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.

  • A Thank You Just For You

    Ages: Early Childhood (PK-2), Upper Elementary (3-5)
    Art Forms: Dance, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Music, Theater, Visual Arts

    This activity uses a ritual of gratitude to foster community and recognize individual achievement. It also serves as a session ending transition and can be a t…

  • 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…

  • Collective Mosaic

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

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

  • Creative License

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

    For students to understand the idea of “creative license” and to feel comfortable taking risks during the residency. In this activity, students will generate c…

  • Creativity Key

    Ages: Early Childhood (PK-2), Upper Elementary (3-5)
    Art Forms: Music, Dance, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Theater, Visual Arts, All Art Forms

    This playful warm-up activity introduces the word creativity and the concept of unlocking it. Students will use their imagination and artist’s tools to unlock …

  • Draw That Sound

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

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