Walked in with no lesson plan, or finished the plan with 20 minutes left? These 25 ideas for substitute teachers are sorted by how much time you need to fill: 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes and up. Every one runs with a whiteboard, a marker, and notebook paper, and every one comes with the exact directions to say or write on the board.
One rule makes all of them work: everything gets written down and turned in. When students know their paper goes to their regular teacher, a filler activity becomes real work instead of free time.
The 60-second setup before any activity
Before you pick from the list, put three things on the board:
- Your name and today’s date.
- “Name and class period at the top of your paper. Everything is collected.”
- A short agenda, even if you made it up 30 seconds ago. “1. Warm-up 2. Activity 3. Exit ticket” tells students there is a plan, and that alone settles a room.
Then take attendance. Calling names out loud lets you learn a few faces and shows you are in charge of the room.
5-minute fill-in activities for substitute teachers
Use these to open class, to bridge a gap between tasks, or to fill the last few minutes before the bell.
1. Would You Rather (with reasons)
Board: “Would you rather live without the internet for a month or without music for a month? Write your choice and two reasons.”
The two-reasons part is what makes it writing instead of a shout-out. Take three volunteers to share at the end.
2. Alphabet sprint
Board: “Write A to Z down the side of your paper. In 3 minutes, write one word for each letter in this category: things you would find in a grocery store.”
Students score one point per letter. Swap the category to fit the class: animals, countries, science words, jobs.
3. The 3-2-1 report for your teacher
Board: “3 things you learned in this class this week. 2 questions you still have. 1 thing you want your teacher to know.”
This is the single most useful filler you can leave behind, because the regular teacher gets real information about where the class is.
4. Make the number
Board: “Use the digits 1, 2, 3, and 4 exactly once each, with any of + − × ÷ and parentheses, to make 10. Then make 24.”
Answer and teacher notes
For 10: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10, or 4 × 3 − 2 × 1 = 10. For 24: 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24. Accept any correct expression; have students check each other’s work.
5. Word ladder
Board: “Change COLD into WARM. Change one letter at a time, and every step must be a real word.”
Answer and teacher notes
One solution in four steps: COLD, CORD, CARD, WARD, WARM. Other paths can work as long as every step is a real word.
6. Five-sentence quick write
Board: “In exactly five sentences, describe the best school day you can imagine.” The word “exactly” is the trick: students count, revise, and stay busy.
7. Riddle round
Read one riddle at a time. Students write their guess before you reveal it.
- What has keys but can’t open a lock?
- What gets wetter the more it dries?
- What has a neck but no head?
Answer and teacher notes
A piano. A towel. A bottle.
8. Estimate, then calculate
Board: “Without a calculator: How many seconds are in one day? How many minutes are in one week? Write your guess first, then work it out.”
Answer and teacher notes
Seconds in a day: 24 × 60 × 60 = 86,400. Minutes in a week: 7 × 24 × 60 = 10,080. The closest guess wins bragging rights.
9. Fact or fiction?
Read each statement. Students write F for fact or X for fiction.
- Octopuses have three hearts.
- Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
- Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system.
- The Great Wall of China is easy to see from the Moon with the naked eye.
- Humans use only 10 percent of their brains.
Answer and teacher notes
1. Fact. 2. Fiction: tall buildings and towers are struck again and again. 3. Fact: its thick atmosphere traps heat, so it is hotter than Mercury. 4. Fiction. 5. Fiction: brain scans show activity across the whole brain.
Want more of these short openers? The 5-minute no-prep warm-ups and the bell ringer question list are built for exactly this.
15-minute activities: ideas for substitute teachers without lesson plans
These fill a real chunk of the period. Most can stretch or shrink by a few minutes.
10. Textbook scavenger hunt
Works with any textbook in the room. Board:
- How many units or chapters does the book have?
- On what page does Chapter 3 begin?
- Find the glossary. Copy the definition of the third word listed under the letter S.
- Find any map, chart, or diagram. Write its title and page number.
- Find a word in the index that starts with Q. What page does it point to?
- Read the first paragraph of the chapter the class is on. Summarize it in one sentence.
Answers depend on the book, so check a few as students finish. Question 6 is the one the regular teacher will care about.
11. Rank and defend
Board: “Rank these inventions from most to least important: the printing press, electricity, the wheel, the internet, vaccines. Write one sentence defending your number 1.”
After 8 minutes of individual work, pair students up. Each pair has to agree on a single top choice.
12. Four Corners
Label the corners Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. Read a statement; students walk to a corner and one person per corner explains why. Try “Homework should be optional,” “Students should pick their own seats,” and “Everyone should learn a second language.” Students write their own view in two sentences before they sit down.
