File Folder Learning Center Activities

Build effective learning stations out of inexpensive materials.

Kindergarten through 12th grade public school teachers are commonly aware that in today's modern classroom, administrators, state observers, county officials and other curriculum experts expect to see some amount of activity center-based learning. File folders can be used as the core of a wide variety of activities, board games and portable learning centers that can be tailored to any subject or grade. This is an inexpensive and highly effective way to use "manipulatives" (hands-on activities) in the classroom.

Putting Together Folder Activities

A variety of activities can be created from folder-based learning centers. Board games, warm-up and short review activities, information-based scavenger hunt type centers, and wipe-off and rewrite activities are just a few of the different concepts you can build into a simple manila folder, making each activity self-contained and portable. All you will need to build these useful folder activities is a glue stick, magic markers, manila folders, zip-close bags, adhesive tape or staples, envelopes, a handful of pennies and index cards. For reusable wipe-off activities, you will need to have the folder projects laminated. You can custom-tailor activities to suit your classroom needs for very little cost in supplies.

Using Folders in Stations

Scavenger hunt activities that get students moving about the room can be mounted to the wall or set up like an easel on desktops so that students may circulate. Short activities such as warm ups or a series of review questions can be passed by students from seat to seat; in this way students still interact with many learning centers while staying seated. Board games can be built into a folder to review any set of questions among a group of students. Review game folders can feature the same set of questions, or different sets and be circulated in either of the previous manners of rotation.

What Kind of Material to Use

Each folder should be something students interact with physically. A board game can be created with a colorful game board glued down to one side of the folder, while instructions and a zip-close bag or envelope are mounted to the other side to store question cards and game pieces. Warm-up activities that feature only a handful of questions can be mounted inside the folder with spaces to answer each question, and laminated to create a wipe-off surface. This type of folder is particularly good for rotating from student to student. Mounting folders to the wall for activities where students circulate are most effective with pasted printed information hidden by shutters or windows that open and close, so that students will physically interact with the station, not just read the information.

Expenses Involved

Folder activities are inexpensive to build, so don't add expense with fancy parts. For board games, use a business or game card template with Microsoft Word and print questions on simple white paper. They will be easy to cut and place into envelopes or bags mounted inside the folder. Instead of dice or spinners, add two pennies to each game board. Two heads tossed can move three spaces, two tails two spaces, one of each one space. For younger students, the boards should be colorful and have illustration. For higher grades, make sure your folders keep a professional look for formal observations. Offer rewards that have little expense. Bonus points on a test, homework passes or a few minutes early release affect a student's grade very little but feel like a big reward.

References

• " HIgher Level Thinking Questions, Personal & Social Skills"; Miguel Kagan; 1999
• "Colorful File Folder Games: Skill-Building Center Activities for Language Arts and Math, Colorful Game Books Series"; Debra Olson Pressnall; 2006
• "Big Book of Folder Games: For the Innovative Classroom"; Elaine Commins; 1989

Resources

• Microsoft Word Games & Game Templates
• The Game Crafter
• All a-board! Create a personalized board game