objects, and then they had 10 minutes to build a reading fort. During asynchronous time, they used Flipgrid to give a tour of their forts.

She says her students have also enjoyed directed drawing exercises—when students are directed to draw something without seeing it. Wood gives directions like “Draw a large oval with a smaller oval inside; on the left side, attach a triangle,” based on images from a drawing book or a directed drawing YouTube channel . When her students are done drawing, they turn on their cameras, put their artwork up to the screen, and guess what they drew. Wood then reveals the actual drawing and it tends to bring out a lot of laughter, she says.

Wood’s students also love games where they take a more active role. Using Blackboard Collaborate  for Pictionary, students take turns drawing on a whiteboard—prompted by a word generator —while students call out their guesses. The next time Wood plays, she’ll use Whiteboard.fi instead of Blackboard Collaborate, a free virtual whiteboard. When playing Taboo , her students take turns trying to describe a word like crack , for example, while being prohibited from using related words like drop or glass while the rest of the class guesses. And her students are obsessed with competing against their peers by being the first to name Disney movies, for example, in the ever-popular quiz platform Kahoot .

Viral Sensations

Initially, during remote learning, it was hard getting students comfortable with face-to-face interactions over Zoom, but the viral video game Among Us —a kid-friendly murder mystery—has stimulated engagement and conversation in Vickiela Wright’s fifth-grade class, she says.

In the game, each student is a crew member on a spaceship and is given a task to keep it running. One or more students are impostors, and their mission is to kill the crew members without getting caught. In between each round, students use Google meets to try to guess the impostors and form alliances to identify the killer.

“The conversations, problem-solving, engagement, and teamwork were robust and surprising. One student said it was the best part of her life,” says Wright.

Twelve characters in spacesuits from the murder mystery game Among Us.

Similar to Among Us, Werewolf is a game of deduction where students take on the role of villager or werewolf. Students collaborate and problem-solve to kill the werewolves before they become werewolves themselves. And the hugely popular Minecraft: Education Edition can serve as a hangout for students’ pixelated avatars to socialize and even partake in English language arts–based station rotations.

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65+ Real-World Project-Based Learning Ideas for All Ages and Interests

Find and implement solutions to real-world problems.

Collage of project based learning ideas, including a school garden and volunteering with seniors

Project-based learning is a hot topic in many schools these days, as educators work to make learning more meaningful for students. As students conduct hands-on projects addressing real-world issues, they dig deeper and make personal connections to the knowledge and skills they’re gaining. But not just any project fits into this concept. Learn more about strong project-based learning ideas, and find examples for any age or passion.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) uses real-world projects and student-directed activities to build knowledge and skills. Kids choose a real-world topic that’s meaningful to them (some people call these “passion projects”), so they’re engaged in the process from the beginning. These projects are long-term, taking weeks, months, or even a full semester or school year. Students may complete them independently or working in small groups. Learn much more about project-based learning here.

What makes a good PBL project?

Chart showing the difference between traditional projects and project based learning

In many ways, PBL is more like the work adults do in their daily jobs, especially because student efforts have potential real-world effects. A strong PBL project:

  • Addresses a real-world issue or problem
  • Requires sustained and independent inquiry, in and out of the classroom
  • Allows students voice and choice throughout the project
  • Combines elements of many disciplines
  • Includes collaboration with public partners, such as universities, community organizations, or businesses
  • Produces a public product that is seen by those outside the school community
  • Covers a complete process, including activities like research, design, production, marketing or public awareness, and enlisting supporters or investors

Outdoor Project-Based Learning Ideas

Children holding produce standing in a garden they've grown themselves

  • Create a new local park, or improve an existing one by adding new features or providing needed maintenance.
  • Plant a community garden to provide food for a soup kitchen, food pantry, or other organization.
  • Design and create a butterfly, pollinator, or other wildlife garden to support the local ecosystem.
  • Build a new walking or biking trail that’s safe for people of all ages to use.
  • Devise and implement a way to reduce litter in your community.
  • Set up and manage a school or community compost pile, and distribute the resulting soil to those who need it most.
  • Find and help the public use a new way to grow food that requires less soil, water, or fertilizers, which are in short supply in some parts of the world.
  • Design, build, and install a completely unique piece of playground equipment that serves a specific purpose or need.

School Community Project-Based Learning Ideas

Students and adults reading student-produced newspaper (Project Based Learning Ideas)

  • Start a comprehensive recycling program at school, or substantially improve participation in an existing one.
  • Add collaborative artwork like murals or other displays to school hallways, bathrooms, or grounds.
  • Determine a location or program at your school that needs improvement, then make a plan, raise the funds, and implement your ideas.
  • Come up with ways to celebrate your school’s diversity and improve relationships between all students.
  • Start and run a school store , including inventory, financial plans, and marketing.
  • Write a school handbook for new students, with tips and tricks for helping them feel at home.
  • Figure out how to offer healthier, better-tasting meals and snacks in the school cafeteria.
  • Implement a mentoring program for older students to help younger students, with planned activities and appropriate training for older students.
  • Design and propose a new style of grading system that ensures equity.
  • Find ways to improve the indoor recess experience at your school.
  • Set up and run a new school newspaper, magazine, podcast, video channel, etc.

Greater Community Project-Based Learning Ideas

Children and senior citizens working on an art project together

  • Coordinate a community art project in a central location to celebrate local culture or artists.
  • Set up a program for schoolkids to socialize with senior citizens in nursing homes, hospitals, or retirement communities.
  • Create a program to offer free translation services for ESL families in the community.
  • Help a local animal shelter improve its facilities, or find new ways to match homeless pets with their forever families.
  • Build and maintain Little Free Libraries around your community, especially in underserved areas.
  • Help local businesses become more environmentally conscious, increasing sustainability and decreasing waste.
  • Create and lead a walking tour of your community, highlighting its culture, history, landmarks, and more.
  • Find a way to record and celebrate local voices in your community’s history.
  • Come up with ideas for welcoming immigrants and other newcomers to your community.
  • Set up a series of events that will encourage the community to mix and experience each others’ foods, cultures, and more.
  • Create and implement a new program to inspire a love of books and reading in preschool students.
  • Set up and help run a new charitable organization your community needs.

Social Issues Project-Based Learning Ideas

Poster with question: "How can we as students create a space where people feel like they belong and are safe in order to impact students at Asbury?"

  • Start an awareness campaign on a topic that’s important to you, like anti-bullying, healthy living, protecting the environment, civil rights, equality and equity, etc.
  • Come up with and implement ways to increase voter turnout in your community, especially among younger voters.
  • Write, record, and share with a wider audience your own TED Talk–style video on an issue that hasn’t been covered yet or on which you have a unique perspective.
  • Devise and implement ways for unheard voices to be amplified in your school or community.
  • Write and publicly perform a play that highlights a social issue that’s important to you.
  • Look for areas in your community that present challenges to those with disabilities, and help to improve them to overcome those challenges.
  • Research, write, and publicly present and defend a position paper on an issue that’s important to your community.
  • Choose a real court case, then research the law and work with legal experts to prepare and present your own case as you would in a courtroom.
  • Write, edit, seek, and incorporate real-world feedback, and publish or publicly present your own book, poem, or song on an issue that’s important to you.
  • Start a program to teach a specific group (e.g., preschoolers, senior citizens, business owners) to care for and protect the environment.
  • Plan and hold a fundraiser to support an issue you care about.
  • Choose a law you feel is unjust, and write, research, and publicly present and defend a position paper about your desired change.

STEM Project-Based Learning Ideas

Two students holding a large model rocket built as part of project based learning

  • Create an app that meets a specific purpose for a specific audience.
  • Invent something new that the world needs, and then fund, create, and sell your product in the community.
  • Design a game to help students learn important STEM concepts.
  • Find a simple way to improve an existing product, especially if it cuts costs or improves environmental sustainability.
  • Explore ways to reduce the amount of waste we produce, especially plastic and other landfill-bound items.
  • Write a book or graphic novel that’s entertaining but also teaches kids about science or math.
  • Devise new ways to provide clean drinking water to communities where water is scarce.
  • Build an effective solar oven people can use to cook during extended power outages, or in areas where electricity isn’t available.
  • Work with a university or STEM organization to gather, analyze, and present real-world scientific data.
  • Design a building to fit a specific purpose or need, including researching the requirements and zoning laws, accurately drafting a plan, determining the costs, and presenting the plan to the proposed client.
  • Create an interactive hands-on exhibit to teach people about STEM concepts.
  • Determine a type of website you believe is missing, then research, build, and publish the site you envision.

Creative Arts Project-Based Learning Ideas

Student and parent standing by artwork at an art show

  • Organize an art show for the community, seeking out those who ordinarily might not have a chance to display their work.
  • Create and teach an art class in your area of expertise to children, the elderly, or another segment of the population.
  • Design a mural for an area in your community that needs beautification, and seek funding or other assistance from community members to install it.
  • Write a play about a topic that’s meaningful to you or your community. Work with the community to stage a performance for all to attend.
  • Invite local dancers to perform at a school or community Festival of Dance, highlighting a variety of cultures and dance styles.
  • Start a regular writer’s workshop where community writers can come together to share and seek feedback. Invite local authors or publishing experts to speak as guests.
  • Collect stories, poems, and essays from local authors, and put them together into a book. Sell the book to raise money for a cause that’s important to local writers.
  • Gather singers or instrumentalists from your community into a choir or band. Put on a concert to raise money for a special cause, or take your choir on tour to local retirement homes, hospitals, etc.
  • Write a song about a person or cause that’s important to you. Produce and record the song, then find a way to share it with others.
  • Make a short film about a local hero, community event, or local place. Invite others to do the same, and organize a local film festival.

