Buy enough Blow Pops (Blow Pops, not cheap suckers – students have to LIKE what you use) for three times the amount of students and staff you have. Take string or yarn, cut it at arms’ width and tie them to the individual “Blow Pops.” You now have enough “Blow Pop” Necklaces for each student and staff to have three.
As students and staff arrive, place three Blow Pop necklaces on their necks. Inform them that they can not use the word “I” until a designated time (when you usually bring things together and start). If you use the word “I” and someone catches you, they can have one of your Blow Pop necklaces. This can be quite funny because when someone catches someone else, they usually blow it by saying, “I caught you!” or, “I get one of your necklaces!”
At the end of this time, give away a prize (besides Blow Pops) for the person with the most necklaces.
You can also use “Ring Pops” instead of “Blow Pops.”
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.
Recommended To You
Michelle Sparks
April 3, 2012 at 12:00 amI just started teaching the tweens and used this on the first day when I was asking them questions about themselves. They had a blast! They have asked to do it again since then.