If you are a drama teacher comma or a teacher who enjoys using Games during their virtual learning program then this article will be right up your alley.
Virtual Warm Up Games online or virtually can be challenging but also very rewarding. The following offer a range of games that you can play for warm-ups or 4 in between games when and however you need them.
There are a number of very good games that you can play with students using zoom or an online interactive platform such as zoom or Google Hangouts.
Some of the games can range from name the item, never have I ever, word Association, two Dragons Den two blind count to pass the expression and come closer or get away to name a few games.
Contents
What’s in my hand (Upper Elementary and Middle school)
In this virtual warm up drama game, students have to find an object and sell it to three Dragons who are chosen by the teacher. So students need to choose an item from their household. They then need to show it to the camera and then sell it to the three Dragons who will approve or not approve of the item. They could sell it as though that they wish to develop business with the Dragons.
Students need to choose an item from the house, for example, a candle, which has an overflow of Wax. They can then pretend that the wax would be a great healing gel to help heal bruises and cuts on the skin. The next person does the same with another item from their household.
The Dragons can ask questions about the item and each business seller must be on their toes to other question. Great improvisation game and exercise for middle school ability.
Word association
Students are primed up to say a word out loud continuing on from the word from before. For instance, if a child starts with the word fork the next child in the circle or says the word spoon, the next child in the line might say the word ice cream and so on.
The objective is for students to say a word which is related to the word before them and they say the associated word from the previous word. You could begin with naming a child’s name in chats or in person, and they say an unusual noun. Number 1 students then begins the word association and the next person (Number 2) continues.
Drawing Games/ Word Games
These are great warm-up activities to do with any amount of upper Elementary or Middle School children.
Hangman you can use a mirroring screen to a draw website which can be mirrored into zoom and can play Hangman. You can use Sketchpad5.1 which is an easy site to use.
Using the online drawing tool, you will fill out lines on the blank canvas to represent the word you have decided on. Students can indicate with a hand up in Zoom, a question in Chat in Google Chats or otherwise. If students get the correct letter within the blank spaces that is a small win. If they choose a letter and it is not included in the ‘word’ then that letter is written next to the word and a hangman is slowly drawn in.
If the word is guessed before a person is hanged, they win. If the person is hanged, the teacher (or person leading the game wins). You can hand this game off to students to lead if you have time.
Pictionary very similar to the original game. You will need to have students in pairs or small groups. This game can be previously arranged by sending an email to students before the game. They will decide who will draw first and who will guess the answer.
The teacher can email or private chat with each target group member about what will be drawn. Give students 3 minutes to draw and have their group members try to guess what their item is during that time frame.
That student will need to draw their ideas on paper and show the camera to their group to guess correctly. Be aware that this could help the opposition groups as well because they will be scanning other ideas at the same time.
The first group who guesses the item correctly wins the game. You can play this game a number of times.
The Conversation
In this virtual warm up drama game three students begin by finding an item from their households such as a cereal box or a book title and show it on screen. That student has to say this sentence out loud. The second student (have students numbered off) has to include the sentence so it makes sense but they reply as though it is a conversation. It must make perfect sense and be understandable for the rest of the students. If a student fumbles or cannot make a perfect sentence they must sit out or mute themselves.
Answers can be quite funny and hilarious. So be prepared for excitement.
Come Closer Get Away
Instruct the students that they are going to follow your directions exactly, but, in the opposite direction. For instance, if the teacher says come forward two steps students go back with two steps. If the teacher states go left two steps the students will go right two steps. If the teacher says raise up your right hand the students will raise up their left hand. So students must do the opposite of what the teacher is asking.
If students get it wrong they can sit out on the next round. This makes it a good elimination game.
Frogs Ribbet
One person begins by saying the word frogs in a pouch and the rest of the students have to hide their faces inside the shirt or jumper. The teacher might yell out frogs on a tree; the rest of the students jump on a chair. The teacher might yell out frogs in the dark; the students will then go and cover the cameras with their hands. The teacher might yell out frogs singing and the students need to type in the chat lalala.
Blind Count – can be played with any age
Students are instructed that they can turn off their cameras if they wish. One student starts by saying the number one. A random student within the class will say the number two. Continue up as high as possible, however, if a student overlaps with another student you must all begin back to the number one again.
