Fun Fridays are a great way to end a week of hard work and reward your students with some free time and fun activities. It’s an amazing way to give your students some time to socialize and just be kids. But what should you do during that Fun Friday free time?
You may decide to do the same activity each Friday and stick with a routine, or you may switch it up each week. Enjoy this list of 17 Fun Friday Activities you can try in your classroom. #4, #8, and #10 are a favorite among my students! 🎉
Whether you like to use loud or quiet activities during your Fun Fridays, you can find them on Education to the Core Premium. STEM bin challenges… you can find them on Premium. I Spy printables… on Premium. Directed drawings… we have those. Outdoor activities… they’re on Premium too. Give it a try for $1.00 and see all of the amazing resources available to you.
1. Free Play for Fun Friday
“Free play! They can pick computers, coloring, building, etc. I also let them bring something small on Fridays from home if it’s appropriate and they’re willing to share… like those beloved Pokémon cards.” -Carly F.
2. Building with Blocks
Students can get creative while building with LEGO, Lincoln Logs, foam, or pattern blocks. Give them the opportunity to build freely, or if you want to make it academic, have them use pattern blocks to create pictures, CVC words, or other activities. These 1:1 Pattern Block Centers let your students practice essential ELA and Math skills while having some serious FUN!!!
3. Special Guest Appearance
Invite a special guest to read to your class or play a game. Some of our teachers even choose to bring in their four-legged friends. (If your school will allow this of course.)
“I do Feline First Friday! 
My cat comes to school with me on the first Friday of the month. Tomorrow will be our last one for the year!” -Laura S.
4. Fun Friday Directed Drawings
Your students will love being able to create drawings by following simple step-by-step instructions and then adding in details and coloring.
“We do a lot of directed drawings for fun Fridays!” -Sarah G.
“We do fun drawings. This week is butterflies because our caterpillars will be becoming butterflies soon.” -Eve D.
5. Yoga
Send your students into the weekend relaxed and stretched by doing some yoga exercises at the end of the day. Cosmic Yoga is a great channel for kid-friendly yoga activities.
6. Dance Party
Put on some Kids Bop tunes and boogie down! 🕺 Students love to let loose a little and have a dance party. We will even find a dance challenge on YouTube and see who can follow the steps.
“Disco Dance Party! I bought a $12 disco ball from Amazon and I play Go Noodle guided dances!” -Rachel K.
7. Conduct a Show and Tell for Fun Friday
This activity is as old as time. There isn’t a child in the world who doesn’t enjoy bringing in a favorite toy from home for Show and Tell. And after everyone has had their chance to share, give them some time to play with their toys in the classroom.
8. STEM Projects or Bins
STEM projects are great because students get to practice valuable problem-solving and teamwork skills. Try our STEM and Story Challenges, which connect a favorite read-aloud storybook with a given STEM challenge. And they are pretty quick to complete, so perfect for a Fun Friday activity.
9. Movie and a Snack
We have had many teachers tell us that they will watch an episode of Magic School Bus or another show on PBS Kids, or watch pieces of a movie each week. Just make sure that you have permission from parents and school admin before popping that movie in or turning on the show. Have students that prefer to do something else while the movie is going on? A coloring sheet is always a quiet alternative.
10. Flashlight Fun Friday
This Fun Friday activity is the BEST!!! Each student gets to grab a few books to read and you pass out flashlights to them. Then they go and pick a comfy spot somewhere in the classroom to read. Once everyone is settled and ready, the overhead lights are turned off and everyone flicks on their flashlights. Your students will love reading this way.
“Flashlight Friday! I darken the room and we use flashlights for silent reading (under desks and tables).” -Sandy F.
“Flashlight Friday…shut off the lights, let them find a spot, give them a flashlight, let them enjoy a good book!” -Amy L.
11. Spend Your Fun Friday in the Great Outdoors
Take your students outside for those last 15-20 minutes. There are so many different activities and games you can do. Plant flowers, take a nature walk, have an extra recess, chalk the walk, or play Red Rover or Duck Duck Goose. Set up an obstacle course with hula hoops and cones, using part of the playground as well. The possibilities are endless and everyone gets some fresh air too! ☀️
12. Play Group Games
Have a Jeopardy or Kahoot game handy at all times and when Fun Friday rolls around, get the kids set up to play it. They will have so much fun working in teams to answer the questions.
13. Coloring for Fun Friday
Students can color on large pieces of butcher paper spread out around the room. You can tape the paper to the walls and let them “graffiti” the classroom. Or, weave in some academic coloring with Color By Code activities.
14. Favorite Fun Friday Websites
With 1:1 technology being more present in many schools, you can allow your students to choose a fun website for the afternoon. Some favorites of our colleagues include: Mystery Science, EPIC, PBS Kids, ABCya, Prodigy, Boom Cards, iReady, ST Math, Blooket and the list goes on and on. 💻
15. Board Games
Dust off those old board games in the closet and let your students have a blast! They will be learning academic and social skills while having FUN! Some favorites include Candyland, Yahtzee, Chess, The game of LIFE, and Trouble. Or play a few games of Simon Says or Heads Up 7-Up.
16. Treat Tasting on Fun Friday
❤️❤️❤️ this idea!!!
“I do Taste Test Friday. I bring in new varieties or things they probably haven’t tried before, like black licorice or biscuit and gravy potato chips. The all-time favorite from the several years that I’ve done it is Wax Bottle Pops. They then draw a picture of it and write about it in their journals. I still have kids from 7 years ago when I started, ask about it.” -Kimberly J.
17. Balloon Bop
Blow up a bunch of balloons and give each student one. To play the game, students have to keep their balloon from hitting the floor by bopping it into the air. If you need more space, take this game outside. 🎈
So, let’s get ready to have A LOT of fun on Fridays with our students. Which activity are you going to try first? And… if you have any other Fun Friday Activities to add to this list, please do so in the comments below.
Written by: Janessa Fletcher
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