Five Warm Up Activities before a class (K12)

When students first enter your classroom it is important to initiate a few warm up activities.

Importance of Warm up

Set the tone for the lesson . :- An activity that is too difficult will often make students zone out. A fun activity often raises energy levels and encourages students to participate.

Warm ups should be related to the lesson ahead .It makes students think and may also help them to use their minds to relate pre exsisting knowledge to the upcoming subject

Warm Ups allow teachers to assess character and abilities of a class. Students have good and bad days too like all of us. Warming up will help a teacher determine which student groups to form for collective activities.

Warm up activities for Elementary school classes in particular are an excellent way to settle students down after break or first thing in the morning.It gets the students ready to focus on the lesson .

Here are some ideas for Warm Up Exercises:

Object challenge : All grades

Present the students with an object that they cannot easily identify. ( Old plumbing fixtures ,unusual foodstuffs etc ). Ask the students to describe in detail what they are seeing. They must also hypothesize the possible use for the object. Let the students entertain their classmates and you with their answers . When they have finished tell them the true purpose of the object .

Photo Challenge – From Grades 4 upwards

Show students an interesting picture. It can be related to the topic  that you may be about to discuss. Any special photo of a world famous event or other topics that might be of interest. Get the students to comment and complete their descriptions. Students could then share their thoughts and feelings with others. Photos should be age relevant.

Three words – Grades 7 and above

Students should be asked to pick three words that they associate with a topic . It can be a topic that they are about to have a lesson in. Students should be able to explain why they chose these words.This warm up will help teachers to establish the mind set of their students as well as their possible depth of knowledge on that subject

Simon Says – Elementary School Grades 1- 6

This is perfect for elementary school. It has the added benefits of increasing basic coordination skills. Ask students to copy your actions but only if “Simon Says” Students who perform the action when Simon didn’t say should be made to sit down for two turns .

If you had a magic wand – Grades 7 upwards

This activity is great for middle school and high school . Pass a wand around and then where it stops that person should be asked a question if your magic wand can change anything what would you change ? It can also be topic specific to the subject that will be taught. It can break the ice and allow students to open their minds.

Use these warm up strategies in the classroom. If you start a lesson with a good “hook activity” students will be alert and positive to start their lesson. Give us your thoughts on other warm up activities we failed to mention in this article.