13. Glossary Pictionary
Pick ten bold words from the textbook glossary. One student draws on the board for 60 seconds; no letters, numbers, or talking. The class guesses. Everyone writes each word and its definition as it is guessed, so there is paper to collect.
14. Twenty Questions
You think of a person, place, or object from the class subject. Students ask yes-or-no questions; you keep a tally on the board. If they solve it in under 20, they win the round. Let a student lead the second round.
15. Silent chalk talk
Write a big question in the middle of the board, such as “What makes a good leader?” Students come up three or four at a time and write a response or answer someone else’s with an arrow. No talking at all. Take a photo of the board for the teacher.
16. Question storm
Board: “Look at the title of the chapter you are studying. Write ten questions you think this chapter will answer.” Then students star the two they most want answered.
17. A three-question bell ringer set
Pull three prompts from the grades 6–8 daily sets or the grades 9–12 daily sets and run them back to back, five minutes each. Our bell ringer guide explains how to time them.
30+ minute fill-in activities for substitute teachers
When the plan is missing entirely, one of these can carry half a class period.
18. Students write the quiz
Each student writes a 10-question quiz on the current chapter with an answer key on a separate sheet. Swap quizzes, take them, return them, and grade with the key. Collect all three pieces stapled together.
19. Design a country
Students create a new island nation and include: its name, a drawn flag with an explanation of the colors, a map with three landmarks, three laws, the type of government, and what the country trades. Groups of two or three work well.
20. Textbook jigsaw
Split a chapter into sections, one per group. Each group reads its section and makes a poster with five key facts and one drawing. Each group then gets two minutes to teach its section to the class.
21. Build a timeline
Students skim the current unit and pull eight events, steps, or ideas in order. Each one gets a date or step number, a one-sentence description, and a small sketch. This works for history, science processes, or the plot of a novel.
22. Shark Tank for school problems
Groups invent a product that fixes a real school problem: long lunch lines, lost water bottles, crowded hallways. They write a name, a price, how it works, and a 60-second pitch. The class votes at the end.
23. Fairy tale mock trial
Put Goldilocks on trial for breaking into the Three Bears’ house. Assign a judge, prosecutors, defense, witnesses (the bears), and a jury. Give 15 minutes to prepare and 15 to hold the trial.
24. Letter to the teacher
Students write a one-page letter to their regular teacher: what they understand in the current unit, what confuses them, and one idea that would make class better. It gives the teacher a quick read on the class when they return.
25. Gallery walk
Post five questions on sheets of paper around the room, or write them in five spots on the board. Small groups rotate every four minutes, adding answers and responding to what earlier groups wrote. Finish with each student writing which answer they found most convincing.
How to fill a full period with no plan
Stack the activities. For a 50-minute class:
- 5 minutes: attendance plus a 5-minute filler (number 1, 3, or 9).
- 15 minutes: textbook scavenger hunt (number 10).
- 25 minutes: one 30+ activity (number 18, 19, or 21), cut to fit.
- 5 minutes: exit ticket. Pick one from our exit ticket ideas, such as “One thing you did today, one thing you learned, one question you have.”
Keep a second 5-minute filler in your pocket in case a group finishes early. For a full backup plan you can keep in a folder, see emergency sub plans for any class or the sub tub ideas on our sister site.
Leave a note behind
Before you leave, write a short note for the teacher: who was absent, what you did instead of the missing plan, which students were helpful, and anything that needs follow-up. Stack the collected papers on top of the note. The what to do as a substitute teacher guide covers the rest of the day.
FAQ
What should a substitute do if there is no lesson plan?
Check the desk, the teacher’s mailbox, and with a neighboring teacher or the office first. If nothing turns up, run a stack of fill-in activities like the plan above, keep students writing, collect everything, and explain what you did in your note.
Can a substitute show a movie?
Only if the teacher left it in the plan or an administrator approves it. Many schools have rules about videos, so do not pick one yourself.
What if students finish early?
Have a 5-minute filler ready on the board. The alphabet sprint, word ladder, and 3-2-1 report all work for students who finish at different times.
How do I keep fill-in activities from turning into free time?
Write the directions on the board, set a visible time limit, and collect every paper with names on it. Students treat work as real when it goes back to their teacher.
Grab tomorrow’s ready-made activities
Fresh bell ringers post every school day on the Daily Bell Ringers home page. If you sub often, grab the free 1,000 bell ringers and exit slips download and keep a copy on your phone. You will never walk into an empty plan again.