10 Energizer Games And Activities For High School Students

Are you ready to create a fun and exciting learning environment for students? If yes, you certainly should consider providing them with ways of fun and liveliness in the class. Energizer games and activities act as helpful tools to create a sense of enthusiasm and energy in high school students. While you might get confused with icebreaker activities, energizer activities are not meant for a specific purpose.

Energizer games and activities serve various purposes and you can use them to initiate conversations, welcome students after a break, or simply lift their morale after tiring weeks of school projects. So, let’s not stick to the traditional motivational speeches because it is time to fill the class with fun, excitement, and energy. In this article, you will find super helpful games and activities that help foster a fun learning environment with maximum student involvement.

Kickstart the learning journey with energizer games and activities 

Just as get-to-know-you questions help students discover each other, energizer games and activities almost do a similar job. However, they are more fun and practical where students run, talk, roam around, feel the energy, and actively participate to win. The below-mentioned games and activities are helpful ways to spark energy in the classroom.

1. You are Cornered! 

High schoolers, get ready to run and rush towards corners of the classroom. This game is super fun and indeed ignites enthusiasm in students. For this game, take the four corners of the play area or the classroom. Name these corners which could be 4 different subjects, country names, or colors. 

Play the music and students need to run around. As the music stops, they need to select a corner and stand there. Now, announce the name of a specific corner and students standing in that corner need to rush to other corners. While running, the facilitator has to try to catch one or more players before they reach their corner. The player caught will be out and the game continues till there is just one student left.

2. Do it Together

Energizer activities become more fun when students get an opportunity to participate with enthusiasm. For this game, divide the students into teams of two members each. One team member must pronounce the 26 letters of the alphabet backward for this game (from Z to A). At the same time, the other team member needs to blow balloons. 

If the first team member speaking the alphabet goes wrong, the other team member needs to pop one balloon. The same goes on till the first team member completes the alphabet. The team with the maximum number of blown balloons wins the game.

3. Who am I?

At times, high schoolers do need to take a break from their everyday schedules and try something fun. This is a perfect activity to create laughter and encourage conversations between students. For this game, print different emoticons and stick them on placards. Divide the students into teams of 3 members each.

Now, one member from each group takes the responsibility of acting while the other two have to guess. Keep a timer for 2 minutes. The members take a placard and act like an emoticon. For example, if it is an angry emoticon, the student needs to show such facial expressions. The team with the maximum right guesses wins the game.

4. Pop Pop Pop!

This energizer game is totally fun and certain to burst laughter in the class. For this game, you need many balloons and a roll of thread. Give one balloon to each student and make sure it is a combination of different colored balloons. Now, ask them to blow the balloons and tie them to their ankles with the help of a thread.

Once done, play the music and students need to start moving around. The main idea is that students need to burst each other’s balloons and save their own. However, with a twist, they can only burst balloons of similar colors that match their balloons. The student who stays with an unpopped balloon at the end wins the game.

5. Soapy Waters

Energizer games like this one are certain to initiate happy conversations and fun in the class. For this game, you shall need a play area where students can run and even get dirty. You need to fill the bucket with water and mix detergent in it. Now, divide the students into teams of 4 members each. Name these teams and let the game begin. 

Each team gets a bucket of soapy water. Place 2 jars on a table in a way that students need to run toward the table. Put a timer of 3 to 4 minutes and hand over a sponge to the team. Team members need to dip the sponge in the soapy water, run towards the table, squeeze the sponge, and fill the jar with soapy water. The team that fills the jar with maximum water wins the game. Such a game allows students to collaborate, communicate, and build a strong team with students.

6. Dance it Out

Nowadays, various trends have become the new games and activities in the classroom. Considering the social media scenarios, you can use this activity to boost enthusiasm and create an energetic atmosphere. For this activity, students need to stand in a straight line.

The activity begins by playing music. The very first student in the line dances and shows some steps. The next student in the line is supposed to copy the last dance step by the preceding student and add another unique dance step. Similarly, the next student copies the last step and adds a new step. The activity goes on till everyone dances and shows a unique step.

7. Human Bingo

Human Bingo is an interesting activity that helps students initiate conversations and discover unique aspects of each other. For this activity, you need to know something distinctive about each student in the class. Now, print these aspects on different index cards.

For example, if a student has two cats at home, the placard shall have a statement like – Find someone who has 2 cats at home. Distribute the placards to everyone in the class and let the activity begin. Once they find the student that matches the placard expectation, they need to write their name below and wait for others to find their pairs.

8. Give it a Moral

Storytelling has often been used as one of the ways to initiate conversations among individuals. However, this energizer activity helps boost communication and also provides an opportunity for building friendships. For this activity, write a few starting statements of a story and put these chits in a bowl.

Now, let all students stand in a circle and one of them picks a chit. The student reads the statement and adds another statement to let the story begin. After this, the next student continues the story and everyone adds their contributions to achieve the conclusion. You may ask students to go for the next round and make similar interesting stories as a whole group.

9. Question Question

Students can get to know each other only when they communicate or find common interests. This activity focuses on strengthening interpersonal skills and allowing students to discover more about each other. For this activity, write many icebreaker questions on chits and put them in a bowl. Now, play the music and let students sit in a circle. 

They need to pass the ball to each other and as the music stops, the student with the ball has to pick a chit. Whatever the question, the student needs to answer and let everyone know. For example, if the question is about a favorite singer, the student can talk about a particular singer, which song he/she likes, and why. Such an activity breaks boredom and creates an interesting way of sharing personal details. You can also use funny questions to create a twist in the activity.

10. Oh, that’s your Take!

Communication and collaboration are two important factors in any energizer game or activity. This activity focuses on motivating high school students to give their contributions in a lively discussion. For this game, think of some unique yet fun topics for a discussion. 

Now, start with one topic and let the discussion begin. The activity is about every student sharing inputs towards the topic and opening new doors for conversations. For example, the topic could be about a discussion about why Greece is a perfect holiday destination. Students are supposed to share their views and personal opinions to keep the activity going.

Wrapping Up

Energizer games and activities ensure participation and involvement from high school students in a fun way. Moreover, these are versatile games and activities that can be used in different situations by adding twists as well. Just as you can use first-day school activities, the above-mentioned games and activities can be used to create liveliness and inspire conversations between students.