25 Ways to Build an Online Classroom Community

Hosting online meetings might not be your ideal way to teach but it provides you with some unique opportunities to further build your classroom community. Here I’ve put together 25 ways you can kick off your virtual learning.

1. Scavenger Hunts

Share your screen with your class to project a list of scavenger hunt items they should find in your house. Give them a set time to find and then return with the items to show.

2. Kindness Challenge

A great way to build classroom community is to encourage acts of kindness among your students. Maybe this means continuing recognizing bucket fillers or creating small challenges to show acts of kindness to classmates.

3. Show and Tell

During my first Zoom meeting with my class several of the students couldn’t wait to show me their favorite things and even their bedroom. Why not purposely provide that opportunity?

4. Twenty Questions

twenty questions, 20 questions, online learning

Play 20 questions virtually with your class using a personal item to get your class to learn more about you. Then in future online sessions, students can take turns choosing an item that the class will ask them 20 questions to discover. This is a great way for your students to learn something new about each other.

5. 30 Seconds To Find...

Provide a rule for something students should find in 30 seconds or less. You may choose a color, something with a number, an item starting with a letter of the alphabet, or even a favorite book. If you have time provide just a few seconds for each student to hold up and share what they found.

6. Simon Says

Playing Simon Says can be a fun warm-up before starting a learning activity. It can also be a good way to introduce some rules for the virtual meeting.

7. Directed Drawing Activities

Students love directed drawing activities and it’s another fun way to work on listening skills and setting up expectations for the virtual meeting. My favorite ones are from First Grade Blue Skies and can be found here.

8. Hangman

Using Hangman, you could introduce a key vocabulary term or phrase from the day’s teaching topic. It could also be a fun way to do a positive phrase or class cheer.

9. I Spy

When playing I Spy you could choose something in a student’s home that is visible on their screen so the focus becomes more about learning about their classmates.

10. Best/Worst of Your Day/Week

By having students take turns sharing the best or worst of their day or week, it helps to build classroom community. Students can learn more things about their classmates and what they might have in common.

11. Favorite Stuffed Animal

Allow a 3-4 students at the beginning of each online meeting to share their favorite stuffed animal. Who knows? Maybe other students in your class will have the same stuffed animal at home.

12. Share a Joke

Share a joke and get your class laughing or better yet have students submit your jokes and pick them randomly to share throughout the week or month.

13. Bedroom Tour

Just like in #3, students love a chance to show off their rooms. Pick a student or two each day to wrap up your virtual learning by giving them a chance to give a tour. Promote classroom community by asking students to share something they liked or ask a question.

14. Guess the Number

Playing Guess the Number is a great way to warm up for a math lesson. Depending on what grade level you teach you could make this pretty easy or complicated.

15. Dance Party

Why not have a virtual dance party? Go Noodle would be a fun way to do this and all you have to do is share your screen so your class can participate.

16. Would You Rather

This game is great for building classroom community! Your question choices can range from silly to serious but will help your students learn what they have in common.

17. Mystery Box

Mystery box is not just a great way to tease new content but can really help increase engagement when you're teaching virtually.

18. Science Experiment

Conducting a science experiment is a great way to get students engaged and talking. Sometimes teaching virtually the students can be more shy than usual. Having something for them to make predictions about can not only guide the conversation but get students excited when their predictions or hypothesis is true.

19. Lunch With Teacher

Most primary students would love to have some individual attention from their teacher. Why not host individual or small group lunches with you? Even holding an online meeting during lunchtime with the whole class would be enjoyable for your students.

20. Pajama Party

Throw an online pajama party. I think pajama day is one of my daughter's favorite school dress up days. Students will love being able to "show up" in their pjs.

21. Bedtime Stories

Along with a pajama party, you could show up nightly or weekly to read a bedtime story.

22. Virtual Field Trips

I always find my class seems closer after a field trip. Why not plan a virtual field trip to build classroom community during this time? There are now more options than before to choose from with one of my favorites being the San Diego Zoo.

23. Bingo

Create specialized Bingo boards and play a new game weekly with the class. Topics can range from what you are currently studying, to things found in the home, or key phrases that might be heard during a class meeting. My friend’s school even did a bingo to kick off a staff meeting.

24. Kahoot

To play Kahoot you’ll need to sign into the meeting, then click play and host live and share your screen. You can find the directions here.

25. Spirit Day

Host a virtual spirit day with your class. The Whimsical Teacher promised her students she would show up dressed crazy and rocked a colorful boa and hat.

There you have it – 25 ways you can build classroom community when teaching virtually. I hope you can incorporate some of these ideas whether you use Google Hangouts, Meet, or Zoom.

Need more help to build a community? Check out this related post: Building a VIrtual Classroom Community.