Sharing Our Interests

We all have interests or activities that we like to do. If we tell others what we are interested in, it can help us get to know each other better.

1. Tell students you will each take a turn sharing something they are interested in or someone they know is interested in. Ask students to brainstorm different activities or interests. Select several students to share ideas. Some items may include: Playing video games, reading books, playing sports, etc.
2. As the students share their ideas, draw or write them down.
3. Then, play a game of “Charades” to practice the items on the list that can be acted out. The students can choose one of the activities/hobbies recorded by the teacher and show the movements. Other students can try to guess the hobby and recall who in the class enjoys this activity.
4. Play several rounds, and if possible, let student volunteers lead the game.

• Why do you think it’s important for us to share about ourselves with others?
• How can you learn about others’ interests? What might you say to someone to better understand what they enjoy?
• When are some other times that you could share your interests with others?
• How would you change this game for the next time we play?

For primary school students:

• Invite students to form pairs or teams and play a game of “Charades” to continue discussing each other’s hobbies to learn more about them.
• Ask students to draw or write a short phrase about a favorite hobby and place the descriptions in a hat. Ask a student to select a hobby from the hat and describe the drawing or phrase. Instead of guessing the hobby, students guess the name of the student that enjoys the hobby.
• Encourage students to create a mind map of “Classroom Hobbies” and display it in the classroom. Every time the students learn about a new hobby, they can add it to the mind map.
• Organize a “Hobby Week” during which everyone will have the opportunity to present their own hobbies. Students can choose if they would like to talk about their hobby or demonstrate it. Teacher - make sure you share your hobbies too!

For students in grades 5-6:

• Ask students to choose a well-known or famous person they admire. Ask students to research to learn more about this person’s hobbies or interests. Facilitate a conversation to help students understand that hobbies can be helpful in building skills for a future career.