When you have a small pocket of time that you need to fill with something meaningful, but don’t have time to teach new content or start a new project, you can use quick tasks to bridge that gap! Whether a fun physical activity, a team-building task, or an artsy exercise, these 20 tasks will be a fun way to fill the small gaps of time in your classroom. Use them during transitions or as a fun start to the day with morning work!
1. Kindness Journal
Similar to a gratitude journal, this kindness journal comes with pre-made prompts. Students can practice writing skills while they build character. Responding to many different types of prompts will be helpful for students to practice responding to questions in writing.
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2. Have I Ever Told You Activity
This is a fun activity to practice communication skills. Have students fill in this template that will help others learn more about themselves. Students can fill in fun and interesting facts they may not have yet told their friends.
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3. Recycled Cereal Box Puzzles
This is a simple activity that will teach students the importance of recycling. Cut out the front of the box and cut it into a variety of shapes. Place these in sandwich bags so they are jumbled up well and get your students to piece them back together.
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4. Homemade Gak
Kids love slime and gak. Let students concoct their own gak. Using just a few supplies, they can add whatever color they would like and mix up the ingredients to form a silly and sticky substance to play with.
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5. Pet Rocks
Pet rocks are making a comeback! Let students find the perfect rock and bring it to school. They can paint and decorate them as they please. This is a quick activity for students to do and have something to show for it when they finish. Their pet rocks can live at school or go home with them!
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6. Silly Animal Workout
Try a silly animal workout to help pass a quick ten-minute timeframe! Teach students these silly animal moves and then call out an animal exercise. Students can then do the animal movements. Mix them up and increase the pace as the students learn the movements.
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7. Hula Hoop
A simple physical activity, like hula hooping, is a great way to pass a short amount of time. You could even execute a quick hula hooping contest to see who can manage to last the longest. This would be a fun activity to take outdoors.
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8. Toothpick Towers
This is a wonderful STEM-orientated, team-building activity. Students can build toothpick towers using toothpicks and marshmallows. See which team can build the tallest tower before the ten-minute timer goes off.
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9. Word Search
Create a giant word search to post in your classroom. Use words from a themed holiday, academic vocabulary, or even sight words. Have students practice finding the words and learning how to spell them. You could also have them practice writing them in a journal or on a recording sheet.
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10. Sight Word Splat Game
The sight word splat game is perfect for filling a small space of time. You can make this game once by printing and laminating it and then using it repeatedly. Give students a flyswatter or other small items to swat with. Call out a sight word and have them quickly find and swat it.
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11. Alphabet Sorting Mat
This simple game is easy to prepare by printing alphabet mats and collecting smooth stones to write the letters on. Students can then practice matching up uppercase and lowercase letters.
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12. Post-It Memory Game
Everyone loves a good game of memory. Students can play this matching, memory game using sight words. They can take turns, play in pairs, or use it as a group game to review items with the whole class. Have students practice reading each word. They will cover the words if they don’t match and keep the sticky notes off if the words do match.
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13. Flip Ten Card Game
This card game is a great way to pass time and practice some simple math. Students can play in pairs or small groups and can take turns flipping two cards at a time. The goal is to find pairs that equal ten. When they make a match, they can keep the cards.
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14. Artwork
Put that stack of scrap paper to use! Let students use some creative thinking while they design unique artworks. Whether drawing, painting, cutting, or pasting, let them see what they can create in just ten minutes.
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15. Fine Motor Practice with Scissors
Fine motor skills are always a great way to fill in a few minutes of extra time. Plan for an activity or two per week to practice cutting, drawing, or writing to improve fine motor skills. This would be good to laminate and reuse.
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16. Sign Language
Teaching students sign language is a fun way to pass a few minutes. Let them learn some basic signs and practice them for a few minutes each day. As they learn more, they can begin trying to use these communication skills within the classroom and with each other.
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17. I Spy Games
When there is a short time limit, I Spy games are a perfect option to play a fun game while also practicing a skill. You can play different versions of I Spy to work on finding numbers, sight words, colors, and shapes.
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18. Tic-Tac-Toe Sight Word Game
If students need practice with sight words, this fun game will be a perfect way to fill in the time gap between lessons. Students can play in pairs and practice reading these important sight words. This game is easy to prepare and can be laminated for repeated use.
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19. Directed Drawing
Directed drawings are fun activities to fill a small space of time and help students practice their listening skills and following directions. Simply provide a piece of paper and recite directions or play them from a video. Students will follow the step-by-step instructions to complete a picture that they can color or paint.
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20. Build A Number
A great way to reinforce number sense is by using these practice pages. Have students practice larger numbers by building them with cubes; using ten and ones. You can also have them put counters in a tens frame as well. This would also be a good option for brain breaks.
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