What are some your favorite project-based learning ideas? Come share your thoughts in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus, meaningful service learning projects for kids and teens ..

These project-based learning ideas are real-world applicable and student-directed, requiring outside collaboration and public results.

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Social Emotional Learning Activities for Your Elementary Students & How to Implement Them

We hope this comprehensive list of social emotional learning activities for elementary students will help you foster a positive classroom culture and create future ready students..

Although the concept of social-emotional learning (SEL) has been around for decades, we’ve seen a rise in its popularity and implementation this past year. Districts are realizing that, in order to help students academically, educators have to meet students emotionally, culturally, and socially.  If you haven’t jumped on the SEL bandwagon yet, here’s the short of its importance: According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): “SEL interventions that address [the] five core competencies increased students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points, compared to students who did not participate in such SEL programs. Students participating in SEL programs also showed improved classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others, and school.” Whether you are excited to jump into SEL planning or are overwhelmed by the idea of implementing more standards, I hope the suggestions below meet your needs.  Please know that SEL implementation is not only a journey for our students, but also for us as educators. In fact, CASEL recommends that a full district rollout happens over the course of at least four years to ensure success for all staff members and students. 

Beginner Social Emotional Learning Activities & Tips for Elementary Students

social emotional learning activities elementary

  • Begin your year (or a reboot after a long weekend or holiday!) with explicit instructions that also explains the “why.” For example, instead of just reminding students that only one person should be talking at a time, explain that we do so to show respect and make the speaker feel valued. 
  • Help students realize that our negative words and actions may not only have a disciplinary consequence, but also an emotional or social one. Tapping into empathy and analyzing classmates’ facial expressions can help students understand that their actions can mold how others view and treat them. 
  • One of the best ways to introduce SEL vocabulary is to model it yourself. A favorite sentence structure of mine is: “I felt ___ when you ____ because ____.” I also guide students to use this sentence framework to help give them the words to explain their feelings and reasoning. Below is how this sentence can be used in a complementary or corrective way:

“I felt so proud when you walked down the hall in a straight line because it showed that our practice was worth it.” Or “ I felt confused when you were wandering around the classroom because the instructions were to work alone at your desk.” Teach Elementary Students Social Emotional Learning Through Literature One of the easiest ways to teach these standards is through the use of social emotional learning books . To be honest, every story you read in your classroom can become an “SEL book.”  The literature you assign generates discussion amongst your students, so being intentional about your line of questioning is key.  By allowing students to analyze faces in picture books or identifying situations and reactions that led to character development, students will begin naturally learning and practicing the different SEL competencies .  Although any book in your classroom will work, I recommend adding these picture and chapter books to your library. 

  • The Bad Seed by Jory John– Anger and forgiveness
  • Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris– Community and friendship
  • Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson– Kindness and friendship
  • The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Gary Rubinstein and Mark Pett– Anxiety and fear
  • Ghost by Jason Reynolds– Perseverance and diversity
  • Grow Happy by Jon Lasser– Choices and problem-solving
  • Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña– Gratitude and sharing
  • Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper– Acceptance and differences

SEL activities for elementary students

Intermediate Social Emotional Learning Activities & Tips for Elementary Students

Now that you’ve begun incorporating SEL here and there within your classroom , it’s time to do some more behind-the scenes work. That involves reading and understanding the standards and CASEL competencies, as well as restructuring your school day. Get To Know The Standards Hearing that there are even more standards that you need to embed into instruction can be overwhelming, but once you get your hands on them, you’ll realize they’re not as daunting as they seem. In fact, many of these standards are behaviors that you expect of your students every day. The main shift that needs to happen is that students are explicitly taught these skills instead of passively learning them.  Once you become accustomed to the five competencies, you’ll begin realizing all of the ways in which you can incorporate discussions regarding social-emotional skills .  For example, when students take notes in class, pause and instruct on why organization is so important now and in future classes and careers. Ask students how being organized makes them better students, better athletes or musicians, and potentially better workers.  You’ll quickly find that effective SEL isn’t a stand-alone program or an add-on; it’s a mindset and a way to foster the development of the whole child. Restructure Your Day and Incorporate a Morning Meeting Many elementary school teachers start their day with a morning meeting to help set intention and focus for the day.  These meetings also foster a sense of community and allow students to positively interact and share their interests and lives. This is a great time to intentionally and explicitly teach SEL skills and allow kids to practice taking turns, listening, and appropriately sharing in a structured setting.  Listed below are the suggested four components of a morning meeting , as succinctly explained by Responsive Classroom. 

  • Greeting: Students and teachers greet one other by name.
  • Sharing: Students share information about important events in their lives. Listeners often offer empathetic comments or ask clarifying questions.
  • Group Activity: Everyone participates in a brief, lively activity that fosters group cohesion and helps students practice social and academic skills (for example, reciting a poem, dancing, singing, or playing a game).
  • Morning Message: Students read and interact with a short message written by their teacher. The message is crafted to help students focus on the work they’ll do in school that day.

For more information and suggestions on Morning Meeting, check out resources, books, and professional development provided by Responsive Classroom . 

Advanced Social Emotional Learning Activities & Tips for Elementary Students

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  • Caring School Community
  • Open Circle
  • PATHS Program
  • Positive Action
  • Ruler Approach
  • Second Step

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10 Cooperative Learning Strategies

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Cooperative learning is an excellent way to put students in charge of their own learning! Check out these 10 different activities for your elementary classroom!

Cooperative learning is so important in the elementary classroom because it helps students become actively engaged in their learning process and improve their understanding of the content. It promotes achievement, enhances retention, increases motivation, develops social skills, and builds self-esteem.

Cooperative learning is an excellent way to put students in charge of their own learning! Check out these 10 different activities for your elementary classroom!

In cooperative learning, each member of the team is responsible for their own learning AND also for helping their teammates learn. I think this concept often gets lost. Students work together to help one another learn. Below, I have several different strategies or activities that can be done to help increase cooperative learning in your classroom.

Cooperative Learning Strategies for Any Elementary Classroom

Mix-freeze-pair.

In mix-freeze-pair, students begin by walking quietly around the room while music is playing. After about 10 seconds, the teacher stops the music and says, “Freeze.” The students stop and “freeze.” When everyone is still, the teacher will say, “Pair.” The students will pair up with whoever is closest to them and then the teacher will announce the topic or question. Students are then given think time and discussion time. Then, after everyone has had time to discuss, the teacher says, “Mix” and the activity starts again. There is a variation of this where you can have students Mix-Pair-Share. It is also similar to Think-Pair-Share. You can read about the 3 different ways to Think-Pair-Share here. (You can learn more about Kagan structures here .)

Popcorn Share

In this cooperative learning activity, the teacher poses a question or problem with multiple answers and gives think time. Then the teacher calls, “Popcorn,” and students quickly and voluntarily pop-up from their chairs one at a time and share their answer. Take it a step further to involve all students – have the seated students write the responses and mark the incorrect answers. Then at the end of activity discuss the incorrect answers.

Circle the Sage

For this activity, the teacher would need to poll the class to see which students have a special knowledge to share. For instance, a teacher may ask who in the class knows the chemical reactions involved in how salting the streets help dissipate snow, or was able to solve a difficult math homework question. Those students (the sages) stand and spread out in the room. The teacher has the rest of the students surround each sage. The sage explains what they know while students listen, ask questions, and take notes if desired. Then students return to their seats and share what they learned. Discuss as a class. (You can learn more about Kagan structures here .)

Give One, Get One

Students fold a piece of paper hot dog style. Then students open the paper and draw a line down the crease. At the top of the left column they will write, “give one” and on the top of the right column, “get one.” The teacher will pose a question or topic with multiple answers and gives a time limit. Students list as many things as they know in the “give one” column. The teacher tells students to stand and find a partner. The student shares an answer with a partner. If the partner has it, s/he will check it off, if s/he doesn’t s/he will write it in the “get one” column. Both students share one and then move on to a new person. This continues until the teacher says stop. (You can learn more about Kagan structures here .)

Have students partner up. Assign roles of partner A and B. Provide students with a question. Have partner A answer the question and partner B ask Why ___? (the blank represents what partner A said). Then partner A has to give a thoughtful answer. Then partner B follows partner A’s answer with Why _____? 4 more times. Then they switch roles.

Text Rendering

Provide each cooperative learning group with three strips of paper, one long, medium, and short strip. After a lesson, have each group write a sentence summary on a long strip, a phrase on a medium strip, and a word on the shortest strip. Then have groups share their strips and the thinking behind their choices. If desired, post the strips (sentences together, phrases together, and words together on their own chart paper) for students to view via a gallery walk.

Three-Stay One-Stray

Give each group playing cards (Ace, One, Two, Three for instance). Ask each a question and have each group discuss together. Then call one of the playing cards (such as the aces) to rotate to a different group. When they arrive at their new group, they will share what answer their group came up with and why. Then, if desired, pose a new question and repeat.

