My Top 5 Sub Day Activities I Can’t Live Without

Let’s be honest, sub days are some of the hardest days of the school year. Sure, we all dream of a day off, but the moment we realize we have to plan for it, that excitement fades fast. And if it’s more than one day? Total nightmare. Over the years, I’ve learned to keep a few go-to sub activities ready to go, and today I’m sharing my favorites, simple, low-prep ideas that keep students learning (and keep me sane) when I can’t be in the classroom.

Some Important Facts

One of my biggest tips for stress-free sub days is to keep a collection of reliable activities you can reuse year after year. These resources should meet a few simple criteria:

• Work for any level — flexible enough for any class you teach.
• Easy to follow — clear directions so students can work independently.
• Low-prep — something you can pull together quickly, even if you’re out sick.

I keep all my sub-day materials separate from my regular lesson plans and organized in digital folders by level. That way, I always know exactly which assignments to leave for each class, and I never have to scramble or risk reusing something I already assigned in a previous year. It’s a simple system that saves me time and stress every single year.

Organizing Your Sub Day Activities

If you already have a list of ready-to-go sub lessons, great. If not, you want to find 2 – 5 activities for each level and organize them in a folder. I keep mine in a digital folder. I do most of my activities and lessons paperless. If you like to keep your students off the devices, keep your lessons in folders clearly marked for each level you teach in your filing cabinet.

Ideas for Sub Day Activities

Let’s face it, most of us do not have a sub that can come in and do our job, and by that I mean that they are fluent in the langague we teach. If you have that, you are lucky! So the lessons you leave need to be able to be completed by students independently without assistance from the sub. Here are some ideas

Digital Ideas:

• Self-Paced hyperdocs with vocab lessons and activities
• Online vocab games like Quizlet, Kahoot, and Gimkit in self-paced mode
• Interpretive video stories from YouTube/Self-created with comprehension questions and/or activities
• Culture video with questions
• Virtual tours of buildings and historical places
• Video creations
• WebQuests

Non-Digital Ideas

• Story prompt cards to be presented when you return
• Vocabulary sheets to be filled out by students/flashcard creation
• Dialogue practice
• Culture article with Venn diagram comparison
• Cultural art creations
• Story creation based on an image

Although these are all great ideas, the thought of putting together sub-activities for every level can feel daunting when you have your everyday planning to do, too.

To ease this stress, I keep a substitute binder ready-to-go with a 1-day lesson plan for each of my classes. I do this at the start of the school year. Once I use it up, I pull out another idea for each level and put it in my binder so I have another day ready to go. This eases my stress on days when I am really sick and can’t plan to be out (you know the days when there isn’t a fun trip happening where you are really sick!).

My 5 Favorite Sub Activities

1. Koko the Signing Gorilla HyperDoc
   This HyperDoc dives into the remarkable story of Koko the Gorilla—the gorilla who learned to use American Sign Language. It includes curated videos, guided reflection questions, and opportunities for students to think about language, communication, and culture.
   Why it’s a good sub-day activity: Students can work independently through the videos and worksheets; the directions are clear and self-explanatory. It’s engaging enough to hold attention, but structured enough that a substitute doesn’t need to create anything new. It also ties nicely into language & culture topics, so it’s meaningful rather than a “busy work” filler.
2. Deaf Culture Article and Activities: What Students Should Know
   This packet includes an original article, “What Is Deaf Culture and What Should ASL Students Know?” and a variety of activities, reading, responding, and reflecting, all designed to deepen students’ understanding of Deaf culture. It’s designed as low-prep and all-levels friendly.
   Why it’s a good sub-day activity: The reading & activities give purposeful work rather than filler. The fact that it’s meant for all ASL levels means it fits regardless of what class the substitute is in. And because the packet is complete, you don’t have to scramble with lesson creation when you’re out.
3. ASL Self‑Paced Vocabulary Packets Mega Bundle
   This bundle offers multiple self-paced vocabulary packets designed for ASL learners. Students can work independently, making them ideal for a sub day when you want students to stay productive without heavy teacher oversight. Just match them to the current unit of studty and you have an instant vocabulary review lesson ready.
   Why it’s a good sub-day activity: Because the packets are self-paced, students move through at their own rate; instructions are built-in; minimal prep for the teacher; the substitute can supervise but doesn’t need to teach the content. And vocabulary is always a good fit when you might be out.
4. Myths About Deafness WebQuest
   This WebQuest takes students on a guided investigation of common misconceptions about deafness and the Deaf community. Through structured online inquiry and reflection activities, learners explore facts versus myths, engage with real-world sources, and produce responses or presentations based on their discoveries.
   Why it’s a good sub-day activity: Because it’s self-directed and clearly scaffolded, students can work independently while a substitute monitors. The online investigation format offers variety from typical worksheets, keeping engagement up. And because the topic aligns closely with ASL and Deaf culture instruction, it maintains relevance to your subject area even in your absence.
5. Sub Plans No Tech – ASL
   This resource is a print-friendly, completely offline sub-day package designed specifically for ASL classes. It includes ready-to-go activities like the “Name My Sign” game (students create and guess signs from peers), a cultural article reading with a quiz, and other low-tech tasks.
   Why it’s a good sub-day activity: It checks every box for a stress-free absence. No reliance on tech means you don’t have to worry about internet issues or device availability. The directions are teacher- and substitute-friendly, and students stay engaged with sign language content even though you aren’t there. Plus, it’s easy to pull out in a pinch because it’s organized ahead of time.

Simplify your sub days and take the stress out of being out of school.

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