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30 minutes left: no-prep activities for a sub

With 30 minutes left and nothing planned, pick one of these 48 activities. Every one runs with nothing prepared, fits in 30 minutes (or can be cut short), and says what you need. If the room has to stay quiet, try silent ball, silent line-up.

Checked October 30, 2026. Draw three at random for your grade and room ▸

Kindergarten to 2nd grade (42)

Passage with questions

Leave a class set of a grade-level passage with its questions in the sub folder. Students read and answer independently; the sub collects them.

You need: Printed passages at your gradeGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–45 min

Practice sheet by topic

Leave a class set of a math sheet on a topic the class already knows well, so the substitute doesn't need to teach anything new.

You need: Printed practice sheetsGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–45 min

Map of the classroom

Students draw a map of the room from above, with a key for desks, door, windows and the teacher's desk. Older students add a compass rose and a scale.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–5 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–30 min

Read aloud to the end

Read aloud from a book in the room until the bell, with the class listening at their desks. Stop at an exciting part if the book isn't finished.

You need: A picture book or chapter book from the roomGrades: K–5 · no paper · no screen · 10–30 min

Read and sum up

Students read their own books for fifteen minutes, then write one sentence about what happened in the part they read. Collect the sentences for the teacher.

You need: Students' own books; paperGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Read-aloud with questions

The substitute shows a read-aloud on the projector, reads it to the class, and asks the discussion questions printed with the story.

You need: The read-aloud pageGrades: K–5 · no paper · projector · 15–30 min

Silent reading with a log

Students read their own books for twenty minutes and fill in their reading log. The substitute reads too, which keeps the room quiet.

You need: Students' own books and reading logsGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Story map for the read-aloud

After the read-aloud, students fill in a story map: characters, setting, problem, events and solution.

You need: Printed story mapsGrades: 1–4 · paper · no screen · 15–30 min

Sudoku

Keep a set of sudoku puzzles at two levels in the folder. Students who finish one try the harder one.

You need: Printed sudoku puzzlesGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Word search with this week's words

Make a word search from your current word list once and keep copies in the emergency folder. Students find the words, then write sentences with three of them.

You need: A printed word searchGrades: 1–5 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–30 min

A letter to the teacher

Students write you a short letter about the day: what they did, what they learned and one question for you. You get a report in their words.

You need: Lined paperGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–20 min

Five-sentence story from three words

Write three unrelated words on the board, like lantern, pickle and bridge. Students write a five-sentence story that uses all three. Volunteers read theirs.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–20 min

Heads up, seven up

Seven students stand at the front; everyone else puts heads down with a thumb up. Each of the seven presses one thumb down, then the chosen students guess who picked them.

You need: NothingGrades: 1–5 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–20 min

Journal prompt

The substitute picks a prompt for your grade and students write for ten minutes in their journals. Leave a note saying where the journals are kept.

You need: The writing prompts pageGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–20 min

Silent ball

Students sit on their desks and toss a soft ball in silence. A dropped ball or a sound means sitting down for the next round, and everyone is back in for each new round.

You need: A soft foam ballGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · silent · out of seats · 5–20 min

Story chain

Start a story with one sentence. Each student adds one sentence in seat order. Anyone may pass. Stop when the story has an ending, or when time runs out, and retell it in three sentences.

You need: NothingGrades: 1–8 · no paper · no screen · 10–20 min

Tally and graph

Ask one question with four choices, like a favorite season. Count hands for each and write the tallies on the board. Students turn the tallies into a bar graph with a title and labels.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 1–5 · paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Write a word problem

Each student writes a word problem using the math they've been practicing, with the answer on the back. Partners swap and solve.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Board relay

Split the class into two teams in lines. Name a category, like animals or things in a kitchen. One student at a time from each team writes a word on the board and hands the marker back. Count words when time is up.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Category game

Spin a letter. Students list a food, an animal, a place and a name starting with that letter in two minutes. Unique answers score a point.

You need: Paper and the letter wheelGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Count the triangles

Draw a big triangle and split it with three or four lines. Students count every triangle they can find, big and small. Ask how they kept track; then add one more line and count again.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Draw from directions

Read directions one at a time: draw a big circle, give it three eyes, add a hat with a star. Students draw as you read. Hold up a few and see how different the same words came out.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 1–5 · paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Fact or fiction

Read a sentence from a nonfiction book in the room, or one you change so it's false. Students vote fact or fiction, then you read the real sentence.

