Are you at a loss for what to do to keep your students engaged during an online session? Taking a lesson online is difficult; getting youngsters to pay attention through a screen is even more difficult! Here’s a little secret: a fantastic pre-session activity—which can get your learners excited and energized—has a lot to do with a terrific session.
Children are a ball of unrestrained energy, so all you must do is give them something to anticipate. Here’s how to get your students excited about your online class.
- Quick Sketch
Do you want to introduce your students to the day’s topic? Play a Pictionary-style game called Quick Draw! Your students will have to guess what you are drawing on the board or notebook in this game. Kids can write their guesses into the chat room, and the first one to get it right wins! It piques pupils’ interest and motivates them to participate.
- Fun Quiz
A quiz can make students enthused about an online hobby class, a fitness session, or a sports lesson. To add to the excitement, you can base your questions on the subject itself or use any topic under the sun. Apps like Kahoot, which are highly interactive, take online trivia quizzes to the next level.
- Tell me a story about it.
Telling a tale based on it is another approach to pique a child’s attention in a session. Children enjoy a good narrative, so why not tie it together with the current topic?
- Treasure Seeking
Do you want to get your heart rate up before you start? A treasure quest will suffice. Simply ask the pupils to show you basic household goods (such as a bottle, a spoon, a pair of keys, and so on). The child who gets each item first moves up the leader board.
- Educate us.
Have an “extra credit” session once or twice a week where students can take turns teaching things. This could be a recipe, a craft project, or an artistic endeavour. It cannot simply be a talent show. Extra credit is given to students who teach the lesson. All pupils are required to attend. Extra credit may be given if a student attends and follows the instructions or lesson and emails you proof (a photo of the finished work). Students will be able to “work together” while remaining in their individual zones.
For example, one student might display the first portion of the dish from their home, and the partner can do the second part because the first part was completed ahead of time. This works well with recipes that require more time to cook. Materials lists for what students will need to perform the recipe or activity can be supplied ahead of time. If the students will require additional time to complete the activity (for example, a recipe that requires baking time), this should be indicated in the materials list so that students are not expecting to do it in real time. While this exercise is best suited for older pupils, age-appropriate recipes and tasks can be completed by even young children.
6.Please assist me!
Inform students about the meeting/topic. Ask them to send an email or a message with one question they have regarding the topic. Read the questions at the start of the meeting, especially if there are multiple questions of the same type. Inquire if anyone knows the solution or if they want to take a guess. At the conclusion of the session, inquire once again. Check to see if the pupils are able to respond to the question now. Students will frequently want to listen for their questions and the answers if they believe they will be the one to speak next.
7.Two truths and one lie
For many classes, this game is a popular ice breaker. Children who are old enough to comprehend the difference between truth and lies are welcome to participate. This game is sometimes even enjoyed by adults. Each person tells two truthful stories and one untruth. Either everything must be believable or it’ll all sound unbelievable. This game is also simple to customise to your classroom. It may be two lies and one truth, or three lies and two truths. Adapt this game to fit your time constraints and classroom requirements. The individual who makes the most accurate guesses wins. You may give them bonus points or a virtual high five if they win.
- Spy with Your Eyes
Play an eye spy game with the rest of the class to see who’s background you’re staring at. This may be entertaining for classes with a combination of virtual and real-world backgrounds.
Conclusion:
All these online teaching exercises can be customised to match the requirements and skills of your students. To come up with engaging activities, think outside the classroom walls. Make virtual playtimes a priority as well. Students must also be able to relax and de-stress. Learning is sometimes overshadowed by the mental health benefits that come from being around by peers who understand their problems, objectives, and accomplishments. Anything we can do as instructors to nurture a love of learning is a positive thing.
