Games your class likes to play in circle time/spare moments? Suggestions please.

[CharleyDavidson]

A couple of times a week I like to make time for a classroom game when time permits as well as to close circle time.

Favourite of mine/my class so far include

Heads down, thumbs up (yawn).
Who's missing?
Wink, wink murder
Secret conductor
Golden people
Zip zap
'Apple pie' or whatever other silly word we are using that means the children have to guess who's said the phrase in a silly voice for someone (eyes closed) to guess.
What's the time Mr Wolf?

I'd love some suggestions of games your classes have enjoyed (and a quick idea of how to play them if they aren't well-known). Thanks.

After 15 years of secondary teaching, I still don't know what heads down, thumbs up is.

There's another thread on this game in chat at the moment.,

Basically, you choose two or more children to be 'on'. The rest of the class put their heads down onto their crossed arms, keeping their thumbs in the air.

The chosen child goes around and picks a pupil to touch or gently squeeze their thumb. Then they go back to the front of the class. The child who has been chosen then puts their thumbs down, which prevents them being chosen by any other children who are 'on'.

One the command 'heads up' any chosen children stand up and have to try and identify whoever sqeezed their thumb. If they are wrong then the choose stays in. If they are right then they swap places with the person who chose them and it's their turn.

Duck duck goose (space permitting)

1-10 (or any number) you can also do A-Z
Essentially you start by saying One... Then someone else says 2 then someone else says 3 etc etc..... The aim
Of the game is to get to your top number/ letter (10 or z) without more than one person shouting the same number at the same time.
If you do get a 'snap' number then the game begins again.

Role play with random objects. Sit in circle, child picks a random object out of a box and has to act out a different use for it, e.g. a ruler could be a golf club, a spoon, a moustache etc. Pupil who guesses correctly takes over, see how many uses pupils come up with, swap objects if it's getting slow/repetitive. Very silly but all ages enjoy it.

Heads down thumbs up
Wink Murder
Who's that under the blanket (reception/year 1)
Honey bear
Kings and Queens - everyone has a whiteboard and pen. Choose a king and a queen who sit on chairs at the front of the class. Ask a question eg 4 x4. The first person who holds up their board with the correct answer gets to be the new king or queen. Carry on
Who wants to be a millionaire

I've played that number game, Casual. It usually ends up in hilarity because I just call out 'One' to make them start counting again whenever more than one child is counting at the same time. Sometimes I'm just calling out 'One' over and over again and they all end up laughing. Once, a class rumbled it as they'd come to a secret agreement that one child would count and the rest wouldn't. :)

I don't know Honey bear.

Ha! Yes older classes get wise to it and it can end up just two kids batting the numbers back and forth. It's very funny though!

Around the world
Apple pie
Hangman
Toast (word game where each child has to say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word -first word is always toast)

Don't Clap This One Back????Clap various rhythms for the kids to repeat. If you clap Don't clap this one Back rhythm ( so Clap Clap clap-clap Clap) they must be still and silent. ????So simple but fun and gets them working as a team. Also playable in a ten second slot!

Sorry. Don't know why tons of additional question marks appeared in my post!

Ah. It's the new app and it's put them in when I added a new line. ??????Off to report!

I like don't clap... I shall give that one a try.

I like 'do what I say, not what i do'. Where I do actions and say what I'm doing, but then sometimes say a different action (hands on heads/in the air/jump etc) to the one I then do. Some children listen and follow the correct action. Those who copy my action instead of the command are out.

Do as I say! Like that one. Thanks!

• One volunteer stands in the middle of the circle, the rest have thirty seconds to observe them. Volunteer leaves the room, changes something (unites shoelace/tucks in shirt etc.)- the class have thirty seconds to spot what it is.

• Get them to work on non-verbal signals and teamwork by asking them to clap at the same time. But don't tell them when. They have to try and do one simultaneous clap just by looking at one another (they must be silent apart from the clap). Sounds rubbish, but it can last for ages and they love it.