You need: A nonfiction book or passage from the roomGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Fill-the-blank story

Write a short story on the board with six blanks: a noun, a verb, an animal, a place, a number, a color. Ask the class for words before they see the story, then read it aloud.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–5 · no paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Fix the sentences

Write three sentences with mistakes in capitals, spelling and punctuation. Students find and fix them on whiteboards or scrap paper. Go over them together.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Four corners

Ask a question with four answers and point to a corner for each. Students walk to their answer. Ask one person in each corner why they chose it.

You need: Signs A to D in the corners (or call them by wall)Grades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Hundreds chart puzzles

The substitute hides a number on the hundreds chart and gives clues: "It is ten more than 34." Students guess on whiteboards.

You need: The hundreds chart on the projectorGrades: K–2 · no paper · projector · 5–15 min

Math facts on the wheel

The substitute spins the math facts wheel and students write the answer on whiteboards, showing on the count of three.

You need: The math facts wheel and mini whiteboardsGrades: 1–5 · no paper · projector · 5–15 min

Melting snowman

Pick a word from the class's own reading and draw a blank for each letter. Students guess letters; each miss melts a piece of a snowman you've drawn. Whoever guesses the word picks the next one.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 1–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Number of the day

The substitute writes a number on the board and students show it as many ways as they can: tally marks, tens and ones, a sum, a word, a drawing.

You need: A number written on the boardGrades: K–5 · paper · no screen · 5–15 min

One thing I learned

Students sit in a circle or stay at their desks and each says one thing they learned or enjoyed today. Passing is allowed.

You need: NothingGrades: K–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Pass-along drawing

Each student starts a drawing for one minute, then passes it to the right. Everyone adds to the drawing in front of them for one minute. After five passes, papers go back to where they started.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Silent line-up

Students line up without talking, in order of the first letter of their favorite animal. They may point and use fingers. Check the order together at the end.

You need: NothingGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · silent · out of seats · 10–15 min

Sort it out

Write twelve words or numbers in a jumble. Students sort them into two or three groups and say the rule: odd and even, animals and plants, nouns and verbs.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 1–5 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Squiggle pictures

Draw the same squiggle on everyone's paper, or on the board for them to copy. Students turn it into a picture and give it a title.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: K–5 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Steps across the room

Students guess how many steps it is from the door to the far wall. Two volunteers walk it while the class counts. Whose guess was closest? Try heel-to-toe steps next.

You need: NothingGrades: K–5 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Twenty questions

The substitute thinks of an animal or object and the class asks up to twenty yes-or-no questions to guess it. A student who guesses right leads the next round.

You need: NothingGrades: K–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Two truths and a lie about the sub

The substitute tells three facts about themselves, one false, and students vote on which is the lie. Then students may ask the sub one question each.

You need: NothingGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Word ladder

Write a three- or four-letter word, like cat. Students change one letter at a time to make a new word each step (cat, cot, dot, dog). Write each rung as they call it out.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Word of the day

Write one interesting word from a book in the room and what it means. Students use it in three sentences of their own: a question, a statement and an exclamation.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Words inside a word

Write a long word on the board, like grasshopper or thunderstorm. Students list every word they can make from its letters in five minutes. Count the longest found.

You need: The board and a marker; paperGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Would you rather warm-up

The substitute spins the would-you-rather wheel and students move to one side of the room or write their choice and one reason. It breaks the ice with a new adult.

You need: The would you rather wheelGrades: K–8 · no paper · projector · out of seats · 5–15 min

3rd to 5th grade (47)

Passage with questions

Leave a class set of a grade-level passage with its questions in the sub folder. Students read and answer independently; the sub collects them.

You need: Printed passages at your gradeGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–45 min

Practice sheet by topic

Leave a class set of a math sheet on a topic the class already knows well, so the substitute doesn't need to teach anything new.

You need: Printed practice sheetsGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–45 min

Map of the classroom

Students draw a map of the room from above, with a key for desks, door, windows and the teacher's desk. Older students add a compass rose and a scale.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–5 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–30 min

Read aloud to the end

Read aloud from a book in the room until the bell, with the class listening at their desks. Stop at an exciting part if the book isn't finished.

You need: A picture book or chapter book from the roomGrades: K–5 · no paper · no screen · 10–30 min

Read and sum up

Students read their own books for fifteen minutes, then write one sentence about what happened in the part they read. Collect the sentences for the teacher.

You need: Students' own books; paperGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Read-aloud with questions

The substitute shows a read-aloud on the projector, reads it to the class, and asks the discussion questions printed with the story.

