Keep Playing Week 21
Game of the Week: Superstar
This week Playworks is featuring a fun game that gives students the chance to learn about things they have in common with one another, while getting to celebrate them with positive language!
Skill Focus:
Building Community: This week we are working on creating stronger relationships with others by sharing and learning what we all have in common.
Play In-Person
Play Virtually
Simplified Game Instructions
# of people to play: 3+
Best for ages: 5+
Setup/Teaching Time: 3 minutes
Equipment needed: None
Goal: To build a stronger community by learning about each other and finding commonalities.
How to Play:
- Begin the game with everyone standing in a circle.
- Have all participants think of three facts they could share about themselves that are not visible or already known. For example “I wouldn’t share that I have brown hair or that I’m in this class because most others already know that about me. I might share that I have a pet, a certain # of siblings, or my favorite food or activity…”
- The facilitator will start the game by sharing a fact about themselves. For example “I am (insert name) and I have a dog.”
- If others in the group have that in common with the facilitator, they will put their hands up in the air, lunge forward and call out “You’re a SUPERSTAR!”
- Have the player to the left of the facilitator share one of their facts and if anyone has that in common with the player, they will put their hands up in the air, lunge forward and call out “You’re a SUPERSTAR!”
- Keep going around the circle until everyone has had a chance to share a fact about themselves.
Game Debrief
- What did you learn about our community as you were playing the game?
- How does learning more about each other help us build a stronger community?
Game Modifications
Age Group Modifications
- For younger students: split up into smaller groups (~5) and play a round where they share a fact about themselves related to a specific topic (sports, school, favorite recess games, etc).
Another Way to Play
- Have students do a round where they can’t speak and can only use charades to communicate ideas. This is not only fun, but helps students practice their non-verbal communication skills.
Academic Application
- Instead of sharing a fact about themselves, have students share what has been interesting or exciting to learn about in class this week.
Brain Break: Silent Ball
How to Play
- The goal of the game is to pass the ball as many times as possible before the ball hits the ground.
- Students begin by standing behind their desk. Show students how to throw a ball underhand and how to make eye contact with the person they are throwing to.
- The game will begin when the whole class is silent
- If the ball touches the ground or if anyone is not silent – good job, nice try! The group starts over at zero points.
- Try setting a goal for how many different students can get the ball before it hits the ground!
- How many passes can YOUR group complete?
Additional Resources
Sample School Community Announcement
For the month of February we’re continuing to focus on the theme of social awareness. Social awareness helps you tune into your own feelings and notice how they influence your behaviors.
When you are fully self aware, you are more likely to be a better member of your community and help others as well. Our weekly social emotional focus is community building with the game Superstar. Community building helps us identify our role within a larger group, and how we may use our own skills and resources to lift others around us. Having a strong community makes us and others feel safe and ultimately develop a sense of belonging. You can help build a strong community by asking others about themselves and giving a positive response like “that’s awesome” or by sharing something similar about yourself.
Teach students to play in class, and then empower them to lead the game and teach others!
Core Recess Game
In addition to our Keep Playing Game of the Week, we’re sharing bi-weekly Core Recess Games that will help kids be active, practice leadership, maximize recess time, and have fun.
This week, learn to play INTERCEPTION!
Return to the Keep Playing Homepage for archives of past weeks and other helpful resources.