The Activity Bank

The GIVE Activity Bank is a resource bank of short activities or skill-based tasks that already include supports and accommodations to meet a range of students’ needs. These activities can be easily added to your lesson—with small adjustments for your unique students and classroom—to make it more inclusive.

These activities have been submitted as is by New York City Teaching Artists from New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection, and Community-Word Project.

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  • “Yes and” Character Creation

    Ages: Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Theater, Visual Arts

    In this group drawing activity, students will practice building on each other's ideas and saying “Yes, and—” to their classmates’ ideas/offers.

  • Character Interview

    Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Theater, Literary Arts

    This activity invites students to generate questions for one another that will help deepen character development and exploration. 

  • Collaborative Mandalas

    Ages: Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Media Arts, Visual Arts

    In this calming visual arts activity students will work together to create mandalas, gaining an understanding of how individual pieces can come together as a w…

  • Collaborative Soundscape

    Ages: Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Music, Theater

    A community-building game where students collaborate to make a song or soundscape.

  • Collective Mosaic

    Ages: Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Visual Arts, Media Arts

    This mosaic activity can be used with multiple visual arts media and can be scaled in size, complexity, and difficulty level.

  • Creating Community Agreements

    Ages: Early Childhood (PK-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Media Arts, All Art Forms, Visual Arts, Theater, Music, Literary Arts, Dance

    In this activity, students and Classroom Professionals co-create community guidelines, fostering a liberated learning environment, and building community and a…

  • Creating Credits with Stop Motion Animation

    Ages: Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Media Arts

    In this drawing and animation activity, students will draw their name with colors and patterns that represent themselves and animate them to create a moving cr…

  • Draw That Sound

    Ages: Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12)
    Art Forms: Visual Arts, Music

    In this activity, students will work in small groups to draw along to music, creating a visual response.