My students really love using these Loco Lasers to play laser tag in the classroom. They’re easy. to find in the pet section of most discount stores or pet shops. I found these. at Walmart for only. $3.97 each, which is a lot better than at an office supply store where they can easily cost between 14 and 30 dollars!
I usually use them in a small group setting as a warm-up activity, but I’ve also used them with the whole class, giving one person per team a laser and then having them take turns using it to respond to the questions. Right now, I’m working with a small group of children who are learning how to recognize and name the letters of the alphabet. I placed letter cards randomly on the wall and then. gave each child a laser.
I can begin with a simple prompt, “Tag the letter K.”
Or I can elevate the challenge a little and ask, “Can you tag the letter that makes the sound /t/?”
We can continue with:
- “Tag a vowel.”
- “Tag the letter that comes after O.”
- “Tag the letter that makes the sound at the end of the word mop.”
You can really tag anything though. We often play Word Wall Laser Tag where I challenge the kids to tag certain words on our word wall. For example:
- “Tag the word have.”
- “Tag the word that rhymes with bike.”
- “Tag the word that makes sense in this sentence.” (Provide a sentence with a missing word.)
You can switch gears and write numbers on the board and ask kids to tag the answers to quick math questions. For example:
- “What is 3+4? Tag the answer.”
- “What number comes before 9?”
- “How many sides does a triangle have?”
Want a low-prep idea? Students can tag objects you already have in the room. Try something like this:
- “Tag an object that rhymes with rock.”
- “Tag an object that begins with the /d/ sound.”
- “Tag an object that has 3 syllables in it.”
- “Tag an object that is shaped like a circle.”
Be creative. The options are endless. But definitely get a few of these for your classroom. You won’t believe how engaged the kids will be for these activities!
Happy teaching!
Hi Andrea! I love this post because of the endless options for great learning. I think I'll get a few to use with my grands.
Thanks, Shelley! We use them constantly. Some kindergarteners and I decided to lie on the floor yesterday and practice writing numbers on ceiling tiles ("paper") with our lasers. One little boy was having a hard time, so I played follow-the-leader with him and he kept his laser on top of mine the whole time and traced with me while we said the poem for each number. He loved it!