Introduction

In the world of education, especially when working with students in special education, it’s essential to create an inclusive and supportive environment. One way to achieve this is by incorporating principles of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into everyday activities. SEL helps students develop essential life skills, such as understanding and managing emotions, building positive relationships, and making responsible decisions. In this blog post, we’ll introduce a fun, no-prep activity that encourages creativity and inclusion while fostering SEL among students: Movie Freeze Tag.

No-Prep Activity: Movie Freeze Tag

Movie Freeze Tag is a simple yet engaging activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. Here’s how to play:

1. Divide students into two teams – one team will be the taggers, and the other team will be the runners.
2. The taggers’ goal is to “freeze” the runners by tagging them. Once a runner is tagged, they must stand still, with their feet apart and arms outstretched.
3. To become unfrozen, a teammate must crawl between the frozen player’s legs and say the name of a movie. This encourages creative thinking and teamwork.
4. The game continues until all runners are frozen or a predetermined time limit has been reached. Teams can then switch roles, allowing everyone to experience both tagging and running.

Movie Freeze Tag promotes inclusion by encouraging students to listen to others’ ideas, share their thoughts, and work together. It also helps develop creativity, as students must think of movie titles to unfreeze their teammates.

Discussion Questions

After playing Movie Freeze Tag, consider facilitating a conversation with your students using the following discussion questions:

1. How did it feel to work together and listen to each other’s ideas during the game?
2. Why is it important to be inclusive and consider everyone’s ideas when playing games or participating in group activities?
3. Can you think of other situations where it’s essential to listen to others and share your thoughts?
4. How did using movie titles in the game help you think creatively?
5. What other games or activities can you modify to include elements of creativity and inclusion?

Related Skills

Movie Freeze Tag not only promotes inclusion and creativity but also helps students develop other valuable SEL skills, such as:

• Communication: Students must effectively communicate with their teammates to unfreeze them and share movie titles.
• Collaboration: The game encourages students to work together and rely on their teammates to achieve a common goal.
• Empathy: Students learn to understand and appreciate the feelings and perspectives of their peers.
• Problem-solving: Players must think quickly and strategically to navigate the game and help their teammates.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve learned about Movie Freeze Tag and its benefits in promoting SEL, we encourage you to incorporate this activity into your classroom or group settings. If you’re interested in exploring more SEL activities and resources, sign up for free samples at Everyday Speech. You’ll find a wealth of materials designed to support the social-emotional development of your students.