Quiet time is a purposeful and peaceful way to recharge mid-day. It’s even great for teachers to take that extra couple of minutes to recharge as well! If you don’t do quiet time right now, or you’re looking for fresh new ideas to spice up this section of your day, here are 12 quiet activities for the classroom that your students guaranteed to love!
If quiet time were a meal, it would be breakfast…because it’s the most important part of the day! Get it? Maybe that was a bit of a stretch. But seriously, this teacher loves quiet time. It’s a part of our day that feels so essential, especially at this point in the school year.
We typically have quiet time after lunch, because they come back into the classroom all riled up. It’s a great way to settle down and get our brains ready to learn for the long afternoon stretch. Quiet time also aligns with Responsive Classroom! Transitions back to the classroom can always be tricky.
Quiet Time Activity 1 – Yoga
There are so many amazing benefits to doing yoga. At the end of the day, it is one of the most peaceful activities to incorporate into your daily schedule with your students. A great channel to subscribe to is Cosmic Kids Yoga! They have super kid-friendly videos and there are endless options to choose from! Not only are they engaging, but they are simply adorable!
P.S. If your kiddos love yoga and want more, the CORE Binder has some super cute yoga visuals!
2 – Independent Reading
In my classroom, we call this read to self. But you might call it something else! Reading is such a relaxing activity. It’s quiet, it’s calm, and it’s a great way to tie in academics! One way to make this more enticing is to put out specific books dedicated to quiet time each day or week. Offering select choices might motivate students to pick up a book that they’ve never read before!
3 – Directed Drawings
There are two really good options for this one. Let me start by saying I do BOTH of these options with my students. And BOTH are a hit in our classroom! The first is to do a directed drawing on paper, which Education to the Core so graciously provides us. There are two volumes to choose from–you could do one a day for all 180 days of school and still have some leftover! You can also give students options to choose from. Choice is always a huge motivator!
The next option is Art for Kids Hub, which is a YouTube channel that provides directed drawings from a father & daughter/son duo! Videos range anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. There are so many to choose from. Talk about options overload!
Quiet Time Activity 4 – Fidgets (aff)
Fidgets are referred to as tools in our classroom, that assist us when learning. However, when the ten minutes of quiet time rolls around, my students know that they are allowed full access to the fidget cart, as long as they are using them in a quiet (obviously) and expected way. Because although fidgets are great tools to use for students who need them…let’s be honest, they’re pretty fun to play with too.
5 – Coloring
This one feels simple but it’s honestly a fan favorite in our classroom. Whether I put out a tray of printer paper and say go to town, or print off coloring pages, students love having time to color or draw. We typically limit it to just coloring, because as soon as the scissors and glue come out, we suddenly have a huge mess on our hands. With quiet time, the goal is that they get their brains ready to learn again, but the goal is also quick transitions back to learning. And I’ve learned that scissors + glue do not equal the road to a quick transition. (However, we love breaking out all the tools during indoor recess!)
P.S. If you want to tie in academics to this time of your day, try out an Education to the Core Color by Number. I promise your students won’t be disappointed!
6 – Hidden Picture
There are some really fun “Guess the Picture” videos on YouTube that are a real hit in our classroom, but by nature, these can rile the kids up with their guesses and creativity (which is fair). If your students like the concept of hidden pictures, but you need something more low-key for quiet time, Education to the Core has a variety of Hidden Picture activities spread throughout their various monthly packets. All of which can be easily downloaded with one click on our Premium Membership website! Just search “hidden picture” and you’ll see all the wonderful choices we have available.
7 – Mindfulness
What do you think of when you think of GoNoodle? I know, craziness right? That’s what I think of too! GoNoodle can be a great indoor recess activity, movement break activity, or “we need to fill this random ten minutes” activity. But did you know that there are SEL and Mindfulness videos on GoNoodle? Score! In addition to this section, there are also some really great categories under Movement (stretch, breath) that can be incorporated into your quiet time routine as well! And if you need something to build off of this with, try pulling resources from Education to the Core’s Social Emotional Learning resource!
Quiet Time Activity 8 – Play-doh (aff)
An underrated classroom material that I am obsessed with, but not great about using on a day-to-day basis. Our classroom play-doh is stored on our math manipulative shelf, and until students ask to use it during recess or quiet time, it just sits there. Unused. Sad and alone. We do an exploration of play-doh at the beginning of the year, so students know how to use it, I just forget to make it a choice! If you’re like me and you have untouched containers of play-doh just dying to be used, try making play-doh a quiet time choice. It can be unstructured, or if your students crave structure, give them something to try and build!
9 – Puzzles
Another untouched area of my classroom. Stored away amidst numerous more popular indoor recess choices, are tons of puzzles, used and new! Puzzles are something that everyone instantly donated to my classroom as a new teacher, and now they just sit there on a shelf, waiting to be used. Puzzles are not only quiet and calm but a great way to allow students to work with others and practice some structured play. A great way to naturally promote life skills such as collaboration and (quiet) communication!
Quiet Time Activity 10 – Word Searches
Word searches are a favorite pastime (and present time) of mine, and can easily be connected to various subject areas or holidays! I typically will put out themed word searches as a fast finisher activity, but quiet time is a great way to switch up the options and get their brains warmed up for the remainder of the school day. If you need some academic-based word searches, check out the options on Premium Membership. Just search “word search” and find a variety of sight word or spelling pattern options to practice!
11 – Flashlight Reading
Flashlights don’t have to be something you use every day, but could certainly be something your students could earn as a reward for a Fun Friday treat every once in a while! I got this super cute set of mini flashlights from Amazon to keep in my classroom for special occasions. A simple but fun way to motivate your kiddos to do some afternoon reading either by themselves or partner reading with a friend!
Quiet Time Activity 12 – Listen to Reading
There are so many amazing platforms to have students listen to reading on. Some of my favorites include Epic, Vooks, and Storylineonline! Throw a story on the smartboard, and use this time to get yourself ready for the afternoon. If you want to extend this activity and tie in academics, have students either rate the story and draw their favorite part, or write about their favorite part afterward!
Teachers, I am challenging you to try at least one of these quiet time activities before the year is up! Snap a picture while your class is exploring a new option and tag us on Instagram or Tiktok so we can connect with you! We can’t wait to see what you do in your classrooms to transform quiet time into the best part of the day!
WRITTEN BY – SARAH POQUETTE
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