Hobbies And Interests
Pretend Play
Talk to students about a traumatic situation, such as an accident. Explain how they could help people in emergency situations. Divide the class into small groups. Have one group play the role of the injured and have the other take care of the injured. Provide toy medical kits for the students to use. This activity teaches students how to respond to a stressful situation.
Cross the River
Divide the group into pairs. Blindfold one partner and assign the other to be the guide. The guide's objective is to help the blindfolded person to cross an imaginary river. Set up obstacles with such objects as benches and mats along the river. The guide gives detailed directions to the blindfolded student to help him avoid the obstacles and reach the opposite bank of the river. This activity reinforces teamwork, communication and listening skills.
Four Corners
Group the students into groups of four. Give a topic of discussion to each group. The students arrange themselves in a square, with each student in one of four corners, which represent ̶0;agree,̶1; ̶0;disagree,̶1; ̶0;slightly agree̶1; and ̶0;totally disagree.̶1; Have the students discuss each topic from the perspective of what their corner represents. After the first round, the group members swap corner positions within their group and argue from a different perspective; repeat until each member has covered all four corner positions. This activity promotes active listening, quick thinking, comprehension and verbal skills.
Zoom
Prepare a set of pictures or flash cards pertaining to a topic, such as artisans. Divide the students into groups of five. Give the pictures in random order to children in the group. Children should not discuss the picture they have. Each student tells a story to the group about his image without showing the image. At the end of the activity, all the children in the group show their cards so they know the roots of the stories. This activity teaches empathy, communication and understanding of one another.
Guess Who
Students write on a slip of paper a sentence that describes them, such as "I am a voracious reader," fold it and put it in a bowl. They take turns drawing a slip from the bowl, reading it aloud and guessing who wrote it. If the student does not get it right, everyone else can guess. This icebreaker game helps students get to know one another.
Community Projects
Brainstorm and list useful community projects, then have the group vote to choose a project they can do. Form groups and assign projects to each group to work on throughout the year. Examples include preparing cards or gifts for old-age homes, fund-raising for non-profit organizations, and writing letters of appreciation to men and women in the military. Group work helps children to be involved and contribute to a project.