Multisensory Monday: Sticky Note Scramble

Happy Monday everyone! Today we share some suggestions on incorporating learning, movement and yes, sticky notes! Put those sticky notes to good use with the following interactive games. Sure to motivate students of varying ages (even on a Monday).

Sticky Note Scramble

Kindergarten 

Write each letter, A through Z, on sticky notes and place randomly around the classroom. Have a nursery rhyme song set to play on a player (computer, etc.). Have your students sit in a circle. When you say “go” students get up, find a letter and return back to their place in the circle by the time the song is over. Work as a class to place the letters in ABC order in the center of the circle.

This can also be practiced at home between child and caregiver. If the activity is played 1-1, the caregiver would place letters around a room at home, and play a nursery rhyme song. While the song is playing, the child gathers as many sticky notes as possible before the song is finished. Any missed letters can be pulled by the caregiver. Work together to build the alphabet. Singing the alphabet is always encouraged!

1st Through 2nd Grade

Write words or syllables that contain a vowel sound(s) or any phonetic skill you want to highlight on sticky notes. Place the notes randomly around the room (while students aren’t looking). Have your students sit in a circle and select one student to begin searching. Have a stopwatch ready, and only give each student 10 seconds to find as many words as possible. When the 10 seconds are up, the student places the sticky notes in the center of the circle. Pick the next student to find as many words as possible, in 10 seconds. When all sticky notes have been found, work as a class to sort by vowel sound or the phonetic skill you want to highlight. Students participating in remote-learning or homeschooling can play 1-1 or in small group with their caregiver/teacher.

Variations: Work together to create sentences with the post-it words found. This is a great way to practice syntax! If working 1-1 or small group, try syllabicating unfamiliar, multisyllabic words.

3rd Through Fifth Grade

Write previously-learned Greek/Latin roots on sticky notes and place randomly around the room. Provide the class a list of base words without the roots. When the teacher says “begin,” students search the room for roots that will build onto the base words in their list. For example, if their base word was “ject” and they found “pro” on a sticky note, they would join the two and write on their page. Whoever completes their words sheet wins!

Variations: Students share the words they built with the class, explaining the meaning of their new words with the addition of the roots. You can also turn this into a math challenge! I personally love to do this game with multiplication facts. Ask students a multiplication problem (3×4). Students then have to search the room for the product (12). The student with the most sticky notes in the end wins the challenge.

Written by Tony Puente

Tony is a Brainspring Tutor and Livestream Facilitator with Brainspring Educator Academy.

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