Launching Enrichment Time Activities for Upper Elementary

By Kirsten Hammond

Do you find yourself with some extra time in class during the day or week and you’re not sure what to do with your students?

You may resort to having them sit around the room and play on their devices, but behavior tends to start increasing in the wrong direction. Maybe you want to put a twist on study hall time and make it more engaging for your students. 

Enrichment Time is the perfect solution to all of the above!

What is Enrichment Time? 

Enrichment Time is a time where students can work on multiple subject areas, and also where students can get extra assistance and intervention or extend their learning. This is perfect for any group of students, from G/T to those needing extra classroom intervention.

Enrichment time is easy to implement and can be fun for the students to work at an independent and self-paced format. You can also make it paperless or incorporate digital + printable activities.

How to Start Enrichment Time With Your Students

Here are some easy steps to get started with Enrichment Time. This is based on how I used it with my students, who were third graders at the time.

1. Determine how often and when your students will have enrichment time.

 Students in my class had 45 minutes daily of enrichment time. 

2. Make a menu of activities each month (depending on your subject that you teach). 

Make it applicable to what your students are learning or what they have already learned. 

Here’s an example of a menu I used with my 3rd grade students!

3. Make it independent.

Students should be able to complete activities independently when/if they are not meeting with you. 

4. Incorporate must do/may do activities.

Provide students with activities that students MUST complete first before they move onto an option of their choice. Student choice is key!

5. Utilize a tracker.

Try to encourage your students to complete all activities on the menu for the month. You could also make some menu activities as a grade. 

Once students have had time to utilize the menu with minimal assistance, this is a great time to pull students in extra intervention or extension groups. 

The best part about Enrichment Time is that it is flexible and can be tailored to what best works for you and your students! You should give Enrichment Time a try!

kirsten hammond

Kirsten is a former 3rd and 5th grade teacher who loves helping upper elementary teachers by creating resources and sharing ideas that are engaging, research-based, and TEKS-aligned. She is a work-from-home mama of 3 rambunctious little ones and loves running, true crime, and lots of coffee.

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