Provide each group with lunch paper bags filled with questions (or facts for fun!) about the topic you’re learning. Every 10 minutes or so, stop and tell the groups to “Go Fish!” (You can pick someone to draw [most pets, brightest shirt] or they can pick.) The group discusses the question or fact- if it wasn’t covered yet, they just return it to the bag and draw another one. If desired, have students share occasionally.

Commit and Toss

Students write down a summary, opinion or idea on a piece of paper (they don’t write their names). They wad up the paper and toss it multiple times until the teacher says to stop. Students then pick up one wad of paper near them, open it, and reads it. Students then discuss it and share.

Corners – Vocabulary Style

We have all heard of the 4 corners game, but in this one, each group member goes to a corner to learn about a concept or vocabulary word. (The teacher tapes or places information in the corner ahead of time). The students in that corner take notes and then return to their group to teach that information.

With these 10 different cooperative learning activities, your students are sure to be engaged and increase their understanding of content.

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16 Social-Emotional Learning Games for Kids

16 important social-emotional learning games are great for classroom or home use. Teach positive social interactions, encourage relationship skills, and practice effective communication.

social emotional learning games for kids

Social-emotional learning games are a great way to teach kids about their emotions and relationships. When you’re promoting emotional growth and awareness, it’s important to do so in a way that kids will connect with and enjoy. Kids need a safe place to discuss emotions and experiences. This will help them develop into well-rounded individuals with healthy mental awareness.

There are different types of social-emotional learning games that you can use in your classroom or home. Depending on your needs, you can easily transform a game you already own into a social-emotional one. In addition, you can find plenty of game ideas online, or purchase games that are specifically designed to develop students’ social-emotional mindset.

Hands-On Social-Emotional Learning Games

When teaching social-emotional awareness, it’s important to do so in a way that kids understand and remember. Using hands-on games is perfect for this. Not only are hands-on games engaging and fun, but they also help tactile learners understand what they’re supposed to be learning. Here are some social-emotional learning games that are hands-on and fun for kids.

learning activities elementary

1. Don’t Break the Ice – A great way to get kids talking about their emotions is to use a game that they’re already familiar with. It’s easy to transform the game Don’t Break the Ice into a social-emotional learning game! Simply write different prompts on the different ice blocks. You can use a dry erase marker so that you can change the prompts easily. These can be anything, from questions about bullying to how different situations make them feel.

2. Emotions Jenga – In order to play this hands-on game, you simply need a Jenga set and a marker. On random blocks, write different emotions that you want your students to learn about. This should include such emotions as anger, happiness, worry, bored, jealous and more. A student pulls an emotion Jenga block out. Then, they tell their partner what that emotion means and what makes them feel it. For example, if they pulled the anger block, they would have to describe what anger means and express what makes them angry.

empathy game - social emotional learning for kids

3. Empathy Games – Self-awareness is an important part of social-emotional growth. Using this self-awareness and empathy curriculum , you’ll get the chance to play hands-on social-emotional learning games with kids. This includes games such as the Empathy Game and ‘What Should I Do?’ board game. The games are interactive and hands-on so that your students stay engaged while they learn.

Whole Group Social-Emotional Games

You can also play social-emotional games as a group! This helps promote a sense of community and friendship amongst kids as they work together to start understanding emotions and building relationships. If you’re ready for some social-emotional fun, here are a few classic games that are perfect for the whole group.

learning activities elementary

1. Musical Chairs – Musical chairs is a whole group game that kids know and love! You can make this into a social-emotional learning game. Simply write different social-emotional topics on a piece of paper. Each round, tape one of the prompts on a random chair. Then, when the music turns off and students find their chairs, there is a student sitting at a social-emotional seat. You can then discuss that prompt or ask a question before moving on to the next round.

kindness calendar as a social emotional learning game

2. Kindness Scavenger Hunt – If you’ve ever organized a scavenger hunt, you know how much fun they can be! With this social-emotional scavenger hunt, you’re going to send groups of kids to look for acts of kindness. This game is perfect for recess since there will be kids from other classes outside. When putting together your scavenger hunt, include simple acts of kindness, or use the Kindness Calendar found HERE . For example, it could be something as simple as helping a friend zip a coat or pushing a younger child on a swing. See how many kindness things your students can find!

3. Who Am I? – It’s easy to play this fun classroom game with a social-emotional spin to it. Simply print different emoji icons on a piece of paper. If you plan to play this game frequently, you can laminate it to protect it. Then, tape a random emoji to each student’s back. Then, they race the clock in order to try to guess which emoji is stuck to their backs! They can ask other students yes or no questions in their quest to discover which emotion they are.

Social-Emotional Games You Can Purchase

Amazon is a great resource when it comes to buying social-emotional learning games. Below you will find high-quality SEL games that kids will enjoy!

learning activities elementary

1. Gifted Learning Flash Cards  (Preschool to Kindergarten) – In order to teach younger kids social-emotional learning skills through games, they’ll first need to learn how to identify different emotions and identify what they look like. Thankfully, there’s a learning game for that! This social-emotional learning game helps kids learn how to identify different emotions. It helps them learn what they might look like in real life, as well as how to manage them.

learning activities elementary

2. Feelmo Speaking Cards  (Age 4+) – Understanding and expressing emotions can be difficult for younger kids. These cards make it easy since kids can use the cards to describe their feelings. Kids select an emotion card and then discuss it, helping them understand why they feel an emotion and what it means.

learning activities elementary

3. My Feelings Game  (Age 4+) – This social-emotional game comes complete with 280 different emotional scenarios to work through. This includes different ways to help regulate emotions, helping to give students the tools needed to deal with difficult situations, as well as movement cards that keep kids interested. Overall, this is a fun and interactive way to encourage social-emotional growth through learning games.

learning activities elementary

4. Silly Street (Age 4+) – Here’s a fun and silly game that will help kids develop their social skills, confidence, adaptability and more. This game help kids understand their emotions in different social scenarios. It does it in a silly way so that kids have FUN learning these important character skills.

learning activities elementary

5. 52 Essential Conversations (Age 5+) – This social-emotional learning game uses conversation starters to get kids thinking about social situations. It will help kids with social awareness, relationships, mindfulness, and self-confidence. By using these conversation starters, you’re helping kids develop into well-rounded adults with a healthy mindset.

learning activities elementary

6. Mad Dragon: An Anger Control Card Game (Ages 6-12) – Anger is an emotion that we’ve all experienced. Anger isn’t necessarily bad, but how we respond to it can be. With this social-emotional learning game, kids age 6-12 will learn how to control their anger. They can’t always control what makes them mad, but they control how they react.

learning activities elementary

7. Didax Social Skills Board Games (Grades 1-5) – If you teach or have elementary age kids, then you’ll appreciate this game. This social-emotional game focuses on important social skills that kids need to learn. This includes manners, what would you do scenarios, what makes a good friend, and more. It includes 6 engaging board games that kids will love!

learning activities elementary

8. Stop the Drama Thumball (Elementary – Teens) – With this interactive game, kids will have a blast discussing different social-emotional scenarios. Take turns tossing the ball to one another. The person who catches the ball looks to the question that their thumb lands on. Then, he/she must respond to that question. This game is fantastic because you can play it with larger groups endlessly. Even if another child gets a repeat question, they’ll still be able to answer it in their own unique way.

learning activities elementary

9. Mixed Emotions (Age 7+) – This social-emotional learning game is effective in the classroom setting! It comes complete with enough emotions cards for multiple players. This makes it perfect to do with large groups of students.

learning activities elementary

10. Mindfulness Matters (Ages 9-18) – As kids grow older, it’s time to start using social-emotional learning games that are age and developmentally appropriate. Mindfulness Matters is a card game that’s geared towards older students, from age 9-18. This card game uses different questions and scenarios to help kids express themselves about stress, anxiety, anger and more. For example, on one card, it states that mindfulness is the opposite of doing something carelessly. It then asks the player to describe a time they zoned out, but wished they would have been paying attention.

Use social-emotional learning games to help your students develop their awareness and develop a healthy mindset. When encouraging social-emotional growth through games, make sure you do so in a safe and comfortable environment.

Social-Emotional Learning Resources

The following social-emotional learning resources are filled with games that build important skills, as well as lesson plans, activities, discussion starters, and so much more.

Teach children in K-2 the most important lessons in life when they need it the most with units and activities on emotions, self-regulation, growth mindset, empathy, and social awareness, friendship, kindness, respect, and responsibility. Click here to learn more!

mind+heart social emotional learning resource for K-2 proud to be primary

Want to build a peaceful classroom filled with respectful, confident, and kind kids that can build relationships and communicate effectively? Then this SEL curriculum is for YOU!  Click here to learn more!

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More Social-Emotional Learning Ideas

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  • 10 Social Emotional Learning Activities for Elementary Families That Promote Life Skills

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You may also like, what is social emotional learning (sel), self awareness and self-esteem, relationship skills, executive function, awareness of emotions, keys to successful sel.

Amid the focus on closing learning gaps , it is easy for educators and caregivers alike to forget about the social and emotional components of learning in elementary school. They may hesitate to spend time on social emotional learning activities for elementary, middle, or high school students – activities such as icebreaker questions or relationship skills – as they are under pressure to boost grades and test scores. 

However, social emotional learning is not separate from academic growth—it is a crucial ingredient for it!

