When a unit is finished, an event alters the school schedule, or large portion of the class is gone on a field trip with one teacher, it is time to reach for the game shelf. There have been some fun additions to the world of board games, and kids like having the opportunity to play games with a lot of other kids. Most kids do have a few friends or siblings to play chess or monopoly with, but the games that are more fun with a lot of people are especially fun in a gifted class room.
Add Quelf to Gifted Classroom Library
The most inventive addition to a middle school or junior high gifted classroom library is Quelf, which is best played with eight kids. The game says it is for ages 12 and up, but by pulling inappropriate and impractical cards, the teacher could make it friendly for ages 10 and up. The cards that need to be pulled will fall into two categories:
- cards that make people uncomfortable (such as cards requiring players to give wedgies), and
- cards that are impossible in the classroom (such as cracking an egg, which is an unlikely classroom supply).
There are over 500 cards, so teachers should set aside an hour before playing to pull the cards. No matter what age students are playing, teachers should plan to pull cards because some of them are not classroom friendly.
Quelf is particularly suited for gifted kids because it demands a wide range of playful thinking. There are five categories of cards:
- Stuntz, which requires physical acts
- Showbiz, which requires improvisational cleverness
- Quizzle, which requires quick thinking answers
- Rulez, which requires performance under limitations and
- Scatterbrainz, which requires everyone to respond in fluent thinking.
The game takes about an hour, but it is not like monopoly, where a clear goal to win emerges. The fun from the game comes from playing, not reaching the end, so it could be played for twenty minutes with great joy and students wouldn't mind putting it away without reaching the end.
Cranium Wow by Gifted-friendly Game Company
The most gifted-friendly game company in business is Cranium. The legendary game Cranium is updated with the game Cranium Wow, which can accommodate flexible numbers of kids by allowing four teams. It can be a game for four kids or eight kids, and like Quelf, it involves expansive thinking opportunities. Cranium Wow is an upgrade from the original Cranium game, and players get to draw, sculpt, act, and show off other talents by doing the activities on the cards.
Cranium is a game for second grade gifted kids and older, and since it is more structured than Quelf, it is easier to see the end of the game in sight. It takes about 40 minutes to play Cranium with four people, but the time can vary because it really depends on how deeply involved with the game kids can get. It is nice to have extra clay on hand for the sculpting so that everyone has some, instead of depending on the small amount in the box.
It is tempting to push kids to always be working, researching, and producing, but game days are a necessary break. Building classroom communities creates an atmosphere where kids can take risks, and by taking risks, kids learn more. Adding a few refreshing updates to the gifted classroom game library, such as Quelf and Cranium Wow, is worth the expense and time because students are bonding as they play together.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
