Keep Playing!
Week 26
Game of the Week
Line of Silence
Goal: Work together, without talking, to get the entire class to achieve the same goal.
Communication
Play In-Person
Play Virtually
How to Play
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Explain this is a silent challenge and demonstrate or brainstorm other ways to communicate without talking (pointing to numbers or letters on the wall, using hand signals, body language, etc.)
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Have participants start in a line, then ask them to arrange themselves in a particular order, without talking or touching anyone else.
Category examples include:
- According to height (tallest to shortest)- Date of birth (from January 1 to December 31)- Rainbow order of their shirt colors -
After the first round, have a discussion with the students about what was challenging about doing that line up, different ways they communicated with each other and other creative ways they might do a line up, then play again with a new category.
Game Debrief
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How did it feel not being able to talk to your classmates when you were trying to get everyone to line up according to the category?
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What non-verbal strategies did you start to use to help your class achieve the goal?
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How did it feel when you were successful?
Modifications
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Academic Application:Pass out flashcards or assign topics from class to each student (prime numbers, stages of the water cycle, states or capitals, etc.) and have players arrange themselves using these.
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Challenge Ideas:
Divide the group into smaller teams, and give each team the same set of letters (one letter per person).Have each team arrange themselves to create a word with their letters. See how many words you can come up with as a whole team, without any repeats! -
Another Way to Play:
After playing the first round in silence, invite students to play a second round where they are able to talk throughout.Debrief afterwards to determine what communication styles emerged, which way was more challenging (silent vs. speaking), and how it feels to attempt to communicate with limitations.
Brain Break of the Week
Make it Rain
Get the Poster
How to Play
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It’s a rainstorm!
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Sitting or standing at a desk or table, have kids tap 1 finger on the desk, then 2, then 3, then 4, then their whole hand until you all feel like you’re in the middle of a rainstorm.
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Work your way backwards from 5 down to 1 as the storm withers away.
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To spice it up a notch..start with snapping your fingers, then clapping your hands, then stomping your feet..this will create a loud thunderstorm. Work your way back down so the storm can wither away.
Announcement of the Week
Email Template
How to Use it
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For the month of March we are focusing on the theme of relationship skills. Relationship skills help you navigate the complexity of relating to and building connections with others. This week we focus on communication. Communication is key to creating and maintaining any good relationship.
While speaking and active listening are certainly important, there are many other ways to share information – whether it is through writing, reading, sign language, and body language too! When we play our game of the week, Line of Silence, we are practicing our silent communication skills. This can feel new to some of us, and that is ok! Keep at it! Teach students to play in class, and then empower them to lead the game and teach others!
Quick Tips
Looking to build skills? We've got you covered.
Select a skill focus from the list below, then copy and paste it into the search bar to see games that develop that skill.
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Accepting Help
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Accurate Self Perception
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Active Listening
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Appreciating Diversity
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Building Community
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Empathy
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Growth Mindset
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Identifying Characteristics
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Identifying Emotions
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Impulse Control
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Inclusion
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Integrity
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Perspective Taking
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Physical Self Awareness
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Resilience
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Respect
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Self Awareness
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Self Confidence
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Self Management
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Self Motivation
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Social Awareness
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Stress Management
Limited on equipment? No problem!
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Ball
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Bandana
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Baseball Bat
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Base
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Basketball
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Beanbag
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Bouncy Ball
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Chair
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Chalk
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Cone
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Dodgeball
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Flag
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Football
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Frisbee
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Hula Hoop
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Jersey
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Jump Rope
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Kickball
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Soccer Ball
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Tennis Ball
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Volleyball
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Volleyball Net
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No Equipment Required
Want to find a specific type of game?
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Autonomous/Self-Access Game
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Ball Game
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Cooperative Game
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Icebreaker Game
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Indoor Game
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Readiness Game
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Recess Game
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Rotational Game
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Tag Game