Children need time to socialize and have fun, even online. Games are a great way to do that…but how? In this on-going, drop-in class, the students will be playing interactive games as a way to learn socializing skills.

I will lead the games, with the goal that the students will be the primary players and I will only be a resource to prepare and facilitate the games, as well as conduct classroom management. Some games require that I play along.

The games will primarily be interactive (everyone can play or see the game on the screen,) or acted out like charades. The games will change weekly and will be repeated occasionally. I will ultimately decide which games will be played every week, but I allow the group to request games or types of games every week.

Classes vary for each section and are posted weekly in the classroom.

*Games may change due to attendance, class choice, or technical issues
 
Some important information about the class:
-	The students will be sent to a website and given a class code or I will share my screen. 
-	There may be occasional apps to download, but I will only use free websites and apps. 
-	There will be nothing to purchase.
-	No printing will be required.
-	No prior knowledge necessary. Some games may be about space or superheroes, but often the trivia games are random.
-	The games are teacher and student tested.
-	The games are user friendly and very little explanation is needed to use the games.
-       The games are used on family friendly mode which gives them a 10+ rating (or below.)
-	Only private rooms will be used.
-	If an online game is used, I will provide the game website in the classroom message page.
-	If an online game is used, the classroom code will be provided just prior to the start of class.
-	Please make sure that the website is not blocked / does not have parental permissions.

The main website will be posted in the classroom by Monday (usually Sunday night,) and any room codes will be posted when the student arrives in class. If your student has a parental blocker, please unblock the game of the week's website so that they can play.

I spend many hours a week searching for new games to constantly add fun to the class for the students who stay long-term. In order to play a new game, I believe it must be: age appropriate, available in a private room (no outsiders can play with us,) meets the time limit, and teacher and teen tested.

A few of the games will include:

Brawlhalla- A PvP game where players can battle it out as individuals or teams, with special modes such as snowball fights and monster versions. Using your earned coins from the game, you can upgrade your character, skins, weapons, etc. This game will be played in a private room with only our class. This can be played across many devices.

Among Us: This game has been played over and over and requires an app. One student is the imposter while the others are the crew members. The crew members have to figure out who the imposter is before the imposter is the last one left.

Skribbl, Drawize, and Drawasaurus: three different versions of online Pictionary (Skribble is our most often used)

Papergames.io: this online game has a super-fun version of battleship, connect 4, and tic tac to, with fun emojis to spend their winning coins on.

Drawphone/ Gartic Phone: A game where you draw the prompt, pass, name the prompt, draw again, pass, etc...until you end up with something completely different than what you started with. Similar to the Telephone game, but with pictures and quite hilarious. 

Uno: This is a quick and easy to play game that is friendly to those who don't know how to play. This online version will even tell you which cards you can play. Its fun, fast, and we usually play several hands in one class.

Buddy Board Games: Various card games such as Uno, Crazy 8's, Yahtzee, and Farkle.

A quiz game similar to Jeopardy:  I will create the themes and add the trivia questions used. Whenever possible, I will utilize themes of interest to the students to make the games pertinent to their interest.

Bingo: I will offer themed BINGO, so we can play this game on different weeks and never play the same game twice. 

Stickman/ Spaceman: I have several pre-made PowerPoint hangman-style games to play. The words might be random to go with the Stickman theme, or Space related to go with the Alien and Spacecraft theme.

Roblox: By request. I only use this for small sections where the entire class can play. Some students do not have Roblox and therefore I will not use this game for that section. I currently have one section who plays Roblox. 



About my class: Since this is a social class, I prefer the students to remain unmuted and cameras on, but I understand that every student will have their own comfort level. Once a student has identified themselves, they are welcome to turn their camera off. I will only mute a student if the background noise, or their talking is hindering the game play and enjoyment of other students. Talking to each other during a game and laughing is encouraged. 
Inappropriate language, bullying, or other off-setting behaviors will not be tolerated. 

Class will start on-time, with a short delay for students to log in to the game. If the student is late, they may join late (if possible) or watch my shared screen (if possible.) Some games may only have one round.

Please feel free to contact me for any questions.