• another good non-verbal signals one is ask them to stand up one by one (in silence) until they are all standing. But if two of them stand up at the same time, the whole class has to sit down and try again.

• get them to count to 30 (or however many are in the class) but don't tell them who says which number, let them work it out for themselves. If two people say the same number, start again.

• put the chairs in a VERY tight circle and ask for a volunteer. Vet the volunteer carefully to make sure that they are emotionally resilient enough to be the one in the middle. There will be a gap left in the circle- ask the volunteer to sit down on the spare chair. Whilst they try and sit down, the circle dwellers shuffle round to close the gap. The gap will move around the circle and the volunteer will chase it, only for the shufflers to speed up to prevent them from sitting down. It sounds really cruel, but it's an excellent starter for a discussion about feeling excluded; ask the volunteer how they felt when trying to sit down.

• put big YES and NO signs on opposite walls of the room. Move furniture back. Read out statements and ask students to move to YES if they agree, NO if they don't, and somewhere in between if they're not sure. Then ask them one by one to justify their position. Really good for classes who talk over each other all the time.

With older children, I used to play 'Countdown' as in the channel 4 show. Gets the grey matter working and is a calm way to fill those spare 5 minutes.

Younger children, I play 'Give me 5'. Pick a category: musical instruments, teacher's names, football teams, 3D shapes, winter clothes, etc. I have never found a class of reception children that could Give me 5 towns!

It is a great game for reinforcing concepts taught that week : 5 words that end in ing, 5 olden days toys, 5 names of leaves, 5 coins (in the case of my week!)

sorry: teachers' names!

My 9 year old loved playing "Just a minute'" in his class last year - was thrilled to hear it on radio 4 recently and thought that the radio show were copying their idea!. It really seemed to grab his imagination.

(Does anyone know what this game is called? I think it's quite well-known.) Everyone sits in a circle, and a child in the middle guards something (perhaps a bunch of keys). That child is blindfolded so they can't see who is trying to creep up and steal the object, but they can point at any sound they hear. If someone succeeds in stealing the object they become the person in the middle.

Keeper of the Keys.

My class like:
10 is out (have heard it called deadly 10 as well - they like to play in teams)
Splat
Keeper of the keys
Sit down ( they all stand up, I say 'sit down' and they have to sit one at a time with no talking. If they talk or 2 sit down at once they have to start again)

And they do really love heads down thumbs up!!

Ca55andraMortmain
How does "10 is out" work? I've not heard of that one, not even after a quick google. Glad to know your class likes keeper of the keys; do you get the keeper to close their eyes, or do you always use a blindfold for that game?

No I get the keeper to close their eyes. 10 is out is a counting game in the infants but it can work as a strategy game for older kids if they play in teams. They stand in a circle and take turns to count from 0-10. Each child can choose to say 1,2 or 3 numbers. The counting progresses around the circle and whoever says '10' is out. It's good for the little ones because they have to count on from a different number each time and have to pay attention to the counting socthwy know where to start and with my P6 class we play boys vs girls so they have to predict what others will do and how best to ensure that by the time the count gets to 10, it will be someone one the team who gets put out.

My class loved '10 is out' or as I called it 'killer 10'. We also did it in French (year 1). It got my grey matter working!

I do one word stories - you have a ball and roll it/chuck it randomly, and the holder will say a word at a time to make up a story. My y6 class stories always end up being about poo.

Drop it/catch it - you throw a ball to a child and say drop it or catch it - they have to do the opposite. If they get it wrong they sit down. Better than it sounds!

Cupboard keys - a child goes out of the classroom and the class hides some keys. The child comes in and sings (I have lost my cupboard keys somewhere in the classroom), and the class responds singing (we will.help you find the keys somehere in the classroom). Volume gets louder as child gets closer/quieter if they look further away. From experience, don't play it when the room next door are having a test!

Bubblegum- stand in a circle one person in the middle. Go around the circle one person at a time saying "bubblegum bubblegum how many pieces do you want?" Final child chooses number between 1-10. Count round and that person is out. Always good fun!