The teacher didn’t leave enough work and there’s 2 hours of school left! Ok, I’m exaggerating – but only slightly! You need an incentive or the students need a break or you need a break from gr. 8 math!! Here are some fun games.

1. Wink Murder – Everyone closes their eyes and you tap one person on the head. They are the murderer. Everyone walks around and the murderer winks at people. When a person is winked at, they wait 5 seconds and then die – preferably a loud, glorious death. Other students are allowed to guess who they think the murderer is. If they are wrong, they die too. The game is over when someone guesses correctly or everyone has died.

2. 10 – Students sit in their desk and the students count to 10, one student counting one number at a time. The first student says 1, the second student says 2, the third student says 3 etc. The student who says 10 sits down. Students are allowed to count 1 or 2 numbers. For example, the first student could say 1 or 1 and 2. If the first student says 1 and 2 the next student can say 3 or 3 and 4. Intermediate students love this game as soon as they realize the strategy involved allows them to “get” someone to sit down or not.

3. Heads up 7 up – A classic game. Students sit in their desk and put their heads down. You pick 7 students who go around the room and touch one student each. As soon as a student is touched, they put up their thumb so nobody else touches them. When all the students have touched someone, they come to the front of the class. Everyone raises their heads and the students who were touched guess who it was that touched them. If they get it right, they trade places with the person at the front of the room.