A story from my time as a French teacher illustrates this point. Speaking skills are key to communicating in any language, and developing these skills takes lots of practice. But getting this practice can be nerve-wracking, especially as a beginner who is bound to make mistakes along the way.

A young girl points to a schedule hanging on the refrigerator as her mother smiles and watches.

Your teacher asks, “Qu’est-ce que tu as fait hier soir?” and all eyes are on you. You are expected to understand and respond with a series of sounds that feel just as foreign as they sound. This situation provokes at least some stress for even the most confident students. Students who have the social-emotional skills to cope with this stress are the ones who persevere and get the practice they need, even in a challenging environment.

But students are not alone in this challenge. Educators and families can take intentional steps to promote core social and emotional skills . And when we do, we can expect not only improvements in student behavior but also in academic learning.

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We hope that by the time they become middle school students, kids will have developed some basic relationship skills, conflict resolution strategies, responsible decision making, and a sense of community. These are examples of social emotional learning skills—the life skills that allow children to interact with their environment to learn and grow.

What does the research say? Recent studies have documented student progress in social as well as academic skills from universal SEL interventions implemented as part of classroom learning.

For example, January, Casey and Paulson (2011 ) analyzed the results of 28 peer-reviewed articles and found an overall small positive effect of school-based SEL interventions on social skills. They also found that early interventions tended to have a stronger effect than interventions with older students. This means that 2nd grade teachers, for example, may make the largest impact on student progress by teaching relationship skills and growth mindset at that grade level, compared with teachers of middle school students. 

Young students gather around their teacher for an activity in the classroom, while all wear masks.

As for academic learning, Durlak et al. (2011) analyzed 213 studies of school-based SEL interventions and their impacts on student progress in academic learning and social emotional learning skills. They found an 11-percentile-point gain in academic achievement in addition to improvements in student behavior. 

So what does it look like for families and educators to promote social emotional learning skills for elementary students? When you think of how SEL could be supported during the school day, you probably think of feeling faces, fun games, and icebreaker questions. Some schools may even implement a social emotional learning curriculum. But what social-emotional learning activities can families do at home to support student development in the area of SEL?

From math class to quiet time, from morning meetings to board games, opportunities for students to develop SEL competencies at school and at home abound at every elementary grade level. We’re excited to share some tried and true social emotional learning activities for elementary students. Such activities give kids the opportunity to develop a growth mindset, active listening, social skills, and more!

A senior woman smiles and lays in bed beside her young grandson.

A core social skill kids develop in elementary school is to understand themselves and what makes them special. They develop this sense by trying new things both in and out of the classroom. When challenges arise, thinking positively helps children persevere. The way adults respond to a child encountering difficulty matters to their development. Both educators and families can use this strategy to model and encourage positive thinking:

  • TIP : When your child is frustrated and says “I can’t”, encourage them to add a “YET”. Their new phrase becomes “I can’t YET.” Use the power of “YET” all day!
  • GROWTH : Keep thinking positive! Working together, make a list of other positive phrases your child can say, like, “I’ve got this!” Post the list as a reminder.

You can even create cue cards with these empowering phrases to use at home.

To foster a growth mindset, try asking your student these key questions:

  • What’s something that you can do that you feel really proud of?
  • What do you know how to do that you could teach others?
  • What are some great ways you are different from your classmates?

A mother sits and smiles with her young daughter on the bed.

Children benefit from hearing a consistent message from the adults in their life, both at school and at home, that they are capable of doing better and that putting in effort to overcome challenges will make them stronger.

Learning to express oneself also lays the foundation for building a healthy sense of self. Asking some key questions about students’ opinions shows them their voice matters. Providing some quiet time for student reflection on their independent reading and then asking icebreaker questions about it also brings learning to life.

As with many other strategies, this is something parents can do at home that will make it easier for children to express themselves at school:

  • TIP : After dinner, ask your child about the books they’re reading. After they share, ask their opinion. Try, “What do you think about the book?” Then ask “Why?”
  • GROWTH : Keep inviting opinions. When you disagree, pause to ask for their thoughts. Try, “Why do you feel that way?” Then, “I heard you say X, is that right?”

A father and daughter lie on her bed talking together and smiling.

When you challenge students to articulate their opinion while in a safe space, you build their confidence to do so during a class discussion. Social-emotional learning activities at home can translate to classroom learning!

Social relationships are a rich environment for practicing social emotional learning skills at every grade level. In elementary school, kids learn that a good friend listens, supports, and encourages healthy choices. 

Every day is full of opportunities for students to reflect on the friendships they’re developing. One great way for parents and caregivers to jumpstart this critical thinking at home is to offer a compelling story from their own life. Then listen to the stories students share.

  • TIP : Before bed, share about a friendship. Tell your child about a time that a friend helped you feel better or learn something new. Share how it made you feel.
  • GROWTH : Keep talking about friendship! Now ask your child questions. Try, “How do you feel with your friends?” or “What’s important to you in a friendship?”

A young girl looks at letters from her mailbox on her neighborhood street.

Other key questions you can ask are “What do you like most about your friends?” and “Is anything hard about having friends?”

Educators : Did you know that fostering connections between students can lead to improvements in student behavior? Challenge students to write cards to students in their class to nurture their friendships outside of class meetings. 

Morning meetings can be the perfect time to practice basic relationship skills. Using kind words and phrases makes for positive interactions and healthy relationships. Families can set their students up for an emotionally healthy day at school by preparing one positive statement they can make to their teacher.

Here’s a great activity for parents to use with kids before school:

  • TIP : Encourage your child to start their day with a THANK YOU. Ask, “What’s one thing you can thank your teacher for right when you get to school?”
  • GROWTH : Keep encouraging THANK YOU! When your child says THANK YOU, let them know you notice. Say, “When you say thank you, it makes me feel good!”

Setting goals and planning how to reach them is an important driver of student progress. The organization and task initiation skills kids build at home with their families can transfer to the classroom. Here’s an example activity that parents can lead with their kids to build executive functioning skills:

  • FACT : When kids have lots of practice planning and preparing for things while they’re at home, they are often more independent and self-directed at school.
  • TIP : Before bed, play “Pretend Get Ready.” Can your child act out the first thing they’ll do to get ready when they wake up? How about the next thing?
  • GROWTH : Keep planning and preparing. Ask your child to pack their backpack the night before school. Help think through what they’ll need for the day.

A smiling mother helps her young son as he puts his notebooks away in his backpack.

Academic performance in elementary school depends on students’ emotional learning skills, like calming down when they’re upset . But first, they have to notice they’re upset! In other words, students need to be able to identify their own emotions.

You can use fun games to practice naming feelings like happy, sad, and angry. You can challenge students by adding more nuanced emotions over the course of student development. Try this one during mealtimes at home:

  • TIP : During dinner, play ”guess how I’m feeling.” Make a happy face and ask, “Can you guess how I’m feeling?” Try sad and excited – then have your child try.
  • GROWTH : Keep naming emotions to prepare 4K. At bedtime, ask your child to share how they’re feeling using words. Can they make a face to show the emotion too?

A mother sitting on a couch puts her arm around her daughter, who appears upset with her arms folded across her chest.

At school, teachers can have students create cue cards with faces of people showing different emotions and allow them to play matching games like Go Fish with these cue cards during a brain break or rainy day recess.

To see improvements in student behavior, adults should prioritize emotional learning strategies related to identifying and talking about feelings. Parents and educators should check in periodically to evaluate student progress in emotional awareness.

Key questions to ask yourself include:

  • Can students identify feelings based on face and body cues, and context?
  • Can they detect the intensity of feelings?
  • Can they identify situations that may cause certain feelings in the future?
  • Do they understand the difference between feelings, thoughts, and behaviors?
  • Do they understand that all feelings are okay, but some behaviors are not okay?

Every parent wants their child to listen to them, but it’s a two-way connection. Children want to feel heard just as much as adults do. Enabling students to express their feelings will open the communication channel. One great way to encourage children to express their own feelings and to build connections between students is to be a great listener. Modeling active listening skills not only encourages your child to open up about problems but also demonstrates relationship skills they can use during a class discussion.

Here’s one way families can practice and model active listening skills with their children:

  • TIP : When your child shares about a problem, offer your full attention. Don’t worry about what you’ll say next. Just listen to their words as they share.
  • GROWTH : Keep listening. After your child shares, show understanding. Try saying “I heard you say that you’re upset because X happened. What did you want to happen?”

In order to build social relationships, kids also need to understand other people’s feelings and needs . Student development in this area can be reinforced at home, when caregivers can challenge students to think about what they could do in certain interpersonal situations. This kind of student reflection without a time constraint helps students develop social skills and pave the way for stronger connections between students.

A mother and daughter look at each other smiling.

Take a look at this reflection activity, perfect for families to use during bedtime routines:

  • TIP : At bedtime, make up WHAT IF questions about friends’ feelings. “What if you saw a friend who looked lonely? Sad? Mad? What would you do or say?”
  • GROWTH : Keep up all that feelings talk to help kids learn empathy. Now practice with a favorite stuffy. “Look! Bear is angry. How can you help?”

Other key questions families and educators can ask themselves include:

  • Does the child recognize that people’s feelings can change?
  • Can the child describe someone else’s point of view?
  • Does the child understand that someone can have more than one feeling at a time?

