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: Visual Arts, Theater

    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: Theater, Music, Media Arts, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance

    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…

  • Animal Monologues

    Ages: Early Childhood (PK-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8)
    Art Forms: Theater, Literary Arts

    This playful skill-building activity introduces character development by creating monologues using students’ favorite animals.

  • Blow Wind Blow

    Ages: Early Childhood (PK-2), Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle School (6-8)
    Art Forms: Theater, Dance

    This activity is a quick and easy way to take a general “class temperature check” using movement and gestures to elicit non-vocal responses from students.

  • 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: Theater, Music

    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.