Group activities are an essential part of student life. These activities help the students learn things quickly. In fact, group activities make students responsible.
As we all live in a society, we need to communicate with each other and help each other. If the students learn the group activities in school, it will help them to grow. Also, group activities will develop the student’s social skills.
Group activities help students to work in the community. To get some group activities ideas read the article from top to bottom.
We have a related article for you, you can read 20 Forgiveness Group Activities That Are Proven To Bring Change In You.
Benefits Of Group Activities For Students:
Group activities are beneficial for students. It helps students to develop their communication skills. It helps them to learn management. As it consists of more people, it helps students to learn things from each other.
Besides, it is easier for the students to solve a problem together. As a group consists of more people, it helps students to gather more knowledge.
In group activities, students learn to control conflicts also. As they work with different types of people, it helps the students to deal with various personalities.
When students achieve success while working in a group, it gives students a chance to celebrate their victory together!
Why Are Small Group Activities Important?
It is easier to work with a small group than a big group. As the group is small, it is easy for the students to interact with each other. In small groups, students are highly engaged & motivated at the same time.
As the group members are few, so it’s easy for the students to build trust & unity. Besides, in small groups, group members can easily access the one who is struggling to understand the lesson.
Small groups progress at a faster pace. Also, as the group is small, group members can easily coach & mentor each other.
3 Group Activities For New Students:
When you have new students in class, as a teacher, you need to do some activities with them. New students feel more hesitation than others. They feel more uncomfortable in the class than other students. So, you can arrange group activities for new students.
Such as
1. “Get to know you” with balloons: Give each student a balloon & paper and tell them to write some questions they want to know about each other. Put the paper on the balloon, blow the balloons & tie it up.
Then pass the balloons to each other. Tell them to burst the balloon & give the answers to the question which was inside the balloon.
2. Play Never Have I Ever( School Edition): Never Have I Ever (School Edition) will be the perfect group activity for new students. It will help them to know each other very well. Divide the students into groups. Then arrange some questions & ask the questions to the students. Whoever did the thing which the teacher asked, he/she will raise their hand. It will be a fun ice-breaking activity.
3. Poster Projects: Poster projects are an interesting thing for students. Split students into groups & give each group a topic and tell them to present the topic in a poster form. Give them appropriate time to make the poster and then arrange an exhibition day for the poster projects. Select the best poster & give the winner a reward.
2 Group Activities For Gifted Students:
Gifted students need special attention. So, group activities for gifted students need to be planned according to them. Gifted students enjoy the challenge of brainstorming topics. These students need special care & support. Gifted students work better when they feel safe in their surroundings.
Teachers need to arrange different types of group activities for gifted students. Here are some ideas for group activities for gifted students:
1. Let them write newspaper:
Newspaper writing is a great method for the students to learn various skills together. Taking good photos for the newspaper is another interesting thing for them. It will keep them engaged and they will also be interested in learning new things together.
2. Brainstorming:
Gifted students love being challenged. Make the gifted student’s group, give them a topic like what are the things that need to change in school or give them a wall for renovation. It is a great way of brain-storming & learning things in groups.
Group activities can engage gifted students in learning. It will help the gifted students to be productive & feel independent.
6 Group Activities For The First Graders:
First graders are normally 6-7 years old. So, learning things in groups is a very new thing for them as most children like to be in a group. So, group activities are best for the first graders to learn things quickly.
Here are some group activities you do for the first graders;
1. Counting: Make a circle with the students, tell the first students to count one & the next student will say two. This motion will continue clockwise.
2. Fruit basket game: Fruit basket game is the best indoor game to play with first graders. Divide them into two groups, make a ball with paper and then make a line. Tell them to stand in line, put a basket in a distance & tell them to throw the balls into the basket one by one. When the team will finish throwing the ball into the basket, let the students count the ball. Then team2 will start. Give them points & reward the winning team.
3. Playing with personality: Take some animal character toys. Interact with them through the characters. This will help the kids to learn the nature and behavior of the animals.
4. Block Games: Make two or three groups with students. Give each team some blocks & tell them to make towers or anything else with blocks. That’s how they will communicate with each other, and learn to work in a team. When they fail, they will learn to help others also, and after the success, they will definitely celebrate.
5. Group Gardening: Gardening in groups will help them to learn social skills. It will help to learn and nurture a living thing. Also, they will learn to be responsible.
6. Staring Game: As first graders are kids, so usually they hesitate to maintain eye contact. Divide them into groups, place stickers on each other’s foreheads & instruct them to tell which stickers or colors are on their forehead. That’s how they will start a conversation & maintain eye contact.
4 Group Activities For The First Day Of School:
The first day at school is the most memorable day. Also, students get anxious & nervous on the first day of school. For that ice-breaking session is a necessary thing. Teachers can do some group activities on the first day of school.
1. The Human Tie: Tell the students to make a circle & hold each other’s hand. Now, instruct them to make a tangle of themselves by walking in between students in front of them, going over or under sealed hands. They need to find a way to untangle while their hands are sealed.
2. Dumb Charades: Divide the students into groups. Make some chits with movies, animals, flowers, or any cartoon character’s name. All team member will come one by one to take any chits & need to draw or mimic whatever is written in the chits also the other group members will give the answer.
3. Make a journal: Split the class into 3-4 groups. Give each group an interesting topic & tell them to write a journal or small summary about the topic. Lastly, give the best team a reward!
4. Treasure hunt: Hide some items in the classroom. Spilt the students into groups. Tell the students the name of the hidden items or you can make some clues. Give each team 5 minutes, tell them to find as many items as possible.
3 Team Building Games For Students:
Team-building games can be fruitful for the students. It will help them to communicate with each other, and build trust. These games will also prepare them to work in groups.
Some team-building games for students are mentioned below:
1. Story-telling: Give each student some pictures of animals/flowers/places or anything you like. You start the first line of the story and then one by one, students will add a storyline regarding the pictures. That’s how you all can create a beautiful story as well as a team.
2. Rock, paper, scissors: Divide the students into 2-3 teams. Let them play rock, paper, scissors & pick one winner from each team. Now, let the winners play the game and then pick the final winner.
3. Newspaper exhibition: Divide students into groups, and give them the newspaper, scissors, and taps. Give them a time limit & tell them to make some crafts out of the newspaper. Besides, you can arrange a newspaper exhibition day!
Verdict:
Group activities help students to do brain-storming. Hence, interactive group activities help students to grow. Students can have so many group activities together.
You can set different activities for new students & for gifted students. As gifted students need extra care & attention, you have to arrange the group activities according to their choice.
It is easier to learn lessons in groups than learning alone!
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