Ninja Notes

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Quiet Games

5 Games We Love More Than Dodgeball

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If you avoid playing dodgeball with your students in your upper elementary gym class, then here are five games we've taught are students that we love more than dodgeball-mostly because they don't involve throwing things at students. Come check out the simple rules to play these games we love today!

As a student, I hated dodgeball with a passion. I wore glasses and could barely see without them, but I wasn’t allowed to wear them in case they were broken. So, there I would be, blind as a bat, wandering around, trying not to get pelted by those giant red rubber balls that always left a mark. I saw a pattern immediately. The few top athletes (usually the biggest boys) knocked everyone out, usually hurting them in the process and then continued playing amongst themselves while the rest of us sat bored on the sidelines licking our wounds.

I vowed, as a teacher, I would never let any of my students experience that. This means there is no dodgeball in any of my gym classes. These are some of the games we love to play instead.

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Quiet Classroom Games You’ll Love

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Do you need a quick and quiet classroom game? We've put together some of our favourite games that are perfect to give you a break, use up a little time or have some fun. Come read through this list and keep it handy.

Every once in a while, you need a few minutes to regroup, handle a student issue, clean up a disaster, or smooth out a transition. There will be moments in your teaching day where the lessons don’t line up, or you’re waiting on someone else.

Everyone knows silent ball. It’s a quiet game where students toss an object around the room to each other but cannot make any noise while doing it. Our students have loved silent ball over the years, but we like to mix things up with a variety of activities that will keep students engaged.

We’ve collected some of our favourite calm and quiet activities that you can use almost anywhere and almost anytime. Keep this list of quiet classroom games handy (and maybe even learn a few to take with you on that next field trip).

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