Prep Now, Stress Less with Ready-to-Go Activities
Updated for 2026: I've added several new ready-to-go activity ideas to the On-Demand Adulting Folder, including a few free resources you can grab and tuck away for sick days, surprise schedule changes, or those weeks when you just need a little backup.
In my experience, summer comes in phases.
First, there's the recovery phase. The reading murder mystery novels or watching trashy TV on the couch phase. The phase where you take the long way home from the grocery store just to avoid accidentally driving past the school.
Then comes the next phase. At least for me.
The ambitious, proactive, "I'm going to do something now that Future Me will thank me for later" phase.
Early in my career, that meant overhauling my classroom. Organizing textbooks. Redoing bulletin boards. Planning for the first day of school (I have a whole other post on that if you’re interested).
But one summer, I focused on some serious forward-thinking prep and built what was basically an emergency folder for myself.
Now I call it my On-Demand Adulting Folder.
At its core, it's a collection of flexible, no-prep or very, very low-prep activities that I can pull out whenever life happens.
What's an On-Demand Adulting Folder?
My On-Demand Adulting Folder exists for moments like:
finishing a lesson early
a pep rally schedule blowing up my carefully planned timing
half the class being gone for an away soccer game
covering a class outside my content area
needing an emergency sub plan
teaching advisory or study skills and suddenly having an extra twenty minutes
one of those days where everybody just needs to hit pause and do something different
You can read more about how I use these activities in my post No Sub Plan? No Problem. Adulting Activities to the Rescue!
But this post isn't about surviving those moments.
It's about preparing for them now, while you have the time and the brain space.
New teacher or veteran, these schedule glitches come for us all!
Why Build One Now?
Personally, by October I'm in the thick of things.
January brings a lot of logistics with the new semester and new year tasks.
By spring break, the students are squirrely and it takes all of my effort to keep them engaged.
I've found that using part of my summer to build or update my On-Demand Adulting Folder creates a safety net for the rest of the year.
Another bonus?
Students genuinely love this stuff.
Over the years, I've taught a lot of different subjects. Math. Science. Advisory. Study skills. Transition.
Even when I taught core content areas, I found that using adulting material as filler was gold.
Adulting topics are practical, engaging, and they work across age and ability levels.
Anything from a ninth grader who wants to look at pay stubs to a senior who wants to think about apartments.
In my experience, almost every student can find something to connect with.
⚠️ Quick note: Not everything in my folder is strictly "adulting."
I also mix in life skills, critical thinking, and even some social-emotional material because I think all of those things help create well-rounded human beings.
What's in My On-Demand Adulting Folder?
Here are a few of my personal favorites that have worked well with middle school, high school, advisory, transition, general education, and special education settings.
I've found these are crowd favorites across age and ability levels.
Origami Challenges
I keep a box of colorful, mix-and-match origami paper in my classroom.
Sometimes I teach students a fold that I already know. Other times we'll pull up a youtube video and fold along together.
Eventually students start learning folds on their own and teaching them to their peers or even leading a tutorial for the entire class.
Origami is hands-on, calming, engaging, and surprisingly versatile.
A five- or ten-minute fold-a-thon fits almost anywhere.
Logic Grid Puzzles
I love logic puzzles.
They're free, printable, and challenging without being too frustrating.
This is one of the sites I've used, but there are lots of great free options online.
Students get clues and have to use deductive reasoning to solve little logic mysteries.
I usually project the puzzle on the screen while students work independently or in pairs using scratch paper.
Again, very little prep on my part, and I keep a few ready to go.
Card Games
I keep a plastic bin filled with decks of playing cards.
I try to keep at least ten decks on hand (the dollar store is great for this).
The rule is simple:
They can play whatever card game they want, but they can't bet or gamble. (There have been a few attempted poker tournaments over the years that I’ve had to shut down.)
Usually, students teach each other games they already know, but sometimes I'll jump in and teach a new one.
Some classroom favorites have been:
Rummy
Crazy Eights
Speed
Fan Tan (which I think some people call Sevens?)
Card games are great for numeracy, logic, and strategy, but honestly I love them most for the social skills.
Turn-taking. Patience. Working together. Negotiating disagreements.
