Activity Ideas for Spanish Class That Will Save Your Sanity!

¡Hola profes!  I hope you’re doing well today!  We have officially made it to March – warmer weather and sunnier days are coming!  Do you have spring break this month?  Ours is in three weeks, not that I’m counting or anything! 🤣

I’ll be honest with you, profes – there have been a few days recently where I’ve been STRUGGLING.  My energy level has definitely been lower than it was in the first semester, and at times, it has been tough to find my motivation to do all the teacher things that need doing – the planning, grading, LMS management, email upkeep, parent contact, etc.  

Can you relate?  If not, I’m so glad for you (and also a little jealous!), but if so – know that you’re not alone, and I’m sending hugs your way!  

This week, I thought it might be helpful to talk about some activities to incorporate into your classes when you’re having a tough time, but want to still show up for your students.  Here are some that have been absolute saving graces in my classroom over these past few weeks:

#1: Puzzles and Games

Puzzles and games are fantastic for tired teachers because students love them.  Sometimes, students can get really into a game or puzzle and are just so engaged in class that it can give us a little energy boost too!  When students are engaged in our class activities, we don’t have to spend as much time managing behaviors, which can be exhausting.  Incorporating games and puzzles can help us avoid another situation that zaps our energy sources.  But perhaps the best of all is that, once we get our students started, they do the heavy lifting!  We can circulate, observe, and offer assistance when needed, but the students are the ones doing most of the work.  

Here are some of my (and my students’!) favorite puzzles and games:

1. Board Games.  Board games are fantastic for days when you’re not feeling your best.  They are low-prep and easy to explain to students.  But board games aren’t just frivolous fun – they are great ways for sneaking in learning – students are getting practice that they need to master the concepts you’re studying, but they’re having so much fun, they don’t realize that they’re learning!  What’s more, board games can be used with virtually any topic you’re studying! 
2. Jeopardy Games.  While Jeopardy games aren’t as hands-off for teachers, they are a student favorite and can increase the energy and motivation level of any classroom!  Jeopardy is a surefire way to get students’ attention, and keep it throughout the class period!  My students tend to get very competitive and work well with their teammates so that they can win!  What I love most about Jeopardy games is that they are versatile.  Regardless of what your students are currently learning in class, you can come up with some trivia questions for them to answer.  Furthermore, they’re pretty easy to create – once you have a template or a game-play format that works for you, you can simply edit it to meet your needs!  Here’s how I like to play Jeopardy in my classes! 
3. Scrambled Sentences Puzzles.  Okay, so this one requires a little more prep work in the beginning, but once that part is done, using a scrambled sentences puzzle is a surefire way to keep your students engaged and working throughout the class period!  Depending on how you decide to set up this activity, Scrambled Sentences Puzzles can be challenging for even your best Spanish students, meaning you won’t have to worry about off-task behavior or being under-planned for class.  Making scrambled sentences puzzles is easy – all you have to do is write some (6-9) sentences in Spanish pertaining to the topics you’ve been studying.  The sentences can be as simple or complex as you like, as appropriate for your students!  Then, you type them up in large font, print as many sets as you’ll need for your class, laminate them, and cut out each individual word.  Place each set of mixed-up sentences into a plastic baggie or an envelope for safe-keeping.

Trust me when I tell you, profes, that these activities are worth whatever time it takes to create them!  But I completely get it if the thought of making one new activity is overwhelming.  Good  news, though – I’ve made them for you!  Save yourself the time and energy needed to make these activities by grabbing one of my ready-to-use resources below:

#2: Projects

When I just need a few consecutive days of my students working independently on an assignment while still reinforcing the concepts that we’re studying in class, I love turning to projects.  There’s  not too much prep work involved with making a project – you just need a set of instructions outlining what you want your students to do, and a rubric or checklist that tells students how you are going to assess them.  Once you have these in place, the students will do the rest!  

The great news about projects is that, once you’ve created one set of directions and a checklist/rubric for a topic, you can probably reuse at least parts of them for other projects!  I don’t think I’ve ever had to completely reinvent the wheel once I had a project rubric that I liked.

Furthermore, the majority of your students are going to enjoy completing a project.  They like opportunities to be creative and to personally connect with the content!  On any given day, I have at least one student that asks if we’ll be starting a new project soon!  Another great reason to go with a project is that, when done well, they can be truly wonderful learning experiences for students; they aren’t busy work activities that are unrelated to your course material.  

Are you studying any of these topics now, or soon?  Grab one of these projects to save yourself time and sanity while also providing a valuable learning activity for your students:

#3: Self-Checking Activities

Self-correcting activities are AMAZING tools for the exhausted teacher.  They help your students practice the material that you’re currently studying on their own, and also provide immediate feedback about correct/incorrect answers.  There are sites and apps out there  with automated grading, and students can know right away what they did well and where they can improve.  At the same time, you do not have to review students’ answers manually.  It’s a win-win for everyone!

Here are some ways that you can create self-checking activities: 

1. Google Forms.  Google Forms are easy to create and share with your students via email or your LMS like Google Classroom or Canvas.  You can create various types of questions and can automate answers.  As soon as your students submit the Form, you will receive data about how they did and you can choose to let students see this data too, providing them with the feedback that they need to understand how well they’re understanding the content!
2. Boom Cards.  Boom Cards are digital task cards which tell students immediately if they have the correct answer!  Students can retry until they get the answer correct.  You can use Boom Cards for free, with advanced reporting features available with upgraded memberships. 
3. Blooket and Gimkit.  These sites are not only fun for students, but they provide them with feedback about how they are doing with course material!  If you have premium memberships, you can keep track of this data yourself as well.
4. Quiz feature on your LMS.  I use Canvas and using the quiz feature with auto-grading has been a game-changer!  To reduce instances of answer-sharing, you can randomize question order and use question banks so that each student will be presented with a customized set of questions.  If your LMS has such a feature, it can save you HOURS of time manually grading students’ responses, saving your energy when you’re feeling tapped out. 

Want to try a FREE, ready-to-use Boom Cards deck?  Check out this one on weather and seasons!

Not currently studying the weather?  No worries!  I have other Boom Cards decks that you may be interested in:

I hope this was helpful and that you found some ideas that you can use in your classroom!  Remember: if this is a tough time for you, you’re not in it alone, and I’m always here for you! ❤️ If you have any questions about these activities, feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an email.  Have a wonderful week, profes!