Waiting in line and waiting in the hallway tends to be a unique classroom management problem for elementary educators, especially primary K-2 educators who have long lines waiting to go to the bathroom or especially slow transitions. This past school year I had a 10 minute block of time between lunch and specials during which most of my class needed to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t do any real content with them; the closest I could do was a short read aloud from an ongoing class read aloud. We also had to make sure that students went to the bathroom because bathrooms were extremely limited in all specials classes, music especially. Here were some of the games that I played with my class to keep them busy for that window of time as well as other waiting periods throughout the day and year.
1. Bunny Ears
This is an easy math game for primary students. You may have heard of the concept of subitizing which is when you can visually recognize a number. For instance, if you’re playing a game and roll a 5, you do not need to count up the dots to know it is 5, you recognize it as 5 dots. We can subitize up to 6; beyond that, we break it into smaller parts. We might see an 8 as 4 + 4 for example. This is an important math skill.
The way you play bunny ears is you call out a number and students show you on their fingers while keeping their hands out of their own eyeline at the top of their head. If I call out 7, students could show me 3 on one hand and 4 on the other or 5 on one hand and 2 on the other. You obviously need to keep the numbers between 0-10 unless they can work with a partner to create 20 (although that might better be saved for math class when they can actually talk to one another).
2. Copy the Beat
The way this works is that you or a student leader show a simple beat with their body. For instance, you could clap twice then pat your legs twice. You can add in quiet stomps, snaps, nodding head, patting shoulders, knees, toes, etc. The leader makes the beat of 3 or 4 or 6 and then the class copies or echoes the beat. This is a nice one for students to lead.
3. I Spy
While this isn’t 100% silent, it is an easy game to play in the hallway that involves only one person talking at a time. I will start with, “I spy something… (yellow, blue, square, triangle, etc.)” and then call on students with their hands raised to guess. Whoever guesses correctly can go next and so on.
4. Simon Says
This game is better for if you’re waiting in the classroom (which is a lot of what I did). It’s an easy game to have different students lead, but it can get louder depending on which actions students choose for “Simon” to do.
5. Show Me
This game is similar to Simon Says, but there’s no trick. Everyone does every movement. I also like giving open ended prompts for this such as “show me getting ready in the morning” and students might do all sorts of things. This can be really fun to see their different interpretations and realities. I’ve had kids act like me or different teachers before, too, which is hilarious. More examples include: “Show Me a Triangle” or “Show Me something that starts with /b/ (sound)”. These are quick call outs by the teacher.
6. Make 11
This is an easy activity that promotes counting; you could do any number but I would go higher, not lower, if you’re doing it with a whole class. Each student starts with hands behind their backs. On the count of 3 they hold out their hand showing a fist (0), 1 finger (1), or 2 fingers (2) and then you and other students can try to count up all the fingers. This is a cooperative game because as a class you are trying to make 11. They are really motivated to work together to try to “win.”
7. Sign Language
It can be fun and interesting to learn sign language. One way to do this is to show a simple sign language motion (yes, you’ll need to research some to know some words) and have students raise their hands to guess what it means. You can use letters of the alphabet, too! If you re-use many of the same motions, then students can start to learn them and guess more correctly.
8. Animal Charades
Charades is by nature a silent game. I like to play charades specifically focused on animals because it helps narrow down choices in an easy way. It’s also fairly relatable and fun to act out. Most students can think of different kinds of animals more easily than many other potential categories. Students do tend to need enough space in the hallway to make this work. I teach how to play this game on my carpet in the classroom with everyone in a circle around the actor so they get used to the idea that they must stay in a small area even if they move quickly to represent a cheetah, for example.
9. Breathing and Visualization Exercises
I went through a yoga4classrooms training some years ago now and I picked up their yoga cards. They are color coded by theme: standing poses, sitting poses, visualization, breathing, and movement. The purple visualization cards are some of my favorites and they can be a great activity for the hallway. Have students imagine their favorite place, imagine hugging a stuffed animal, do a loving-kindness meditation, imagine being in a car and watching fields go by, imagine a warm light shining down on them, etc. If you just calmly talk in the hallway as students close their eyes and think, this can be a really enjoyable way to spend a few minutes waiting.
10. Stretching or Yoga Poses
You can use those same yoga cards I mentioned above for short standing poses in the hallway such as tree, chair, star, and so on. Having students do basic stretches like pulling their fingers gently up and back to stretch their wrists or make mini leg circles or leaning from one side to the other is a great way to keep students moving and their bodies active while their voices have to be off. This is especially great on a day you know they are not getting stretching in PE/gym.
I hope these give you a few new ideas for those awkward moments when you just have to wait quietly! I think students don’t always realize that these can be annoying moments for us, too. It doesn’t mean these moments can’t be enjoyable, though!
Charmed by Challenge 
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