Get Caught? Or Not!? Simple Ways to Kill Time During Class
Have you ever felt like time was crawling during class? You might be tempted to reach for your phone, but getting caught would be a big problem.
The truth is, there are clever ways to pass the time that won’t disrupt the lesson and are hard for the teacher to notice.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas you can do quietly at your desk and tricks that make use of your notebook—safe options even during class.
They’re a great way to refresh your mind too, so it’s a win-win.
Give them a try!
- [For Middle School Students] Recommended Ways to Spend Your Free Time
- [For 2 Players] Easy Pen-and-Paper Time-Killing Game
- Recommended ways for girls to spend their free time
- [Solo Time] A roundup of ways to kill time without using your smartphone
- [For Junior High School Students] Fun Psychology Tests You Can Do During Break Time
- Perfect for killing time! Fun games you can easily play on LINE
- Brain-teasing game roundup
- Kill time while waiting or stuck in traffic! A roundup of games four people can play
- Hidden talents even elementary school kids can do! A collection of performance ideas that will liven up any event
- [Killing Time] A Roundup of Fun Without Spending Money [Saving Money]
- Perfect for killing time! A roundup of games for three people to enjoy
- Recreation Ideas That Truly Excite High School Students! A Fun Collection of Activities
- Perfect for killing time! Games you can play with two people.
Boredom Killers You Won’t Get Caught Doing in Class (1–10)
Pen spinning
When it comes to games you can play during class, pen spinning is a classic.
Since pens are used in class anyway, just holding one makes it harder for others to notice you’re playing—that’s a key point.
Try to develop the skill to freeze your hand the moment the teacher looks your way, so they don’t catch you while it’s spinning.
Also, if you drop it, it’ll make a sound, so being careful not to let that happen will probably help you improve as well.
Another feature is that there are many different tricks, so practicing them can help you kill even more time.
delusion
There are moments in class when you get the feeling that something big might happen at any second, right? How about letting those little sparks of imagination or daydreams grow and building a story in your head? Since it’s all happening in your mind, the teacher won’t find out.
You can riff off the scene in front of you, or it’s fun to switch to all kinds of settings in your imagination.
Just be careful not to get so absorbed in your daydream that you don’t notice the teacher coming over or calling on you.
people-watching
During class, when you find yourself overly focused on the textbook or the board, why not deliberately direct your attention elsewhere? Try observing how your classmates are engaging with the lesson or whether your teacher has any distinctive movements.
It’s not a deep-immersion distraction, so it’s easy to slip back into the lesson when needed—another plus.
Scanning the whole room works, but narrowing your focus to a single person might let you analyze their little quirks in more detail.
You might even lock eyes with a classmate who also can’t concentrate and is people-watching just like you.
Boredom Busters You Won’t Get Caught Doing in Class (11–20)
Exact page count guess
Landing exactly on a page number using a textbook or notebook—quietly and for fun—is a surprisingly deep, addictive way to pass the time.
First, declare to yourself, “I’m going to open to page 47,” then simply move your finger to aim for that page.
It sounds simple, but hitting it precisely feels great and makes you want to try again and again.
Your hands barely move, so to others it just looks like you’re flipping pages—there’s little risk of getting noticed.
You can make it more challenging by choosing page numbers at random or trying with your eyes closed.
It also trains your concentration, making it a brain workout as well as a time-killing idea.
Handwriting practice
No matter what subject you’re in, you copy what’s written on the blackboard or whiteboard into your notebook, right? A perfect way to pass the time in those moments is practicing your handwriting.
If you finish copying quickly or you’ve got time before moving on to the next page, try writing beautifully.
You can write your own name, or words and sentences related to the subject—both are recommended.
Since you’ll look serious while writing, there’s little risk of getting caught.
Just make sure to keep listening so you can respond to any questions or remarks from the teacher.
Guess the seconds
A simple seconds-guessing game using the clock in the classroom.
Decide in advance how many seconds you’re going to aim for, and focus on the second hand.
Next, close your eyes or look away and start counting the seconds.
When you reach the predetermined number, look at the clock to check whether you succeeded.
It’s fun not only to try short intervals, but also to set longer times, like 30 seconds or more.
Be careful not to stare at the clock too much so the teacher won’t suspect anything.
It’s also a good idea to keep track of your successes and failures and try to beat your personal record.
Read books and manga
If you can’t concentrate in class because you’re dying to know what happens next in a manga or book you were reading, it might actually be better to just go ahead and read it so you can then focus on the lesson.
Since you’ll get in trouble for reading something unrelated to class, how you hide it is key.
Try different methods like reading while hiding it behind your desk or layering it over your textbook, and find your own balance between concealment and readability.
If you get too absorbed in the story, you might not notice the teacher approaching, so it’s best to keep an eye on your surroundings as you read.