5 things
Plays this warm up drama game in a circle or they are numbered 1 to whatever number of children you have in your class. Play begins by naming a category such as a why you cant eat chocolate cake. The next person in line will name five different things why they can’t eat chocolate cake; for instance; I’m on a diet, I’ve celiac disease, I’m allergic to egg, I have nightmares of cakes attacking me. These can range from common sense to exaggerated hilarity.
The game continues until you since that the game needs to change.
What are you doing?
The teacher numbers off each student from one through to the number present in the online room and or in class. They begin by performing an action of any kind in front of the camera. Making sure that they can be fully seen.
One of the class members asks out loud, “Hey what are you doing?” The first person will freeze into position and might say, “I am mowing the lawn,” or something to the same effect. The second person should visually take on the same pose as the first student (ensuring that they can. be seen by the camera) and act out the new scene. The second student will use ‘that lawn mowing pose into a different act, such as water skiing on the lake. A third student will call out, “Hey what are you doing?” The second person freezes in place. The third student will take on their pose then act out a new scene using the pose into a different action.
For example, they could be measuring the length of a waistcoat. And then they start interacting with the waistcoat. A fourth person continues with the same instructions. This can continue until there is a natural lull in the exercise.
Online Charades
The class is divided into two teams. The teacher can pick or two every second person to go into a team and vice versa.
A person within the class stance and will become the person who will showcase their skills to their teammates.
The teacher can privately chat with the actor what the book movie television program or game is that they have to reenact.
That person begins by acting cause of the camera and your typical fashion of Charades.
Their team members can yell out what movie book television program or game the actors acting out. If they would it within 3 minutes then that person becomes the actor in front of their team again. If they lose then the action goes over to the other team.
Play charades game until there is a natural ending and or if most students have had a chance to act.
Please checkout out my other popular online blogging posts on virtual talent show ideas.
If you or your students are interested in how to develop their own online singing group, gets some ideas from my post on Virtual or Online Singing.
Re-enact a Book
If the class has had a read-aloud together, an actor can reenact one of the scenes by mining their actions and the rest of the class have to guess which character they are.
If someone answers correctly, they become the actor to reenact a scene from the novel that they read, or they can nominate someone else in the class to do the same.
Celebrity Head
A student stands in front of the camera and becomes in their mind a famous person or a celebrity.
The rest of the students have to ask questions to that person and they can only answer yes or no. For example ‘Are you a boy?’ and the person will say yes or no. After 8 questions they can start guessing who the name of person is.
If they are correct they get to be ‘it’ or can nominate someone else to be the person. If they are incorrect nothing happens. Keep going with the game until there is a natural wind down or a good number of the students have had a chance to be the celebrity head dude and or guess the celebrity.
I spy
Using zoom with all cameras on, a person becomes ‘it’. That person will say I spy with my eye something beginning with a letter of the alphabet. That person will choose something within the same classroom from someone’s background as part of the spy material.
Example; “I spy with my with my eye something beginning with L.” The rest of the class can ask such as; “Is it a lamp? That person can state yes it is a lamp and it’s behind Toby. This is a great way to get kids noticing detail.
The winner can choose to be the ‘it’ person or can nominate someone else form the chat.
Hum That Tune
Select a certain student to start. They have to hum a well-known tune, and the first person from the chats or live can state that song by calling out or writing in the chats. The first person to get it correct can now take on the humming role.
If music is your thing or you’re interested in learning more about the best karaoke machines, which is what I also do (author), then check out my post here.
Good Games Which Can be Used In Class or with Students At Home
Below are some great in-house games to play with your children or students if you are back at school and or are hybrid teaching. (Click on the photos for the Amazon Affiliate link)
This items would be great to use with your students. You can use some of the items for the games virtually and in person. For example the game- What’s in My Hand as above.
You can play Boggle where you shake the pack up and show the class through the camera the arranged letters. You can even do this previously to the meeting and have students write as many words as they can on paper. I have played with with Middle School students and they loved it (online in Google chats. But this game can also work well with Elementary kids.
This game is very similar to the What’s in my Hand. You can play this game by choosing a card for students and privately chatting them the word to act, describe.
Great for a hard copy in class and of course can be adapted and ready to go for virtual games.
Thanks very much for giving me ideas for virtual drama games. Of course these can be used by teachers, drama teachers and coaches of any kind. I have personally used quite a few of them already with my Middle School Kids. If you have any other great ideas please do write them in the comments below to help other teachers.