You need: The read-aloud pageGrades: K–5 · no paper · projector · 15–30 min

Silent reading with a log

Students read their own books for twenty minutes and fill in their reading log. The substitute reads too, which keeps the room quiet.

You need: Students' own books and reading logsGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Story map for the read-aloud

After the read-aloud, students fill in a story map: characters, setting, problem, events and solution.

You need: Printed story mapsGrades: 1–4 · paper · no screen · 15–30 min

Sudoku

Keep a set of sudoku puzzles at two levels in the folder. Students who finish one try the harder one.

You need: Printed sudoku puzzlesGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Themed crossword

Keep copies of a ready-made crossword in the folder, such as space or weather. Students solve it in pairs.

You need: A printed themed crosswordGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · 15–30 min

Word search with this week's words

Make a word search from your current word list once and keep copies in the emergency folder. Students find the words, then write sentences with three of them.

You need: A printed word searchGrades: 1–5 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–30 min

A letter to the teacher

Students write you a short letter about the day: what they did, what they learned and one question for you. You get a report in their words.

You need: Lined paperGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–20 min

A review of a book

Students write a short review of a book they've read this year: what it's about without the ending, one thing they liked, and who should read it.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–20 min

Five-sentence story from three words

Write three unrelated words on the board, like lantern, pickle and bridge. Students write a five-sentence story that uses all three. Volunteers read theirs.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–20 min

Heads up, seven up

Seven students stand at the front; everyone else puts heads down with a thumb up. Each of the seven presses one thumb down, then the chosen students guess who picked them.

You need: NothingGrades: 1–5 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–20 min

Journal prompt

The substitute picks a prompt for your grade and students write for ten minutes in their journals. Leave a note saying where the journals are kept.

You need: The writing prompts pageGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–20 min

Silent ball

Students sit on their desks and toss a soft ball in silence. A dropped ball or a sound means sitting down for the next round, and everyone is back in for each new round.

You need: A soft foam ballGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · silent · out of seats · 5–20 min

Story chain

Start a story with one sentence. Each student adds one sentence in seat order. Anyone may pass. Stop when the story has an ending, or when time runs out, and retell it in three sentences.

You need: NothingGrades: 1–8 · no paper · no screen · 10–20 min

Tally and graph

Ask one question with four choices, like a favorite season. Count hands for each and write the tallies on the board. Students turn the tallies into a bar graph with a title and labels.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 1–5 · paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Thirty-second talks

Write easy topics on scraps: a favorite season, the best pet, a game you like. Volunteers draw one and talk for thirty seconds without stopping. Nobody has to go.

You need: Topics written on scraps of paperGrades: 4–8 · no paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Write a word problem

Each student writes a word problem using the math they've been practicing, with the answer on the back. Partners swap and solve.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Board relay

Split the class into two teams in lines. Name a category, like animals or things in a kitchen. One student at a time from each team writes a word on the board and hands the marker back. Count words when time is up.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Category game

Spin a letter. Students list a food, an animal, a place and a name starting with that letter in two minutes. Unique answers score a point.

You need: Paper and the letter wheelGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Count the triangles

Draw a big triangle and split it with three or four lines. Students count every triangle they can find, big and small. Ask how they kept track; then add one more line and count again.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Draw from directions

Read directions one at a time: draw a big circle, give it three eyes, add a hat with a star. Students draw as you read. Hold up a few and see how different the same words came out.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 1–5 · paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Fact or fiction

Read a sentence from a nonfiction book in the room, or one you change so it's false. Students vote fact or fiction, then you read the real sentence.

You need: A nonfiction book or passage from the roomGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Fill-the-blank story

Write a short story on the board with six blanks: a noun, a verb, an animal, a place, a number, a color. Ask the class for words before they see the story, then read it aloud.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–5 · no paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Fix the sentences

Write three sentences with mistakes in capitals, spelling and punctuation. Students find and fix them on whiteboards or scrap paper. Go over them together.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Four corners

Ask a question with four answers and point to a corner for each. Students walk to their answer. Ask one person in each corner why they chose it.

You need: Signs A to D in the corners (or call them by wall)Grades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Longest word from nine letters

Write nine letters on the board, at least three of them vowels. Students make the longest word they can in two minutes. Check the longest ones together.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Make the target

Write four numbers and a target, like 2, 5, 6, 8 and 24. Students use each number once, with any operations, to reach the target. Share two different ways.

