Classroom Activities for Excess Energy

It’s Spring. Christmas break was over a few months ago and you can feel the effect little break and several full moons are having on your students. The amount of excess energy is cutting into valuable instructional time. What’s a teacher to do? Well, a teacher could set up some fun classroom activities that will help burn excess energy while students still get their learn on.

There are many classroom activities that you can do to help with excess energy in the classroom. One of the best ways to use some excess energy up is to try something new. While you are doing these classroom activities, you want to try to keep learning at the forefront.

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Review in Style

When we reach this point in the year, it’s always a good time to review especially with testing coming up. Instead of doing a drill and kill method, try any number of these interactive review games.

Review Jeopardy
- This classroom game is fantastic to use in any class. You need to have five categories with five questions in each category varying in intensity.
- First, have students go to the board, select the “square” they want.
- Then have students complete the question with their team on white-boards.

Trasketball
- Students complete a worksheet with questions or different problems.
- Then they hand it in to be graded.
- Once all the questions are done correctly, they can crumple their paper and throw it in the trash for points.

Wheel of Fortune
- Put students in groups of four and put a puzzle on the board.
- Then ask each group a question (going in order) or use an Eggspert, or “buzzer system” for added fun!
- If they get the question correct, they get a point and can guess a letter.
- They get a point for each letter that is on the board.
- Whichever has the most points at the end of the game wins!

There are several other review games you can use here.

Classroom Activities for Project Learning

One way to mix things up in the classroom is through project learning. There are several ways you can introduce project learning into your classroom.

Take it Outside:

If you are doing a math problem and you live in a place with snow, have students get into groups of three or four.

Each group would make a snowman measuring out the dimensions of each part of the snowman.

Then, each day have students go out and measure and take notes on his appearance.

By doing this, students will get outside and get to learn about climate as well as do a little math.

Let it Grow

Plant an indoor herb garden with your students.

This project, much like the snowman project, can be a great way for students to see how things grow and the effect different environments have on vegetation.

You can do this by having different light strengths on each set of plants. (Divide students into groups for maximum effect).

At the end, you can have students compare their data while you have a “party” using those herbs to make a delicious meal (like pizza).

Dress Up!

Sometimes when you are reading, it can be fun to bring the story to life.

Have students get into groups of four and give them a book to read.

Then challenge them to use the book to write a script and act out the most important parts of the story the group read.

Giving students time to create costumes, write a script, and block their play will make them focus on their reading and exercise their imaginations.

Uniquely You!

Another way to help students get rid of some excess energy is through a fun classroom game that will show them how uniquely “you” they are.

First lay out a long white piece of paper.

Then have students choose a paint color.

Start with each student putting their foot-print on the white paper and writing their name by their food.

Next, have them compare and contrast their footprints to their classmates’ footprints.

Once they have completed their observation, let students walk all over the white paper for a neat hallways display.

Making project learning a regular classroom activity will challenge students to think in different ways and therefore enhance learning.

Classroom Games

In addition to other project-based learning, you can incorporate some fun classroom games to help get the wiggles out.

Air Focus

Everyone loves playing with balloons. With this classroom activity, you can help your students get focused. The object of the game is to not let any balloon touch the ground and to make sure everyone succeeds.

Get your students into a circle around the room.
Then take a blown up balloon and “toss” it into the group.
After a little while, add a second, then a third, and maybe a fourth balloon to the mix.
If a student misses or intentionally hits the balloon in a way that is impossible to hit, they sit down.
The winner gets to start the game.

This game helps students get focused and can teach them good character skills.

Musical Airs

This game is very similar to musical chairs without the chairs. Follow the directions below to successful play “Musical Airs”

Create “squares” in your classroom using throw pillows or simple sheets of construction paper.
Then start the music. Whoever isn’t sitting on a square when the music stops is out.
Remove a square and start the regular process all over again.

Musical Airs helps your students get up and moving as well as increases focus. It’s a great classroom game to play if you have a little extra time or your students need a little movement.

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Classroom Activities thatMix It Up

Sometimes it is best to just concede that your students need a “wiggle” break. Set up a time for students to get their excess energy out. Make sure your students get a chance to take a five-minute break doing one of the following activities:

Taking a dance break
Doing a sun-salutation (yoga)
Getting some fresh air

Utilize GoNoodle games as a resource for different classroom activities to do. While these activities are not always educational they are great to “boost productivity, improve behavior” and “build community.”

While it’s important to help students get rid of excess energy through group games and alternative learning opportunities, it’s also important to take care of you! Make sure you are managing your stress to help keep a calm and learning-centered classroom all year.

Want some classroom games you can use in your classroom? Check out Square’s Your Brain for math and phonics review. Don’t forget to join our MEMBERS ONLY CLUB and get access to the FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY here at Mrs. Shipley’s Classroom. Sign up below!