Spot It Charades Icebreaker
A silent, fast-paced icebreaker.
10-15 min
Hide and Peek
A playful team-building game for teachers, with monthly themed picture cards.
Alissa Christensen
A playful hide-and-find game where leaders hide small themed picture cards around the school for staff to discover throughout the week. With a new theme for nearly every month, plus a generic set you can use anytime, it's an easy way to build team building for teachers into the regular rhythm of the school year.
Why try it
Build a little shared excitement into an ordinary week. Staff pause in hallways, break rooms, and mailboxes to look for the hidden cards, and the search itself becomes a small moment of connection between classrooms and departments.
A rotating cast of seasonal themes keeps the game feeling fresh across the year, so it never turns into the same routine twice. Because anyone can spot a card and mention it to a colleague, the game naturally sparks conversation between people who might not otherwise cross paths during the day.
What's included
Browse the printables included with this resource.
Things you'll need
Hide and Peek picture cards (choose a monthly theme or the generic set)
Tape or sticky putty
Instructions
1
Choose your theme
Pick the included picture set that matches the current month, such as Snowflake Scramble for January or Pumpkin Pursuit for October, or use the generic set if you'd rather run the game anytime.
2
Cut out the cards
Print and cut apart the individual picture cards from your chosen set.
3
Hide the cards
Tape or tuck the cards in spots around the school: the staff lounge, mailboxes, bulletin boards, hallway corners, or the front office. Spread them out so staff have to move around the building to find them all.
4
Announce the hunt
Let staff know the game is on, how many cards are hidden, and how long they have to find them.
5
Celebrate the finds
At the end of the week, ask who found a card and where. Share a fun fact or shout-out for anyone who found several.
Activity variations
Adapt to fit your school's vibe, budget, and setting.
Grade-level or department challenge
Assign different hiding zones to different grade levels or departments and see which group finds their cards first.
Card-for-a-prize swap
Let staff trade a found card in at the front office for a small prize or shout-out.
Countdown calendar
Hide one card a day instead of all at once, building anticipation as the month goes on.
Go deeper
Additional tips for running this resource.
Leader Tip #1
Vary the hiding spots
Move cards to new locations each round so the game stays interesting for staff who search every time.
Leader Tip #2
Mix easy and tricky
Hide a few cards in plain sight and a few in harder spots so both quick finds and longer searches are part of the game.
Leader Tip #3
Track the count
Keep a tally of how many cards are still out there so staff know how many are left to find.
Built by Educators, for School Leaders
This resource was created in collaboration with passionate educators and school leaders who believe in the power of intentional connection.
Alissa Christensen
Head of Customer Success
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