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Whether it’s a confusing moment in math class or a frustrating turn during board games, strong feelings can make problem solving difficult. Luckily, even simple activities with no supplies can bring the calm and focus they need to tackle tough problems, leading to improvements in student behavior.

Deep breathing is something teachers and parents can practice with students anywhere, any time. When you notice a child starting to get frustrated, ask them to join you in taking five deep breaths. Say, “Let’s breathe so deep our bellies go up and down!” You can even use your five fingers to count the breaths, as demonstrated in this video of Mountain Climber Breathing .

Setting aside a quiet time for student reflection on how they were able to calm down and move forward can make it more likely that they’ll remember this strategy the next time they get stuck. Teachers can also post instructions to a simple breathing practice on a bulletin board to promote emotional learning strategies.

When 2nd grade teachers prioritize emotional learning… the result is middle school students who have the core competences to learn and thrive.

When we step back and think about what kind of student development we expect from elementary schoolers who are prepared to be successful middle school students, it goes beyond academic learning. That’s why it’s important for both families and educators to attend to student development of executive function, relationship skills, self-awareness, and other social-emotional skills.

It doesn’t take an entire social emotional learning curriculum to promote life skills like these. Families and teachers can use everyday moments with their elementary students to foster social skills, a growth mindset, and more. Simple activities combined with student reflection can go a long way in building social emotional learning strategies. 

SEL is not separate from academic learning! Research shows that the best way to teach students SEL skills is through academic tasks. Using moments during normal classroom learning to highlight emotional skills is often called incidental teaching ( Institute of Educational Sciences ). For example, group work in an earth science simulation is the perfect time to support the development of connections between students, positive relationships, conflict-resolution strategies, and critical thinking. 

A father gazes down at his young son with a smile as they walk in the park.

To fully realize schools’ goals for student development, opportunities for students to build social-emotional skills during classroom learning are crucial. According to the Aspen Institute’s 2017 report, “The Evidence base for How We Learn: Support Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development,” students’ abilities to build relationships, regulate emotions, focus their attention, and solve problems are major factors in their academic success. When 2nd grade teachers prioritize emotional learning strategies, the result is middle school students who have the core competencies to learn and thrive in their social and educational environment.

Want more insights about boosting social-emotional skills in students? We’ve compiled resources and stories from the field in this research round-up .

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About the author

Curran Mahowald is a former high school language teacher turned education research advocate. In addition to having worked at ParentPowered, she has also designed parent-facing informational materials at Oakland Unified School District and currently works on improving national research-to-practice infrastructure at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Curran holds an M.A. in Cognitive Science in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and B.A.s in Linguistics and French from the University of Southern California.

learning activities elementary

Every week you'll receive new resources for families, insights from research, and direct feedback from families about what they want from you, their educational partners.

Empowering High School Students: Building Life Skills for Students with SEL Activities

Empowering High School Students: Building Life Skills for Students with SEL Activities

Life skills for students, especially in high school, are essential for long-term success. Discover how ParentPowered helps schools and families build these competencies using SEL activities and family engagement.

4 Ways Families Promote Critical Life Skills Readiness High School Students Need

4 Ways Families Promote Critical Life Skills Readiness High School Students Need

Explore 4 ways that families bolster the life skills readiness high school students need to thrive and how ParentPowered can help.

SEL and Mental Health Initiatives: Engaging the Entire School Community to Build Support

SEL and Mental Health Initiatives: Engaging the Entire School Community to Build Support

SEL and mental health are deeply interconnected, and families play an essential role to nurture both in students of all ages. Discover best practices for engaging caregivers in such initiatives. ParentPowered can help, too, with programs serving families from birth through high school.

learning activities elementary

Activities, Materials, and Resources for Grades K–5

Sel day activity pack.

On the second Friday in March, schools around the world will be celebrating SEL Day. This pack contains activities, announcements, and an assembly script you can use in your school or classroom to celebrate the importance of SEL.

On SEL Day, join in the global celebration on social media. Post photos or videos of how your school or classroom is celebrating using the hashtags #SELday and #SecondStep. Follow these hashtags to see how others around the world are marking this day. Download PDF

Resilience Activities

A collection of research-based activities to help teachers support students’ coping, recovery, and well-being following a crisis. Download PDF

Second Step® Community Rebuilding Unit

A series of five lessons, aligned with Second Step® Elementary, to help foster a sense of community among students and staff—perfect to use at the beginning of the school year, after holiday breaks, or after any extended closure.

  • Lessons for Grades K–1: Download PDF
  • Lessons for Grades 2–3: Download PDF
  • Lessons for Grades 4–5: Download PDF

Mind Yeti® Mindfulness Activities

A kid-friendly library of research-based, guided mindfulness sessions to help kids (and adults) calm their minds, focus their attention, and connect to the world around them. Learn More

Being Grateful for Big and Little Things

An activity based on a Mind Yeti quote to help students practice gratitude for things big and small. Download PDF

Hello Gratitude: Being Grateful for the Good Things in Life

An activity adapted from a Mind Yeti mindfulness session focusing on gratitude. Download PDF

Solutions to Community Problems

An academic integration activity to help kids practice working together to understand and solve problems. Download PDF

Reinforce SEL Lessons with Haiku

A fun, creative activity designed to reinforce social-emotional skills through the rhythm of writing haiku. Download PDF

Inclusive Communities

A lesson adapted from Second Step Elementary that teaches students how to invite others to join in and why being inclusive is important within a community. Download PDF

The Invisible Boy : Classroom Discussions

These prompts guide discussion before, during, and after reading this book by Trudy Ludwig, and cover topics such as empathy, inclusion, and bullying prevention. Download PDF

Cross the Room

An ice-breaker activity to help students get to know each other and find out what they have in common. Download PDF

Making a Difference

A creative activity designed to acknowledge and celebrate when kids treat others with kindness and respect. Download PDF

Class Coat of Arms

A team activity to support a positive climate and help kids strengthen bonds, while also learning a little about history. Download PDF

Friendship-Making

An ice-breaker activity to help kids practice making conversation and showing interest in others. Download PDF

All Committee for Children materials, including web-based materials, are protected under copyright law. The downloadable materials on this page are free to use for non-commercial educational or personal purposes, as long as they are used in their entirety, without modifications, and are properly attributed to Committee for Children. Such attribution must, at a minimum, include the text “ © Committee for Children.” To request permission to use these materials in any other way, please visit the Copyright Permissions page.

Prodigy Math

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From our blog

  • Is a Premium Membership Worth It?
  • Promote a Growth Mindset
  • Help Your Child Who's Struggling with Math
  • Parent's Guide to Prodigy
  • Assessments
  • Math Curriculum Coverage
  • English Curriculum Coverage
  • Game Portal

27 Best Educational Games for Kids to Play Sorted by Subject

Girl playing an educational game on her laptop.

Written by Jordan Nisbet

Educators & Parents

Help kids discover their passion for math with our engaging, online math game!

  • Parent Resources
  • Mathematics
  • Language arts
  • Health and physical education
  • Social studies

Educational games make a great alternative for children who don't learn best through pencil and paper instruction.

According to educational nonprofit EDUCAUSE , a growing body of research shows game-based learning platforms “can create an engaging dynamic that inspires students to develop competencies and skills as they focus on the activities of the game.”

Regardless of the subject, educational games for kids can help you instill a love of learning in your own child. This applies whether they're learning through homeschooling, online learning or traditional classroom setting.

Below, we’ve organized some of the best educational games for kids by subject! Interested in games for a certain subject? Click one below and jump right to it:

Mathematics games

Available : Apple App Store , Google Play , Amazon Appstore , Web

Age : 6 to 14

Cost : All in-game educational content is free, Memberships  available

Prodigy Math is the engaging, fantasy-based math game used by over 100 million students, teachers and parents around the world. 

It’s curriculum-aligned and helps kids master math skills in every major topic from 1st grade to 8th grade, including fractions, geometry and more.

After creating their own personalized math wizard, your child will compete in math battles against in-game characters , just like how role-playing games like Pokémon work. To win, they must answer sets of math questions.

The game also adapts in difficulty to suit your child’s learning style and grade level, helping them build key math skills. In one school district, research showed that students who used Prodigy Math mastered 68% more math skills on average when they used Prodigy Math!

Create your free parent account  to follow your child's progress as they have fun learning math. You can also get a Membership to level up your Prodigy experience — packed with plenty of extra benefits for you and your child!

Are you an educator? 👩‍🏫

Get full access to Prodigy's teaching tools at no cost to you or your school!

Characters from Buzzmath, a math game for middle school kids.

Available : Web

Age : 8 to 14

Cost : $20 per month, $40 per quarter, $60 per year

This is a middle school math game aligned with the common core and TEKS curricula. Your child will be tasked with helping Alfred, an inventor, save Mathlantis —  a chaotic and disordered world — by restoring the population’s math knowledge.

On this adventure, they’ll time-travel and meet famous mathematicians, help them regain their lost knowledge, and transform Mathlantis back to its original state.

Twelve a Dozen

Twelve a dozen screenshot, an educational, math game for kids.

Available : Apple App Store

Cost : Free, in-app purchases

Developed by Touch Press Games, this educational math game helps children understand the beginning thought process of algebra and explore longer, more complex algebraic equations.