You need: The board and a marker; paperGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Math facts on the wheel

The substitute spins the math facts wheel and students write the answer on whiteboards, showing on the count of three.

You need: The math facts wheel and mini whiteboardsGrades: 1–5 · no paper · projector · 5–15 min

Melting snowman

Pick a word from the class's own reading and draw a blank for each letter. Students guess letters; each miss melts a piece of a snowman you've drawn. Whoever guesses the word picks the next one.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 1–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Number of the day

The substitute writes a number on the board and students show it as many ways as they can: tally marks, tens and ones, a sum, a word, a drawing.

You need: A number written on the boardGrades: K–5 · paper · no screen · 5–15 min

One thing I learned

Students sit in a circle or stay at their desks and each says one thing they learned or enjoyed today. Passing is allowed.

You need: NothingGrades: K–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Pass-along drawing

Each student starts a drawing for one minute, then passes it to the right. Everyone adds to the drawing in front of them for one minute. After five passes, papers go back to where they started.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Silent line-up

Students line up without talking, in order of the first letter of their favorite animal. They may point and use fingers. Check the order together at the end.

You need: NothingGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · silent · out of seats · 10–15 min

Sort it out

Write twelve words or numbers in a jumble. Students sort them into two or three groups and say the rule: odd and even, animals and plants, nouns and verbs.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 1–5 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Squiggle pictures

Draw the same squiggle on everyone's paper, or on the board for them to copy. Students turn it into a picture and give it a title.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: K–5 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Steps across the room

Students guess how many steps it is from the door to the far wall. Two volunteers walk it while the class counts. Whose guess was closest? Try heel-to-toe steps next.

You need: NothingGrades: K–5 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Twenty questions

The substitute thinks of an animal or object and the class asks up to twenty yes-or-no questions to guess it. A student who guesses right leads the next round.

You need: NothingGrades: K–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Twenty-word summary

After any reading or lesson, students write what it was about in exactly twenty words. Read a few aloud. It is harder than it sounds and the room goes quiet.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 4–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Two truths and a lie about the sub

The substitute tells three facts about themselves, one false, and students vote on which is the lie. Then students may ask the sub one question each.

You need: NothingGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Word ladder

Write a three- or four-letter word, like cat. Students change one letter at a time to make a new word each step (cat, cot, dot, dog). Write each rung as they call it out.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Word of the day

Write one interesting word from a book in the room and what it means. Students use it in three sentences of their own: a question, a statement and an exclamation.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Words inside a word

Write a long word on the board, like grasshopper or thunderstorm. Students list every word they can make from its letters in five minutes. Count the longest found.

You need: The board and a marker; paperGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Would you rather warm-up

The substitute spins the would-you-rather wheel and students move to one side of the room or write their choice and one reason. It breaks the ice with a new adult.

You need: The would you rather wheelGrades: K–8 · no paper · projector · out of seats · 5–15 min

6th to 8th grade (33)

Passage with questions

Leave a class set of a grade-level passage with its questions in the sub folder. Students read and answer independently; the sub collects them.

You need: Printed passages at your gradeGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–45 min

Practice sheet by topic

Leave a class set of a math sheet on a topic the class already knows well, so the substitute doesn't need to teach anything new.

You need: Printed practice sheetsGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 20–45 min

Read and sum up

Students read their own books for fifteen minutes, then write one sentence about what happened in the part they read. Collect the sentences for the teacher.

You need: Students' own books; paperGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Silent reading with a log

Students read their own books for twenty minutes and fill in their reading log. The substitute reads too, which keeps the room quiet.

You need: Students' own books and reading logsGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Sudoku

Keep a set of sudoku puzzles at two levels in the folder. Students who finish one try the harder one.

You need: Printed sudoku puzzlesGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–30 min

Themed crossword

Keep copies of a ready-made crossword in the folder, such as space or weather. Students solve it in pairs.

You need: A printed themed crosswordGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · 15–30 min

A letter to the teacher

Students write you a short letter about the day: what they did, what they learned and one question for you. You get a report in their words.

You need: Lined paperGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–20 min

A review of a book

Students write a short review of a book they've read this year: what it's about without the ending, one thing they liked, and who should read it.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–20 min

Five-sentence story from three words

Write three unrelated words on the board, like lantern, pickle and bridge. Students write a five-sentence story that uses all three. Volunteers read theirs.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 15–20 min

Journal prompt

The substitute picks a prompt for your grade and students write for ten minutes in their journals. Leave a note saying where the journals are kept.