It's a fun option if you're in the mood for a little controlled chaos.
Grab-and-Go Slides
Years ago these lived on a flash drive, but now they live in a Google Drive folder.
I keep a collection of Google Slides (or PowerPoints) that I can pull up with any group at any time.
Some of mine include:
weird trivia and fun facts
the science of sleep
career exploration
financial literacy topics
life skills topics
One of my favorites is my How to Adult: 101 Life Skills.
These presentations aren't content-specific and don't require background knowledge or prep.
I can open one with pretty much any group in any setting and just dive in.
Bingo Activities
I keep several bingo activities ready to go, including:
Postsecondary Bingo (Free if you'd like to try it.)
These work equally well as emergency activities and icebreakers.
Students move around the room, talk to each other, learn something new about themselves or their classmates, and build classroom community.
They're especially useful for:
advisory periods
brain breaks
getting students moving
the first day of a new semester
groups that don't know each other well yet
Quick, easy, and almost no prep (just print, explain the rules, and go).
Scavenger Hunts
I really enjoy these.
I have visual scavenger hunts focused on:
postsecondary education (Free if you'd like to try it.)
Students seem to enjoy the visual element. It makes the activity feel a little more adventurous.
Plus, there are no wrong answers.
Students are simply exploring possibilities, thinking about life after high school, and doing a little research about what they want for themselves.
Game Shows
I have both an Adulting Game Show and a Financial Literacy Game Show.
Each includes five categories with increasing difficulty levels.
I project the game on the screen and students take turns choosing questions.
Depending on the class, students might:
answer multiple-choice questions using hand signals
write answers on individual whiteboards
compete in teams with a spokesperson
These can get surprisingly high energy, but individual whiteboards help keep things manageable.
Crossword and Word Search Collection
Unlike most of the things in my folder, this is one I actually print.
I usually print a class set and keep them organized in a little accordion file.
Pro tip: Printing these during the summer when there isn't a line at the copy room is a win.
I keep adulting-themed puzzle sets ready to go on topics like:
budgeting
banking
avoiding scams and fraud
transportation
housing
Sometimes students vote on a topic.
Other times, I put the accordion file out and let students choose for themselves.
These can easily buy me fifteen or twenty minutes of focused, independent work time.
Use the relative peace of summer to prep these activities
Build Your Own Folder: A Prep Project That Pays Off
If you'd like to build your own On-Demand Adulting Folder, here's what has worked for me.
1. Pick Your Format
Include a mix of:
printable activities
digital activities
hands-on options
2. Go Evergreen
Choose content that isn't tied to a specific holiday or season whenever possible.
That gives you the flexibility to use it any time during the year.
3. Prep It Now, Use It Forever
Print class sets now while you have the time.
Organize your digital files.
Label folders clearly.
Bookmark websites you'll use again.
(Future You will appreciate it!)
4. Think Flexibly
Look for activities that:
work across age and ability levels
require minimal setup
don't need lengthy explanations
can expand or shrink depending on how much time you have
Maybe students only complete the word search.
Maybe they do the word search and the crossword.
Maybe the game show turns into a writing prompt or discussion afterward.
Build options into your folder.
5. Make It Accessible
Store everything in a way that's easy to find, whether that's physically or digitally.
I can't tell you how many times the school secretary called and asked if I could cover sixth period.
That's exactly when my On-Demand Adulting Folder earns its keep.
The nice thing is that it never really has to be finished.
You can add to it every summer, during prep period, or while avoiding grading.
Over time it becomes this collection of activities, websites, games, mini-lessons, and little ideas that are ready whenever you need them!
🎁 Grab the Free Checklist
If you'd like some help getting started, I've included a free printable checklist below with ideas and suggestions for building your own On-Demand Adulting Folder.
A Summer Well Spent
If you’re looking for a summer project that won’t take long but will pay off all year, this is it.
Build your On-Demand Adulting Folder now, while you’ve got space to think. Because when the back-to-school phase sets in, you’ll have a safety net of engaging, practical activities ready to go.
👉 Want to Skip the Prep?
Explore my ready-to-go puzzle sets, game shows, and life skills lessons in the Life Beyond High School TpT Store.
Use the form above to get your free copy!