In Twelve a Dozen, your child will join the numeric hero, Twelve, on a journey through a universe of numbers. She’s on a mission to rescue her family and the crumbling world of Dozenopolis from the destructive Ultimate Prime. And they’ll use their skills and understanding of core math concepts to solve puzzles.

Looking for more amazing math games for kids? Check our list of the  13 best math apps for kids in elementary school!

Start with Art!

Available : Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore

Embark on a journey into the world of art, creativity, and visual learning with your personal Art Guides: Tickles, Furnace, and Ruby!

Start with Art! will walk your child through four foundational art lessons:

  • Art as language
  • Message in art

It also has engaging “Creativity Builders” art projects designed to foster creativity, encourage problem solving, and enhance critical thinking skills.

Each lesson is aligned to Creativity Express, a multi-award winning visual arts curriculum that professional educators and former Disney animators created!

Tate Kids' promo saying play and have fun with art.

Cost : Free

Tate is a family of four art galleries in London, Liverpool, and Cornwall. Its children-focused project, Tate Kids, lets children play free art-related games and quizzes, get help on art homework, and share their creations!

In addition to completing fun quizzes, kids can help robots save famous art in “Art Parts,” create their own landscapes in “My Imaginary City,” and more! 

No matter what area of art your child is into, they’ll find something engaging, educational, and creative!

Colorfy: Coloring Art Game

Colorfy Art Game gameplay showing creation of mandalas.

Available : Apple App Store, Google Play

No crayons? Run out of sketchbook pages? No worries! 

Colorfy is a digital coloring book for kids of all ages, filled with high-quality images. With over 1000 pictures to paint, your child will have the choice of florals, animals, patterns, gardens, mandalas, famous paintings, and other creative images.

This coloring game also includes a new AR virtual gallery that lets your child see what their art would look like in the real world!

Language arts games

Available: Web

Cost: Free to play, with optional Memberships for extra rewards

Prodigy English is a free educational game for kids that uses creative, sandbox gameplay to engage kids in English language skills. The game takes place on the player's very own village, where they'll collect resources and use them to build objects that can play in their own world.

Just like Prodigy Math, Prodigy English uses an adaptive algorithm that adjusts the questions students get based on their grade and ability. This can help them grow their reading and vocabulary skills – all while having fun!

Prodigy English covers Common Core reading and language skills from 1st grade to 6th grade, with more skills and game content coming!

Available : Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Web

Age : 4 to 18

Cost : 30-day free trial, then $9.99 per month

As outlined on HOMER’s website, their “mission is to provide the best educational start possible by offering personalized, fun, and proven learning products for children.” 

This early learning program has two products: Reading and Stories .

HOMER Reading combines a child’s current reading level and their passions, in order to create a personalized learn-to-read plan. Using that child’s same interests, HOMER Stories curates stories they’ll love — from classic to contemporary.

Vocabulary Spelling City

Vocabulary Spelling City, a spelling game for kids.

Available : Apple App Store, Google Play, Web

Cost : Free, $34.95 per year (family annual membership up to five students)

This program is a K-12 supplemental literacy tool designed to help children at every learning level learn spelling and hone grammar skills.

Plus, it helps them build vocabulary retention and reading comprehension.

You can try out 40+ free online spelling games which come with pre-populated word lists. They also offer a premium membership that gives your child access to all of Vocabulary Spelling City’s games with customized lists, homework practice, and more.

Wallykazam! Letter and Word Magic

In-game screenshot of Wallykazam's reading game for kids.

Available : Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore

Cost : $1.99

Based on the children’s animated television series on Nickelodeon, Wallykazam! helps preschoolers learn early reading skills.

Kids will join Wally Trollman, his pet dragon Norville, the mischievous Bobgoblin, Gina Giant, and Libby Light Sprite in magical and hilarious adventures! They’ll play games and learn letter recognition, letter tracing, and phonics.

Room Recess

Room Recess provides a wide variety of educational games for kids to play during recess. This includes ELA topics, like nouns, sight words and phonics. Each topic has a mini-game made for it, with easy gameplay designed to encourage engagement in the subject. The platform also includes games for skills like math and typing, from pre-k to 6th grade.

If you're a teacher, you may find Room Recess extra helpful for its worksheets, ideal if you're looking to reinforce some of the content seen in the platform's mini-games.

Health and physical education games

GoNoodle promotional poster showing cartoon character running.

Age : 5 to 12

Cost : Free, premium version available

The purpose of GoNoodle is to help parents and teachers get kids moving, with the help of engaging video content. As their app description states: “make screen time active with 300+ videos that feature kids songs, dance, yoga, mindfulness, stretching, and more!”

Whether you want to throw your children a dance party to get them moving or make cleaning up around the house fun, GoNoodle has the perfect video.

Learning Games for Kids: Health

Screenshot of website from Learning Games for Kids.

Age : 4 to 13

When it comes to health, it’s important that children learn about their bodies early to stay healthy. Although this website is outdated, there are 36 health-related games across four categories that will help children love to care about their health.From allergies and body parts to dental hygiene and staying fit, playing these games can introduce them to new concepts and help reinforce what they learn in school.

Disaster Master

Disaster Master is an educational game for kids designed to teach them about staying safe from environmental disasters. Players progress through different 8 levels, each centered on a particular disaster challenge, like hurricanes and wildfires.

Use this game to teach both younger and older kids about the importance of staying safe and what they can do to protect themselves in an environmental disaster.

Science games

Available : Apple App Store, Google Play, Microsoft

Cost : $2.99 per app, discounted bundles available

Tinybop can be summed up in three words: play, create, and learn. 

Using educational apps and digital games created for curious and creative minds, children can explore the awesome and invisible wonders of the world!

Children will develop foundational science literacy while engaging with educational games about the human body, plants, homes, weather, space, animals, states of matter, and other exciting topics.

Period table of elements on Toca Lab, a science game for kids.

Cost : Free with in-game purchases

Flowing from a belief that the power of play jumpstarts imagination, its games are open-ended, so children are encouraged to experiment and make new connections. The educational game developer Toca Boca creates digital toys from the kid perspective. 

Among Toca Boca’s products, science-related ones include Toca Lab: Elements and Toca Lab: Plants.

In Elements, children will explore the exciting world of science and meet all 118 elements from the periodic table, as they experiment with lab equipment!

And in Plants, they’ll have the opportunity to see how plants evolve, while collecting up to 35 different plant characters!

Camp Wonderopolis

Science for kids is a website packed with fun games for kids to channel their inner scientist. From learning about food chains to mastering melting points, each topic includes mini-games to help engage kids in biology, chemistry and physics.

The website also includes other educational activities for parents and teachers to try with kids, like experiment ideas, quizzes and more.

Technology games

Tynker is a coding game for kids.

Cost : Individual and Family Plans available, starting at $9 per month

Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook, said: “In fifteen years, we’ll be teaching programming just like reading and writing… and wondering why we didn’t do it sooner.” 

Recognizing its importance, Tynker has created award-winning coding courses that are fun and offer self-paced learning for all experience levels.

With over 3,700 fun modules, Tynker designed its lessons to motivate children to further advance their skills, while earning cool new badges! They’ll also have help along the way thanks to interactive explanations, how-to videos, mini-game previews, and more.

CodeSpark Academy

Cost : $9.99 USD/month, with discounts available for longer subscriptions.

This coding game for kids covers many different skills needed for programming, including creativity, logical thinking and problem-solving. It includes characters called the Foos, who guide players through puzzle games where they'll encounter and learn coding topics like sequencing.

Like many of the educational games listed in this article, you can access it via web or through a device running iOS or Android.

Gamestar Mechanic

Gamestar Mechanic teaches game design to kids.

Available : Web (App access required)

In partnership with E-Line Media and the Institute of Play, Gamestar Mechanic is an online game and community with the sole aim of helping children learn the guiding principles of game design in a highly engaging environment.

There are three components to Gamestar Mechanic: Play, Design , and Share .

Here’s a quick overview of how it works:

  • Your child will start by going on an exciting single-player quest to learn about the principles of game design, while earning “sprites.”
  • After exhibiting a certain level of mastery, they can use their sprites to design their own original games!
  • Then, if your child wishes, they may publish their game in Game Alley as well as review and collaborate on other players’ games.

no image

Have you thought about a STEM program?

If your child loves technology games, they might benefit from a STEM program. STEM programs help kids build key STEM skills – all while they have fun!

Social studies games

Pbs kids games.

PBS Kids logo with faces of popular PBS characters.

Available : Web, Apple App Store, Google Play

Age : 2 to 11

Starring some of children’s favorite television characters, the social studies games on PBS Kids explore culture, different environments, identity, governance, science, and more.

Not sure there’s something for your child? PBS Kids offers a variety of styles of games — from Jet’s Planet Pinball to learn about our solar system to Fidgits to the Rescue! where they build structures to help victims of environmental disasters. There’s something for every type of learner.

iCivics is an educational game about citizenship for kids.

In 2009, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor founded iCivics to reimagine civic education. Since its inception, her vision has been “to cultivate a new generation of students for thoughtful and active citizenship. Civic knowledge is a prerequisite for civic participation. Yet for decades, civic education had largely disappeared from school curricula and the repercussions are undeniable.”

Taking a game-based approach, iCivics transforms abstract concepts into problems that every child will face in real life. 