You need: The writing prompts pageGrades: 1–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–20 min

Silent ball

Students sit on their desks and toss a soft ball in silence. A dropped ball or a sound means sitting down for the next round, and everyone is back in for each new round.

You need: A soft foam ballGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · silent · out of seats · 5–20 min

Story chain

Start a story with one sentence. Each student adds one sentence in seat order. Anyone may pass. Stop when the story has an ending, or when time runs out, and retell it in three sentences.

You need: NothingGrades: 1–8 · no paper · no screen · 10–20 min

Thirty-second talks

Write easy topics on scraps: a favorite season, the best pet, a game you like. Volunteers draw one and talk for thirty seconds without stopping. Nobody has to go.

You need: Topics written on scraps of paperGrades: 4–8 · no paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Write a word problem

Each student writes a word problem using the math they've been practicing, with the answer on the back. Partners swap and solve.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · 15–20 min

Board relay

Split the class into two teams in lines. Name a category, like animals or things in a kitchen. One student at a time from each team writes a word on the board and hands the marker back. Count words when time is up.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Category game

Spin a letter. Students list a food, an animal, a place and a name starting with that letter in two minutes. Unique answers score a point.

You need: Paper and the letter wheelGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Count the triangles

Draw a big triangle and split it with three or four lines. Students count every triangle they can find, big and small. Ask how they kept track; then add one more line and count again.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Fact or fiction

Read a sentence from a nonfiction book in the room, or one you change so it's false. Students vote fact or fiction, then you read the real sentence.

You need: A nonfiction book or passage from the roomGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Fix the sentences

Write three sentences with mistakes in capitals, spelling and punctuation. Students find and fix them on whiteboards or scrap paper. Go over them together.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Four corners

Ask a question with four answers and point to a corner for each. Students walk to their answer. Ask one person in each corner why they chose it.

You need: Signs A to D in the corners (or call them by wall)Grades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · out of seats · 10–15 min

Longest word from nine letters

Write nine letters on the board, at least three of them vowels. Students make the longest word they can in two minutes. Check the longest ones together.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Make the target

Write four numbers and a target, like 2, 5, 6, 8 and 24. Students use each number once, with any operations, to reach the target. Share two different ways.

You need: The board and a marker; paperGrades: 3–8 · paper · no screen · 10–15 min

Melting snowman

Pick a word from the class's own reading and draw a blank for each letter. Students guess letters; each miss melts a piece of a snowman you've drawn. Whoever guesses the word picks the next one.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 1–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

One thing I learned

Students sit in a circle or stay at their desks and each says one thing they learned or enjoyed today. Passing is allowed.

You need: NothingGrades: K–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Pass-along drawing

Each student starts a drawing for one minute, then passes it to the right. Everyone adds to the drawing in front of them for one minute. After five passes, papers go back to where they started.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Silent line-up

Students line up without talking, in order of the first letter of their favorite animal. They may point and use fingers. Check the order together at the end.

You need: NothingGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · silent · out of seats · 10–15 min

Twenty questions

The substitute thinks of an animal or object and the class asks up to twenty yes-or-no questions to guess it. A student who guesses right leads the next round.

You need: NothingGrades: K–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Twenty-word summary

After any reading or lesson, students write what it was about in exactly twenty words. Read a few aloud. It is harder than it sounds and the room goes quiet.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 4–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Two truths and a lie about the sub

The substitute tells three facts about themselves, one false, and students vote on which is the lie. Then students may ask the sub one question each.

You need: NothingGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Word ladder

Write a three- or four-letter word, like cat. Students change one letter at a time to make a new word each step (cat, cot, dot, dog). Write each rung as they call it out.

You need: The board and a markerGrades: 2–8 · no paper · no screen · 5–15 min

Word of the day

Write one interesting word from a book in the room and what it means. Students use it in three sentences of their own: a question, a statement and an exclamation.

You need: Paper and pencilsGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Words inside a word

Write a long word on the board, like grasshopper or thunderstorm. Students list every word they can make from its letters in five minutes. Count the longest found.

You need: The board and a marker; paperGrades: 2–8 · paper · no screen · silent · 10–15 min

Would you rather warm-up

The substitute spins the would-you-rather wheel and students move to one side of the room or write their choice and one reason. It breaks the ice with a new adult.

You need: The would you rather wheelGrades: K–8 · no paper · projector · out of seats · 5–15 min

Other amounts of time

Up: Substitute teachers · 25 sub-day activities · Brain breaks

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