Top 12 Fun and Engaging Elementary School Classroom Transition Games

Can be played: Transition time, between classes

Purpose: To enhance memory, reflexes, agility, and provide light physical exercise, moving wings, and preventing fatigue.

Number of Players: All students in the class

Location: Stand in place in the classroom

How to play: Students stand in place in the classroom, with the conductor standing on the lectern. The conductor calls out 'flying birds' while flapping both arms like a bird in flight. At the same time, everyone must perform the action and call out accordingly. If the conductor calls out non-flying objects like 'flying house' or 'flying table,' and anyone performs the flying action or fails to perform the action for flying objects, they will be penalized.

To make it more captivating, additional variations such as 'diving fish' or 'submarines, diving ducks' can be introduced alongside the 'Flying Birds, Soaring Herons' game.

Source: Internet

Can be played: Transition time, between classes

Requirements:

Stand: Clasp hands, raise straight above head

Sit: Clasp hands, both arms perpendicular, hands raised in front of face

Lie: Clasp hands, extend arms straight forward

Sleep: Clasp hands, press against cheek and say: Snore

How to play:

The teacher calls out the positions, gestures as prescribed.

The teacher can call out correctly or incorrectly.

Students must perform according to the call and the prescribed actions.

Source: Internet

Can be played: Transition time, between classes

Requirements: Students stand in place in the classroom

How to play:

The leader says: Mother's hand - everyone spreads their hands forward.

The leader says: Cradle the singing baby - everyone extends both arms forward and gently sways as if cradling a baby to sleep.

The leader says: Mother's hand - everyone spreads their hands forward.

The leader says: Care for the baby every day - everyone places their palms on their cheeks and tilts their heads.

The leader says: Mother's hand - everyone spreads their hands forward.

The leader says: Warm the baby in winter - everyone crosses their arms over their chest and gently rocks their body.

The leader says: Mother's hand - everyone spreads their hands forward.

The leader says: Be the cool night breeze of summer - everyone fans themselves.

The leader says: Mother's hand - everyone spreads their hands forward.

The leader says: Be the magical hand - everyone raises both arms high and shouts loudly “magical hand”

Source: Internet

Can be played during 2nd-grade Math class

* Purpose:

- Reinforce addition skills within 100
- Teach students how to evaluate and score

Preparation:

- One letter A and one letter B
- Several paper flowers with math problems (within 100) written on the white side

- Colored chalk
- Stopwatch

- Select 3 of the best-performing students as judges and a secretary.

* How to play: Divide the class into 2 teams. When the command 'start' is given, one by one, each team sends a player to pick a flower on the teacher's desk. The player's task is to quickly solve the math problem written on the flower and then attach the flower to their team's tree. Once done, the next player takes their turn. This continues for 2 minutes. After the time is up, each team sends a representative to read out the math problems on their tree, showing the flowers to the class. The judges evaluate, and the secretary records the results.

* Scoring:

- Each correct math problem earns 10 points
- Total the points for each team. The team with the most points wins.

* Note: After the game, the teacher provides feedback and encourages the judging team, secretary, and reminds students of any mistakes made to improve their performance next time.

Source: Internet

Can be played during 1st-grade Math class

Purpose:

• Students recognize the order of numbers.
• Develop quick and accurate problem-solving skills.

Preparation: The teacher prepares cards, each card with numbers from 1 to 10.

Game Rules: Arrange the numbers in ascending or descending order.

Procedure: The teacher distributes one card to each participating student. When the teacher calls out '1, 2, 3,' students immediately stand in their positions with their cards. When the teacher says 'stop,' students must not change their positions anymore.

The teacher and the class commend and acknowledge students who correctly sorted their cards.

Source: Internet

Can be played during 4th-grade Math class

Preparation: The teacher draws a fence like an 'X' and writes numbers according to a specific rule set by the teacher. For example: The product of two numbers on the left and right sides equals the sum of the two numbers above and below.

Instructions: Write a number on the left side of the fence, write another number on the right side of the fence, multiply these two numbers to get the result, then mentally calculate which numbers above and below the fence add up to the result of the two numbers on the left and right sides. Then write these two numbers above and below the fence. Example: 7 X 2 Each group of 3 students. Within 2 minutes, the group that builds the most fences correctly wins.

Source: Internet

Can be played during 3rd-grade Math class

Purpose:

+ Practice and reinforce skills in addition and subtraction without borrowing within 1000.
+ Enhance quick reflexes in students
- Preparation: No need to prepare any equipment
- How to play: Students sit in place. The teacher starts with one student volunteering. For example, the student loudly says a number within the range of
1000, such as '400 and quickly points to another student, B, to 'pass on the electricity'. Then student B has to continue, for example, 'subtract 200 and quickly point to another student, C. Then student C has to continue with 'equals 200'. If C answers correctly, they are allowed to loudly say a number like A did and point to another student, D, to continue 'passing on the electricity'. This continues, and if anyone answers incorrectly, they are penalized.

* Note:
+ This game does not require any equipment or teaching aids...
+ This game can be applied to various exercises (For example: practicing addition and subtraction tables, multiplication, and division) and can vary
the method of 'passing on'. For example, if one student loudly says 7×3 and points to the next student to pass on, this student just needs to say the result, which is 21.
+ This game is simple but still creates a fun, lively, and enthusiastic atmosphere in the classroom for students.

Source: Internet

Can be played during 1st-grade Vietnamese class

Objective: Understand the meaning of words to match the pictures correctly. Foster quickness and confidence.

Preparation: Some pictures of animals (images), some word cards (pre-written).

How to play:

• Distribute pictures and word cards to the groups.
• Announce the requirement for groups to compete in matching the pictures (images) with the corresponding words. The group that matches correctly and faster wins.

