preparing kids for blitz (5 minute) games

I run the chess club at our local elementary school.  Several of the kids have registered for a blitz tournament (5 mins per side, with no time delay or increment) to be played the evening before a regular Swiss-style weekend tournament.  I am looking for sources of advice I can give the kids to help prepare them for their blitz games. What sorts of openings work best? Are there recommended strategies for managing their time (especially as time is running out)?  Etc. Any suggestions or referrals to other resources would be most welcome.  Thank you.

The openings that work best are the ones you've studied the most and lead to he middlegame positions you understand the best.  Blitz is basically all the chess (patterns and evaluations) you've studied and played enough to have stored in long term memory.  To prepare for blitz play blitz games... but if nothing is in long term memory there's really no point in trying to prepare.

The anti-chess advice would be to have them play very aggressive, suicidal moves in hopes that their opponent will burn time on the clock trying to figure out the complications and they'll win on time.  Teach them dubious gambit openings you'd never get away with in a "real" game.  This is what you'd do for players who have no experience but you still want to increase their chance of winning in blitz. 

This is also the obviously faster way to get a short term increase in blitz skill, so new players are drawn towards these bad habits... thus pfren's response.

Danny Rensch went on a long rant about time management in one of his videos, and no I don't remember which one unfortunately, but it was either a "hybrid" session or member analysis.  The subject of his diatribe was someone who ran out of time trying to find the "best" move in each situation and Danny pointed out that in time trouble that's not what you're trying to do.  You're just trying to keep the game going with a good move.  Even a bad move is better than running out of time.  I know that's not much help, but at least I bumped your thread.

Actually now that I read this over I realize that Danny has pointed out that except in critical situations, trying to find the very "best" move is often a mistake in any time control.  Get your candidate moves, make an informed decision, and move on.  Save your time for the critical points of the game where you do need to calculate deeply (or superficially in the case of blitz).    EDIT   The video in question is "Live Session Hybrids:Double the Fun"

Kids! Elementary School you say.

I am willing to bet all you need for them to learn to win 60% games is to learn how to mate your opponent when they have minimum material. No way they can resist trading off pieces and getting to the End Game early.

K + Q vs K (#1) as this will save you from them kicking and breaking somehting if they get a draw here. King  + 2 Rooks  vs  King  and King + Rook vs King.  Show the others to the students that know these farely well.  I would say hit the openings but sure they will blunder in those games and miss chances to win or create chances for them to get behind in material and or position.

Just keep it Real Simple. Move Knights out early when in doubt. Castle in first 10 moves maybe 7 for them then attack. Maybe to even Fian king side could be an good idea as their opponent most likely will not be coached how to attack it.

Work with their strengths. When i first started i almost had no idea how to attack. So i defend and play keep away from my King with my opponent. I let them come and get me. This can eat up the clock of an opponent and keep your player lacking attacking skills calmer. It will work even better if they practice this. The idea behind this as the opponent may not know how many pieces to get mate in a situation. A premature attack waste time if your attack with 1 and need 2 mate or attacking with 2 and need 3 to mate, get the idea. Also the pieces being on your students side of the board so he better able to attack those 1-2 pieces coming accross his/her 4th rank.

Another big mistake seen. Moving 5-6 different pawns forward, enough said on that one.

For kids i say that is good but not for us.

This Concentrate on mid and mid-end first. Teach basic stuff. I mean you can allow them to play blitz but in terms oflearning, otherwise is better.

Maybe.