If it’s used in your child’s class, they’ll have a class code to sign in. If it isn’t, they can still make their own account to play engaging and educational games that will help make them better citizens!

One Globe Kids - Friends

One Globe Kids lets kids make friends around the world.

Available : Apple App Store, Web

This social studies game allows children to “meet” other kids around the world through photo- and audio-based stories called “A Day in My Life.” Choose from places like Haiti, New York City, the Netherlands, or Indonesia to hear each storyteller’s language as well as learn geographic, cultural, and political facts about each country.

Depending how your child would like to explore each friend’s story, they can choose from three different approaches: Adventure, Start to Finish , and Conversations .

History games

Civilisations ar.

In-game screenshot of Egyptian mummy in the kids history game, Civilisations AR.

Age : All ages (However, children under 16 are advised to have an adult present.)

With this engaging app, Civilisations AR puts puts history in your hand with the BBC’s first ever Augmented Reality app. You and your child will discover things like ancient Egyptian secrets and reveal hidden layers beneath Renaissance masterpieces.

Whether at home or on a walk in the park, you can use Civilisations AR to bring realistic, to-scale artifacts to life. Become the explorer as you move, scale, and rotate the collection. And, if interested, use features like the “Spotlight” to reveal audio guides and special features, or the “X-Ray” to discover some of history’s greatest secrets.

History for Kids: All Civilizations Learning Games

History for Kids: Discover how was our world many years ago.

Cost : Free, in-app purchases ($2.79 to $13.99)

Children will have fun discovering the ancient world and exploring through games and adventures. With vibrant colors and high-quality images, they’ll find themselves engaged with the history of 14 different civilizations.

Kids also get to create their own avatar! And when they do, playing the game will allow them to level it up so they can unlock some awesome prizes.

Geography games

National geographic kids.

National Geographic Kids.

Parents may remember the National Geographic Kids magazine. Now, children can engage with the same fun aspects of the magazine online.

To learn more about geography, head over to their website for some fact-filled, fast-paced fun! There are many educational quizzes, funny fill-ins, and action-adventure games to play.

Carmen Sandiego

In-game screenshot of Carmen Sandiego.

Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego?

Your child will just have to hop on the internet to find out. In collaboration with education publishing company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Google Earth created a series of Carmen Sandiego games: The Crown Jewels Caper, Tutankhamun's Mask Caper, and The Keys to the Kremlin Caper.

Your child will help Carmen Sandiego track down burglars working for a global criminal organization called VILE. Flying from continent to continent, players interview characters to gain clues that help track down the burglars while testing their geography knowledge. 

Ready to see the impact educational video games for kids can have?

Gamification in education need not be limited to the classroom. Encouraging your child to spend their screen time playing educational video games for kids not only strengthens their skills in various subjects but can also help transform them into lifelong learners!

95 Supplemental Social Emotional Learning Activities

Welcome to our supplemental Social Emotional Learning Activities page!

As you will see below, many of the supplemental SEL activities and lesson plans include characters from our game-based, social emotional learning interventions . And when you use the online programs with your students, these activities will reinforce the learning that occurs during game play.

These supplemental resources – lessons, activities, and worksheets – are in the following SELskill areas: Communication , Cooperation , Emotion Regulation , Empathy , Impulse Control , and Social Initiation .

These resources are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or a small group setting. And in most cases, if materials are required for the activity, they are items that you already have in your classroom or office.

Note: Please share this page on your school website so other educators may also benefit.

self esteem worksheets

Self Esteem Worksheets

SEL Check In

SEL Check In

Cool Down Corner

Cool Down Corner

Anger Iceberg

Anger Iceberg

Coping Skills For Anxiety

Coping Skills For Anxiety

feelings wheel

Feelings Wheel

emotion words

List of Emotions: 135 Words that Express Feelings

impulse control activities

Impulse Control Activities for Kids

all about me worksheet

All About Me Worksheet

morning affirmations for kids

50 Positive Affirmations for Kids

Active Listening Exercises

Active Listening Exercises

Brain Breaks For Kids

Brain Breaks For Kids

sel book list pin

Word Association Game

would you rather questions for kids

Would You Rather Questions For Kids

Morning Meeting Questions for Students in ES and MS

Morning Meeting Questions

Social Emotional IEP Goals

Social Emotional IEP Goals

Self Care For Teachers

Self Care For Teachers

Responsible Decision Making Pin

Responsible Decision Making Lesson

Body Language Mirroring

Body Language Mirroring

conflict resolution for kids

Conflict Resolution for Kids

Self Awareness Worksheets

Self Awareness Worksheets

Agree to Disagree: A Lesson About Perspective

Agree to Disagree: A Lesson About Perspective

How to be a Good Friend

How to be a Good Friend

coping skills activity

Dealing with Change

How to Apologize

How to Apologize

social cues

Social Cues and Social Competence

voice inflection

Voice Inflection

SEL Skill Printables

SEL Skill Printables

Think Sheet: Behavior Reflection Exercise

Think Sheet: Behavior Reflection Exercise

Emotional Awareness: What Makes Me Happy

Emotional Awareness: What Makes Me Happy

Pass It On Game

Pass It On Game

Indoor Recess Activity: Pass The Hoop

Indoor Recess Activity: Pass The Hoop

Wrinkled Heart Activity

Wrinkled Heart Activity

eye expressions lesson

Eye Expressions: How We Communicate With Our Eyes

Emotion Faces Worksheet

Emotion Faces Worksheet

Student Strengths Lesson

Student Strengths Lesson

Anger Thermometer (Lesson and Printable)

Anger Thermometer (Lesson and Printable)

Gratitude Jar for Kids

A Gratitude Jar for Kids

how to create a bitmoji classroom for SEL

How to Create a Bitmoji Classroom for SEL

Cooperative Learning Activity

Cooperative Learning Activity

Classroom Scavenger Hunt

SEL Classroom Scavenger Hunt

Summer Worksheets for Social Emotional Learning

Summer Worksheets for Social Emotional Learning

Affirmation cards for kids.

mindfulness activities for kids

Mindfulness Activities for Kids

acts of kindness for kids

Acts of Kindness Worksheets for Kids

social emotional learning journal

Social Emotional Learning Journal

vision board ideas for students

Vision Board Ideas for Students in Elementary and Middle School

Emotional Check-In

Emotional Check In Worksheet

personal space worksheets

Personal Space Worksheets for Students in Elementary School

gratitude worksheet

Gratitude Worksheets for Students in Elementary School

feelings song for kids

Song About Feelings for Kids

Worry Scale

The Worry Scale

goal setting worksheet

Goal Setting Worksheet

hurtful words lesson

Hurtful Words Lesson for Young Students

staying focused

Stay Focused Worksheet for Students in Elementary School

dealing with disappointment

Dealing with Disappointment Lesson and Printable

following directions worksheet

Following Directions Worksheets

Socially Appropriate Behavior Worksheet for Elementary School Students

Socially Appropriate Behavior Worksheet for Elementary School Students

Holiday Printables for Social and Emotional Learning

Holiday Printables for Social and Emotional Learning

i statements

I Statements Worksheet

separation anxiety in children

Separation Anxiety At School

how to make friends at school

How To Make Friends At School

perfectionist child

Perfectionist Child: Lesson and Expert Tips

expressing feelings

Expressing Feelings Without Blaming Activity

impulse control printable

Impulse Control Printable: Melt or Freeze

Game Guides: Informational Posters for Zoo U, SS GRIN, and Hall of Heroes

Game Guides: Informational Posters for Zoo U, SS GRIN, and Hall of Heroes

making assumptions

Critical Thinking Worksheets

peer pressure activities

Peer Pressure Activities

Coping Skills Worksheets

Coping Skills Worksheets

social skill group activities

Social Skills Group Activities

Communication Skills Worksheets

Communication Skills Worksheets

i have who has game

I Have Who Has Game of Actions and Consequences

mood ring colors

Mood Ring Colors: Identifying Emotions

friendship traits

Friendship Traits: Making and Keeping Friends Activity

think before you speak

Think Before You Speak

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Our classroom management plan is a step-by-step guide and includes proven strategies, tips and printables for elementary school teachers, and it covers four key components for establishing a successful, well-managed classroom.

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Classroom Decorations

These free downloadable posters will decorate your classroom and be great teaching resources, reinforcing social and emotional skills in your classroom and reminding students to practice their skills like emotion regulation, impulse control, empathy, and more.

Social Emotional Learning Quotes

For each of the topics below, we have curated a list of quotes. You can incorporate these quotes in your social emotional learning lessons, add them to social media images, create classroom posters, or write one on your whiteboard each day.

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How technology is reinventing education

Stanford Graduate School of Education Dean Dan Schwartz and other education scholars weigh in on what's next for some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom.

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Image credit: Claire Scully

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately worried that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the AI + Education initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of CRAFT (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the Digital Learning initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of virtual field trips to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

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Charlie Bear's Child Care

Our team creates a safe, nurturing learning environment..

In an environment of nurturing care, children grow in confidence and learn developmentally appropriate skills to create a life-long love of learning. Charlie Bear’s Child Care is a dynamic program that provides early-learning opportunities for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and preschool-plus children of Gritman Medical Center employees and the local community.