Source: Internet

Can be played during 5th-grade Math class

Purpose of the game: Help students grasp the concepts of reading, writing fraction composition, and comparing and ordering fractions. Cultivate quick wit and creative intelligence.

Players: Suitable for average and above-average students.
Playtime: 5 - 7 minutes.
Preparation: The teacher prepares 2 wooden dice with numbers written on each face ranging from 1 to 9. Students prepare scratch paper and pens for writing.
How to play: Play in teams, with 4 teams of 3 students each, all 4 teams standing in rows facing each other observing the results as the teacher rolls the dice 3 times in a row. Teams can divide tasks to record the results of each roll. Then, they have 5 minutes to:
Write the fractions after each roll.
Example: Write the fraction from the top face (top face is number 4, bottom face is number 5) of the dice: 5/4;
...
- Compare and order the fractions after each roll.
- Compare and order all the fractions the team has written.
- The teacher and the whole class act as referees to check the 4 teams.

Rules:
- Writing all the fractions correctly after each roll: 10 points.
- Correctly comparing and ordering each pair: 10 points.
- Comparing and ordering all the written fractions in the team: 20 points
(1 mistake or omission will not be scored).
The team that finishes first and is correct receives an additional 1 point.
The winning team is the one with the highest score.

Source: Internet

Purpose:

• Help students practice reading and reinforce listening skills for words they've learned, as well as recognizing letter shapes.
• Develop quick reflexes in students.

Preparation: No need to prepare any equipment.
How to play:

• The teacher has the whole class sit orderly in their seats, then introduces the game's name and draws various shapes on the blackboard, such as: circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, diamonds, ellipses, etc.
• Next, the teacher writes down some new words they've just learned inside the shapes.
• Then, the teacher selects students to stand in front of the blackboard in a ready position.
• The teacher reads the new words one by one.
• The student standing in front of the blackboard listens to the teacher and quickly slaps the word.

Rules:

• Play in pairs, the teacher divides the class into two teams and gives each team a name, then each team sends one student to compete with a student from the other team.
• Two students stand in front of the blackboard at a certain distance and listen to the teacher, then quickly slap the word the teacher just read written on the blackboard. Whoever slaps the word quickly and correctly earns 1 point for their team.
• Continue with another pair of students competing, ending when the teacher has read out all the words prepared.

Ending the game: The team with more points wins, and the winning team receives a round of applause.

* Note: This game can also be played as follows: a proficient student is chosen to read out the words written on the blackboard, and the teacher will have two students listen, recognize, and slap the shape with the word just read.

Can be played during Vietnamese class for 2nd grade

Purpose: Develop accurate and rapid reading skills for Reading Practice, cultivate quick reflexes, and focus to coordinate smoothly among group members when reading sentences continuously.

Game time: 5 – 7 minutes

Preparation:

- A stopwatch (to time the game)

- Select a student to act as referee

Team selection: Choose 3 teams, each consisting of 5 students

Game organization: 12 - 3 teams take turns standing in a line facing away from their teammates; each member of the team holds a textbook already opened to the designated passage to read

- Upon hearing the referee's command 'start,' person number 1 (at the right or left end) must read the first sentence of the passage clearly, accurately, and quickly. Once person number 1 finishes the last word of the first sentence, person number 2 (next to person number 1) can then proceed to read the second sentence … and so on until the last person in the group; if the passage is not finished, the next sentence goes back to person number 1 – person number 2 reads… until the passage ends, then stop. The referee times and records the number of minutes each team takes to finish reading the entire passage.

The referee and the teams monitor each other's reading, and score the 'endurance reading' as follows: each accurately read sentence earns 1 point; points are not awarded for violating any of the following cases:

+ Misreading, omitting, or adding words in the sentence.

+ Proceeding to the next sentence before the previous reader has finished.

+ Reading two or more sentences continuously.

- After all teams have finished reading, the referee announces the results regarding the reading time and score of each team. The team with the most points (with few or no mistakes) and the shortest reading time wins the 'reading endurance' competition according to the book.

Rewards – Penalties:

- Winning team: Commendation by the teacher in front of the class with a round of applause.

- Losing team: Line up and mimic the sounds of various animals: cats, chickens, pigs…

Note:

- During the game, if the previous reader accidentally reads into the next sentence for a few words before stopping, the next person still has to start from the beginning of the sentence they were supposed to read, thus prolonging the team's time.

- This game can be used in all Reading sessions. Teachers can change different Reading passages to organize the game according to the content and the students' level.

Source: Internet

Play during English class

Purpose: Create an enthusiastic atmosphere and enhance high-level concentration during class.

Preparation: The teacher prepares some questions and answers closely related to the lesson content without the need for any additional materials.

How to play:

• The teacher will draw a board with 15 squares and write 15 random natural numbers, including 12 squares with questions for students to answer and 3 squares as lucky numbers.
• Each lucky number earns 10 points and does not have a question.

Rules:

• The teacher divides the class into 2 teams and names each team, with each team selecting a team leader to guess which team has the right to choose first.
• Within the team, they will discuss which number to choose. If they choose a square with a question, the teacher will read the question, and the whole team must discuss to find the answer. The team leader will then read the answer. If correct, the team earns 10 points; if incorrect, the opposing team has the chance to answer.
• In the next round, the other team selects a square. If they choose a lucky number square, they do not have to answer a question and will receive applause, indicating they have earned the lucky number points of 10.

Ending the game: The team with the most points wins. When a team chooses a lucky number square, they will receive a round of applause.

* Note: Teachers can modify the game to increase competitiveness and create an enthusiastic atmosphere by assigning points. Out of the 15 squares, there are 12 squares worth 5 points, 2 squares worth 10 points, and one special square worth 20 points.