Games that require fifth-grade students to listen to each other and communicate information can help them interact calmly and practice their instructional abilities. One such game is the description game, in which kids partner up and stand with their backs to each other. One student chooses an object from a bag and then has to describe the object to his partner without telling him what it is. The partner has to draw the object on paper. Then the kids swap positions and assume opposite roles.
Fifth-graders are capable of thinking through abstract scenarios and analyzing the situations. For example, a teacher can split up a class into groups of four. Each team member has to choose one object she would take with her to a desert island. The group then has to discuss between themselves how they would use the items and explain the scenarios to the rest of the class. An extension of this game is to join two of the teams and let them figure out if the items all together would help them get off the island.
Elementary school kids may not be aware of the importance of a team as a whole, but a teacher can illustrate this point through a copying game. This requires the kids to copy each other in a manner that shows how the individuals in a team can affect the end product of a team effort and draws attention to the importance of communication between members. It also allows the students to have fun together as a group. One example of this type of game is the face copying game. All the kids sit in a circle. One pulls a funny face, and the next child has to copy it and show it to the next child, until it makes its way around the circle.
Trust exercises can help students relax and become less wary of some members of their peer group. One way of doing this is to form a pretend minefield on the gym floor and scatter obstacles, such as cushions or basketballs, on the floor. The kids work in pairs. One has a blindfold on and the other must tell him where to step in order to make his way through the minefield. Explosion noises are optional in case of missteps.