Have you ever been to a workshop where the warm-up activity is to play rock paper scissors? During playtime, the person who wins the round gathers people to be their cheer squad. The person with the largest group at the end is the winner. If you haven’t, you’re missing out on the fun.
This activity is a bit like rock, paper, scissors but with a twist. Students will practice basic numbers so this activity is great for a novice student.
I first heard of this game from La Maestra Loca. She uses it as a brain break and I like to think of things as games. I love my games! Let me break it down for you so you can use it in your classroom too. Here is my tack on this activity.
Why is Rock, Paper, Scissors…Number so great?
- It is absolutely no prep
- Once you model and teach it, students can run the activity without you
- It is quick and fun
- It builds community in your classroom
How to set up Rock, Paper, Scissors…Number
The first thing you do is partner students up. Partners stand in front of each other just like in a traditional game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The difference is students will have one hand behind their back holding a number 1 – 5. Students sign, one-handed, Rock, Paper, Scissors. After “scissors” is signed the hand behind the back comes out to show the number. The person with the highest number is the winner.
If you are teaching novices, this would end the round and students can change partners and play again. Or as mentioned above, the winner can gather people to be their cheer squad until there is one person in the room who has everyone on their team.
Adding to the challenge
If you are using this activity with upper-level learners that are more familiar with numbers, you can up this challenge by having the partners play a round. When the numbers are shown, the partners quickly add up their numbers and hold that number in the air. For example, if one pattern had a 2 and the other had a 3 the total would be 5. The duo stands holding the number 5 in the air. If any other duo’s total equaled 5, they would join to form one group. After all of the groups have been formed play again with the whole group (now the total will increase). Continue for your allotted amount of time or until one large group has been formed.
Let’s Recap
This game is great for a brain break or just an escape from the regular planned class. It is no prep and can be played easily once the teacher has modeled the activity. It can be played in a basic form for novices or increase the difficulty by changing up a few rules.
I hope you find time to use this activity in your classroom soon. Let us know how it worked for you!
Want more number games? Check out this blog on number games or this one with even more number games. Want to practice numbers with the whole group? Try playing 10s.
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