Joe Dinoffer: They should feel like they are playing. Not feel like they are working.
I remember my daughter's first day in kindergarten like it was yesterday. When she came home I asked her, what part of your day did you like most? What was her answer, recess, no doubt about it? At regular intervals during your group lessons we all know it's essential to give water breaks, but I would like to argue that it is equally essential to give game breaks, especially for children, but for adults as well.
Here is a game called circle tag, where the person outside the circle tries to tag an appointed player who is part of that circle. You will also notice that we have added some music to liven things up. In this example the man in the circle wearing the hat is the person who the tagger is trying to catch.
Another good idea to create a fun environment is to periodically add some joke telling to your classes. This idea works very well during water breaks. You will find it energizes your students and also will energize you. In particular, you will find that the children will know tons of jokes and riddles, even more than the adults. Here are two quick examples. Note that my nine year old daughter got the second joke, but I didn't.
Joe Dinoffer: I will start off. What do people like to eat at the beach? A sandwich. Your turn.
Speaker: What did the zero say to the eight? I like your belt.
Joe Dinoffer: I don't get it.
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