10 Exciting Class Activities To Build Transferable Skills

Being a teacher is a challenging role that will always have you on the edge of your seat each and every day, but you wouldn’t change it for the world. Making sure your class has all of the materials, learning equipment, knowledge and guidance they need to succeed in life is your number one priority, and this often means you have to get creative in and around the classroom. For you, it’s not just about sitting behind a desk and learning multiplication; it’s about immersing them into interesting activities that provoke thought, curiosity and conversation between these youngsters. Whether you’re encouraging more crafts, or you’re setting up interactive scavenger hunts for them to partake in, there is so much you can do to build excitement in your students.

You’re a firm believer that learning happens just as much outside that classroom as it does inside, so it’s so important to expand your horizons and get as creative as possible. Your class keeps you on your toes to say the least, so it’s time to test them just as much as they like to test you at times! Encouraging these enjoyable, exciting and unique activities will help them to feel involved in all aspects of school life, whilst they try new things and embark on new adventures along the way.

Art

Introducing art to your classroom from early on will give your students a chance to get creative and find their own way of expressing themselves. There are so many benefits of prioritizing art in an educational environment, and it’s mostly to do with the skills that the person can learn as they embark upon every new project. Whether they’re developing their critical thinking skills whilst analyzing a piece of work, or they’re stretching their own creativity as they create their own artistic work, there’s so much to be said for teaching art to youngsters at school.

Scavenger Hunts

There’s no denying that scavenger hunts are one of the most enjoyable activities for a classroom full of children to take part in. Getting everyone involved in this interactive and vibrant activity is a surefire way to get conversations started. Take a look at this editable photo and video scavenger hunt and you will get some inspiration for this type of activity in your classroom. This is a great way to get your class thinking outside the box and working as a team to gather everything that is required for their scavenger hunt. If you’re looking for a fun, inspiring and interactive activity that will get everyone in your classroom engaged, this is the perfect idea for you to pursue.

Theater

There will always be a place for theater and drama in the classroom, especially when there are so many young and impressionable minds in the room. Theater is a form of escapism for many youngsters and it allows them to express exactly who they want to be in their lives. Although it may be tougher for those who are shy to get involved, it will encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and give something a try. Whether they’re directing their own play or they’re learning harmonies to songs, there’s so much you can do with theater in the classroom.

Debates

The power of debate classes in school should never be underestimated, especially when you’re talking about subjects that truly matter to your students. Holding an organized debate might feel like a huge undertaking, but it can completely transform the way your class thinks, feels and acts towards certain situations. It’s the ideal activity to bring out all of the future lawyers and politicians in your class!

Sports

It goes without saying that sports will always have a lifelong place in school. Even the least athletic person in the classroom will benefit from camaraderie, sportsmanship and teamwork skills that are needed to participate in any type of team sport. There are so many transferable skills to hold onto when you’re involved in any kind of sport in school, so this will ultimately help any youngster to capitalize on all of these skill.

Charades 

It’s a classic game that will always have its place in any type of learning environment. A good old game of charades is cost effective and so enjoyable for everyone involved. Teaching your pupils to work together as a team to guess the correct answers is a transferable skill without a doubt. It also takes a certain amount of creativity and confidence to stand up and get involved in a game of charades.

Board Games

Board games in the classroom are a great way to give their minds a break from traditional learning and allow them to create their own strategies. Stocking up your learning environment with traditional and modern board games is a productive way to help your students learn a tonne of transferable skills along the way.

Graphic Design

You’d probably agree that not every student who walks through your door each day is going to become a professional graphic designer, but there’s so much you can learn from honing in on this type of skill early on. Basic graphic design can help kids get into all sorts of different jobs as they enter adulthood. Whether they’re trimming down wording to fit in a tight space or they’re choosing appropriate colors for a target audience, graphic design goes above and beyond the actual career title. Allowing your pupils to get stuck into graphic design as part of their everyday learning will yield so many wonderful results.

Creative Writing

When you can include creative writing in the day to day learning of your students, you will start to see glimmers of magic from them all in many unique ways. Much like art, creative writing can help your students to stretch entirely new parts of their imagination and it can encourage them to think about the world around them. Creative writing is part of the school curriculum, but it also cannot be measured by test grades and scores. Creative writing is completely subjective and it allows the pupils to feel a sense of freedom as they explore this unique way of expressing themselves.

Cookery

It may get a little messy, but who wouldn’t want to learn new and interesting cooking skills from their teacher at school? Cookery may be a subject that is on the curriculum in many schools already, but for some, it’s something that students would never be exposed to. Allowing your class to learn these life skills in your classroom could help them out for the rest of their lives. Without even realizing, you could be showing a teen how to take care of themselves and others in their household rather than having to rely on their parents all the time. Having cooking skills not only creates a sense of independence in a youngster, but it can also give them some much needed confidence too.

With all of these considerations in mind, you can be sure that your class is going to be engaged and excited every time they walk through the door in the mornings. Although you may need to stick with your lesson plans and curriculum guidance, these are all activities that are proven to help the development, communication and happiness of young children. You can have comfort in knowing that you’re playing a small part in the key stages of their lives and helping them to learn new skills and build upon their strengths and interests in the safety of their learning environment.