Sub Plan Lifesavers: 5 Activities to Leave That Actually Work
We all know those dreaded mornings. You wake up sick. Your child is sick. Something unexpected comes up, and suddenly you need to call out of the classroom. And now you have to make a sub plan. When you’re already dealing with the unexpected, the last thing you want is to plan a complicated lesson with a long list of directions, special materials, and activities your substitute has never seen before.
That’s why I love having a stash of easy-to-leave, easy-to-use activities ready to go! The best emergency sub plan doesn’t have to be fancy. It just needs to include activities your students can understand, your substitute can manage, and you can pull together quickly.
Here are five go-to activities I recommend keeping ready for those days when you need a plan fast!
1. Color by Code Pages
If I had to choose one activity to keep in an emergency sub folder, color by code pages would definitely make the list. They’re quiet, independent, and require very little explanation. Students use the key to complete the skill practice, then color the picture. That makes them especially helpful when you have a substitute who may not know your students well or isn’t familiar with your current routines.
Color by code pages are also a great way to sneak in meaningful skills practice without making your substitute teach a brand-new lesson. For example, you could leave addition and subtraction color by code pages for students to practice facts within 20. Students can solve each problem, find the matching answer on the color key, and complete the picture as they go.
You can also use editable sight word color by code pages and add the exact sight words your students are currently working on. That gives you an easy way to make the activity fit your classroom without creating something from scratch. And because the activity is already structured, your substitute doesn’t have to spend time figuring out what students are supposed to do.
2. A Familiar Partner Game
Games can be a great addition to emergency sub plans, especially when you need something students can do with a partner or small group. But there’s one important rule when it comes to creating a successful sub plan. . . Choose games your students already know.
You don’t want your substitute spending the first 15 minutes explaining a brand-new game while 25 students stare back at them. Instead, think about the games you’ve already used successfully in your classroom. Some of the popular ones in my room were:
- Bingo
- Memory Match
- I Spy
- I Have, Who Has
- Roll & Cover
Simple games like these are great, but don’t forget other games you regularly play during small- and whole-group learning. Maybe your students know a simple group sight-word game or a math-facts game with a partner. Or perhaps you’ve used a letter recognition or matching game during centers. Those are perfect for your emergency plans! They’re a great way to keep engagement high and make skills practice simple while you’re away.
3. No-Prep Practice Pages
Sometimes you really just need something you can print and put on the desk. That’s where no-prep math and literacy pages can be a lifesaver! Instead of planning an entire day of lessons, you can pull a few pages that review skills your students have already been practicing.
For first grade, having a collection of monthly math and ELA pages gives you plenty of options. You can choose activities that fit the season or simply grab pages that review the skills your students need.
My No Prep 1st Grade Math & ELA Activities include over 568 pages of skills practice covering the school year, with monthly resources from Back to School through the end of the year in May or June. They make quick and easy sub plans, but you can also use the activities for independent practice, morning work, centers, small groups, intervention, homework, or quick checks for understanding.
For an emergency day, you might leave a few math pages for independent practice in the morning, an ELA activity after recess, and a bonus coloring or writing page for early finishers. Everything is already ready to print and go!
4. Read-Aloud and Response
A read-aloud is another simple activity that can fill a meaningful chunk of your day without much preparation.
Choose a familiar picture book and leave a simple response activity for students to complete afterward. For example, your directions might say something like, “Read the story aloud to the class. Ask students to turn and talk about their favorite part. Then have students draw their favorite part of the story and write one or two sentences about it.” That’s a complete activity with very little prep on your part!
You can also change the response depending on what your students are ready to do. Younger students might draw and label a picture. Other students might write about the characters, setting, problem, or their favorite part.
The important thing is to choose a book and a response format your students already understand. Emergency sub plans are not the time to introduce a complicated new routine! For more reading response ideas, check out this post next!
5. A Simple Drawing and Writing Prompt
When you need an activity that can work for different ability levels, a drawing and writing prompt is an easy option. You can connect the prompt to something students have already been learning, or simply give them an engaging topic that lets them practice writing.
Try prompts like:
- Draw and write about your favorite season.
- If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you choose?
- Design your dream classroom.
- What would you do if you found a mysterious box?
- Draw something you are thankful for and explain why.
For younger students, the activity might be mostly drawing with a sentence or two. Students who are ready for more writing can turn the same prompt into a paragraph. This makes the activity easy to adapt without requiring your substitute to prepare different lessons for every student.
Don’t Forget the Early Finishers in Your Sub Plan!
Here’s one thing that can make a huge difference in your emergency sub plans. . . Have something ready for students who finish early.
Because there will always be a student who finishes the color-by-code page in about 4.5 minutes while another student is still working on the first section.
Your early-finisher options don’t need to be complicated, though! A bonus coloring page, writing prompt, quiet drawing activity, classroom book, word search, puzzle, or another no-prep practice page can do the trick.
No matter what you choose, just be sure to give your substitute clear directions about where to find these activities so they don’t have to come up with something on the spot.
Make Your Emergency Sub Plan Simple
This is my most important tip for you! Simple is best. Emergency sub plans don’t need to be your most creative lessons. They just need to work, keep student interest, and be easy to understand. Simplicity for the win!
Your substitute needs to look at the plans and quickly understand what students should do. Your students need activities they can complete without constant help. And you need to know that everything is ready if you suddenly have to be away from your classroom.
That’s why I recommend keeping a small collection of reliable activities rather than trying to create an elaborate emergency plan. As a recap, my favorites are:
- Color by code pages
- Simple games
- No-prep practice pages
- Read alouds & responses
- Simple writing prompts
These five simple options can give you a much better starting point the next time you need to put together sub plans at the last minute!
Build Your Emergency Sub Plan Stash Now
If you don’t already have an emergency sub folder, this is your sign to make one. And remember. . . start small and simple for best results! Print a few color-by-code pages. Add some no-prep practice pages. Choose a favorite read-aloud. Add a familiar game and a few writing prompts. Then tuck everything into one folder or binder where you can easily find it.
The goal isn’t perfect substitute plans. The goal is to think, “I need to be out today, but I’ve got this.” And honestly, having a few dependable activities ready to go can make a stressful morning feel a whole lot more manageable!
Check out my TPT Store for more easy-to-use and ready-to-go resources for your classroom!
Looking for More Sub Plan Support? Read These Posts Next!
Save These Sub Plan Lifesavers
Need a few emergency sub plan ideas you can come back to when the unexpected happens? Save this post so you’ll have these five simple activities ready the next time you need to leave plans in a hurry!
