Use the classroom bulletin board to help children in the class get to know one another better. This is particularly useful at the beginning of a new student year. Students can write a short description of themselves, including hobbies, skills, likes and dislikes. Each bio can be accompanied by the student's photo. This is an opportunity for children to see what they may have in common with other students.
Schedule a certain time each week to circle your students up for a story. Allow a different child to tell a favorite story each week. The student can read from a book or tell the story from memory, adding his own special touch to the tale. This can not only be a fun break from classroom work, but it is a good way to get students to open up and become more comfortable speaking in front of others.
Select a variety of puzzles that can be glued together and hung on display around the classroom. Make it fun and educational by selecting puzzles of places, animals and famous people, then combine putting the puzzles together with a lesson.
Let your students build a backdrop using a large cardboard box with painted scenery, then create sock puppet characters and allow students to perform a puppet show. The show can be made up as the students perform it or you can sit with the class and work out a story with them.
Make homemade instruments using oatmeal boxes for drums, rubber bands stretched over a shoe box and yardstick for a guitar, and bottles filled with various amounts of water for whistle sounds, then put on a musical show using the homemade instruments.