Lunchtime Activities at School

For many students, lunchtime is a necessary respite from the rigors of academic study. During this rest and refueling period, students commonly enjoy socializing with friends and engaging in leisure activities. Through the organization of lunchtime activities, teachers and administrators can add extra excitement to the lunch period and increase student enjoyment of this calming school time.

Foosball Tournament

Add a competitive element to lunch by holding a Foosball tournament. Set up a Foosball table in a corner of the lunch room and allow students to form teams and sign up to compete. Create a tournament bracket, and place it above the Foosball table. After students have finished eating each day, hold one Foosball game. Continue play, moving through the tournament, until you have an overall tournament winner.

Golden Ticket Drawing

Add excitement to lunch with a daily golden ticket drawing. Place a staff member near the exit to the cafeteria line. Arm this staff member with a box containing many white slips of paper, and one golden yellow one. As students leave the line with their meals, invite them to stop by the staff member, and pick a slip from the box. If the student pulls the golden ticket, present him with a prize.

Reading Cafe

Allow students that are hungry for books to satiate their reading appetite during lunchtime by setting up a reading cafe. Ask a teacher to volunteer her room to act as the cafe. Invite students who want to read to leave the hustle and bustle of the lunch room and move instead into this quiet reading area. Allow students to sit around and read while they dine on their lunch. Periodically, offer cookies or candy as a reward for students making a wise literary choice.

Lunchroom Trivia

Allow your students to earn a handsome prize by correctly answering a weekly lunchtime trivia question. At the beginning of each week, place a trivia question on the wall of the lunch room. Place slips of paper and a box below the question. Encourage students to take a moment out of lunch and read the question, then compose an answer on one of the provided slips of paper. At the end of the week, check all of the answers. Present a prize to any student who correctly answered a question.

Principal's Quiz

Test the principal's smarts each lunch period. Immediately prior to lunch, allow students from each grade to compose one question for the principal. Encourage them to write a question related to content that they are currently learning. As lunch draws to a close, invite the principal to the cafeteria, and allow each class to read their prepared question. The principal must then attempt to think back on his education and answer correctly. Offer a prize for any class who stumps the principal to encourage students to be creative and produce challenging queries.