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Quality Education and Care

At Charlie Bear’s Child Care, we provide children warm, responsive, individualized care. We partner with parents and families to create a caring circle in which children are secure and nurtured. Our teaching staff applies curriculum and play-based learning activities. Children spend their day in a nurturing, safe and happy environment that promotes natural curiosity and desires.

Accreditation and Licensing

Charlie Bear’s Child Care is licensed and inspected annually by the City of Moscow’s Health and Welfare Department. We comply with all requirements for a licensed child care center.

We strive for excellence according to the professional standards set forth by the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale. We are committed to meeting these national standards of quality education.

In addition to following all state and federal regulations, Charlie Bear’s Child Care participates in the Idaho Stars Quality Program. Although participation is not required, this is one more way we can go above and beyond for the children that attend our daycare.

Our educational program is based on Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale guidelines. This comprehensive program includes many areas that contribute to positive child development. The curriculum includes opportunities for children to make their own choices among various learning areas in the classroom, as well as daily teacher-planned activities in language, math, science, art, music and fine motor and gross motor areas.

Importance of Family

You are encouraged to be part of your child’s day at Charlie Bear’s Child Care. Daily reports and information are provided, along with a Parent Resource Center with books, videos and community updates. Family events are held throughout the year to develop strong relationships among the staff, families and children.

Staff-to-Child Ratio

In compliance with the City of Moscow regulations, the maximum teacher-to-child ratios are as listed:

Children under 2               1:3 Children 2-3                        1:5 Children 3 and older       1:10

We have the opportunity to leverage additional staff during structured learning times so that children receive the attention they need to maximize their learning potential.

Credentials and Education

The teacher in each classroom who plans activities must reflect Idaho’s Early Learning Standards and national standards, have a degree in early childhood education or a related field or have prior experience in early childhood programs. Assistants are also qualified by education or experience to work with young children.

All staff are required to have criminal background checks, child-abuse record clearances and annual health appraisals. Staff members are licensed through the City of Moscow. They are certified in First Aid and CPR, and they receive a minimum of 12 hours in annual service training related to their duties as early childhood educators.

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Moscow Facts & Worksheets

Moscow, russian moskva, is the capital and most populated city of russia, situated in the westward part of the country., search for worksheets, download the moscow facts & worksheets.

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Table of Contents

Moscow , Russian Moskva, is the capital and most populated city of Russia , situated in the westward part of the country. Moscow is not just the political capital city of Russia but also the industrial, cultural, scientific, and educational capital. For more than 600 years, Moscow also has been the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church.

See the fact file below for more information on the Moscow or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Moscow worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Description.

  • The city area is about 30 km in diameter and the population reaches to almost 10 million people.
  • Moscow was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1147, where it played an important role in Russian history.
  • The people of Moscow are known as Muscovites.
  • Moscow is famous for its architecture, especially its historical buildings such as Saint Basil’s Cathedral .
  • Moscow is a city with the most money in Russia and the third biggest budget in the world.
  • Moscow began as a medieval city and developed into what was known as the Grand Duchy of Moscow, an administrative region ruled by a prince.
  • Moscow is where all Russia’s tensions and inequalities meet to coexist, producing a unique feeling of a city that looks European but feels somewhat Asian in its mood and intensity.
  • In 1147 Moscow was called Moskov, which sounds closer to its current name. Moscow was derived from the Moskva river, on which the city is located. The Finno-Ugric tribes, who originally inhabited the territory, named the river Mustajoki, in English: Black River, which was presumably how the name of the city originated.
  • Several theories were proposed on the origin of the name of the river however linguists cannot come to any agreement and those theories haven’t been proven yet.
  • The first known reference to Moscow dates from 1147 as a meeting place of Yuri Dolgoruky and Sviatoslav Olgovich. Muscovites today consider Prince Yury Dolgoruky their city’s founding father, but it was only recorded that he dined with friends in the town.
  • In 1156, led by Knjaz Yury Dolgoruky, the town was barricaded with a timber fence and a moat. In the course of the Mongol invasion of Rus, the Mongols under Batu Khan burned the city to the ground and killed its inhabitants.
  • Nevertheless, Moscow was restored and became more important. Yet the Mongols came back in 1382 and burned Moscow City again.
  • Still, Moscow shortly recovered and In the 15th century, it probably gained a population of about 50,000. But, unfortunately, in 1571 the Crimean Tatars burned Moscow again.
  • By 1712, Tsar Peter the Great decided to move his capital to St. Petersburg from Moscow. With this, Moscow began a period of dissolution. In the 1770s Moscow suffered an outbreak of the bubonic plague. But still, Moscow University was successfully founded in 1755 and at the beginning of the 19th century, Moscow was prospering again.
  • Arbat Street at that time was also established. But then, Napoleon invaded Russia. The Muscovites, the retreating party, set their own city on fire by 1812 and it was rebuilt completely at the beginning of the 19th century.
  • During 1917 the Communists started a revolution in which they imposed a totalitarian government in Russia. By 1918, Lenin transferred his administration to Moscow.
  • After Lenin, the tyrant Josef Stalin governed the city. Under his regime, several historic buildings in the city were destroyed. Nevertheless, the first line of the Metro opened in 1935.
  • By June 1941, the Germans had invaded Russia and had arrived on the outskirts of Moscow by December. As they arrived, they suddenly  turned back.
  • After the Second World War , Moscow continued prospering even though many nations boycotted the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
  • Fortunately, Communism collapsed in Russia in 1991 and in 1997 Moscow celebrated its 850th anniversary.
  • Moscow is situated on the banks of the Moskva River, which flows through the East European Plain in central Russia. Teplostanskaya highland is the city’s highest point at 255 meters (837 feet). The width of Moscow city (not limiting MKAD) from west to east is 39.7 km (24.7 mi), and the length from north to south is 51.8 km (32.2 mi).
  • Moscow has a humid continental climate with long, cold winters usually lasting from mid-November through the end of March, and warm summers .
  • Moscow is the financial center of Russia and home to the country’s largest banks and many of its largest companies, such as natural gas giant Gazprom.
  • The Cherkizovsky marketplace was the largest marketplace in Europe , with a daily turnover of about thirty million dollars and about ten thousand venders from different countries including China and India .
  • Many new business centers and office buildings have been built in recent years, but Moscow still experiences shortages in office space.
  • With this, many former industrial and research facilities are being reconstructed to become suitable for office use.
  • In totality, economic stability has developed in recent years. But, crime and corruption still hinder business growth.
  • Saint Basil’s Cathedral is famed as the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed amongst the locals. It served as one of the crucial landmarks of Moscow.
  • Location: Krasnaya Square, 2, Moscow 109012, Russia
  • Moscow Kremlin serves as the home in which all these tourist sites reside. It encompasses almost all the famous sightseeing attractions such as the royal residence of the President of Russia.
  • Location: Moscow, Russia
  • Red Square separates the royal citadel of Kremlin from the ancient merchant quarter of Kitai-gorod, one of the most interesting places in Moscow. Bearing the weight of Russia’s history to a great extent, Red Square serves not just as an attraction but as the heart, soul, and symbol of the whole country.
  • Location: Krasnaya Ploshchad, Moscow, Russia

Moscow Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Moscow across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Moscow worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Moscow, Russian Moskva, which is the capital and most populated city of Russia, situated in the westward part of the country. Moscow is not just the political capital city of Russia but also the industrial, cultural, scientific, and educational capital. For more than 600 years, Moscow also has been the spiritual center of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Moscow Facts
  • Moscow Breaking News
  • Moscow Basic Info
  • Moscow’s Significant Events
  • Moscow Characteristics
  • Populous Cities
  • Sports Facts
  • Moscow Landmarks
  • Symbolization
  • Moscow Slogan

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Augusta-Aiken WRDW-TV

Allendale-Fairfax Elementary kids are learning through LEGOs

F AIRFAX, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Students at Allendale-Fairfax Elementary School are experiencing newfound enthusiasm as they build science, technology, engineering and math projects using LEGOs.

The school got the learning materials through a $10,000 grant from Savannah River Mission Completion, liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site.

The LEGOs are key to hands-on learning activities that let the kids explore STEM concepts and principles.

They have built models demonstrating scientific principles, engineering solutions and math concepts. The LEGO sets have helped foster creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork.

Principal Sheila Leath says student engagement has reached an all-time high.

MORE | Aiken County students get an inside look at SRS careers

“We have witnessed our students tackling challenges in innovative ways,” she said.

SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson is happy with the results.

“The success experienced by the faculty and students is exactly what SRMC hoped for when making the donation,” Olson said. “The school has a thriving STEM program and is reaching new heights.”

Allendale-Fairfax Elementary School students are pictured using LEGOS with materials purchased with the Savannah River Mission Completion grant.

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    Teach Elementary Students Social Emotional Learning Through Literature. One of the easiest ways to teach these standards is through the use of social emotional learning books. To be honest, every story you read in your classroom can become an "SEL book.". The literature you assign generates discussion amongst your students, so being ...

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    The following social-emotional learning resources are filled with games that build important skills, as well as lesson plans, activities, discussion starters, and so much more. Teach children in K-2 the most important lessons in life when they need it the most with units and activities on emotions, self-regulation, growth mindset, empathy, and ...

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  17. 95 Free Social Emotional Learning Activities

    These supplemental resources - lessons, activities, and worksheets - are in the following SELskill areas: Communication, Cooperation, Emotion Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation. These resources are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or a small group setting.

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