After your students have all returned from recess or lunch, gather them around you in a circle. Read them a picture book and let them all look at the pictures as you read. Once you have finished reading, ask the children questions about the book, having them raise their hands before you let them answer. As an additional activity, have the kids draw a picture that summarizes the book you read, or a favorite scene of theirs.
Draw several pictures of items in a row, making one item in each row unique to the rest. For example, in one row, draw three fruits and a vegetable. In another, write out three letters of the alphabet and one number. When you want to settle the students down, have each student take out a piece of paper and write down their answers to which object in each row is the odd one out. Have the students do this silently. Collect the papers and announce the person with the most correct answers.
Give each of the students a piece of paper and have them draw an activity they took part in since you last saw each other. If they can, have them write a short description of the picture at the bottom of the page. Once they have all finished, let them each have a turn at reading their descriptions and holding up their pictures.
Take out a dictionary and randomly pick a word. Ask the students to write down on a slip of paper their ideas of what the word could mean. Once everyone has finished writing their ideas down, collect the papers and read them aloud. After you have read all of the papers, give the students the real definition of the word. The student whose idea was closest to the true definition gets a sticker. After several words, the student with the most stickers wins.