We all need a break from the routine and if your kiddos are looking a little bored or sleepy lately, it’s probably time to shake things up! Classroom games are the perfect strategy to get your students moving and to engage them in their learning! We have everything you need from exciting starter and exit activities to fun brain breaks and review games. So stop your search and dive into our 36 fun classroom games for every student!
1. Spot The Error
This fun activity actually uses memes to get your students thinking about correct grammar! This would be a perfect morning greeting task or a fun game for review. Play the interactive game or present the memes on slides; any way you choose, they’ll love editing these captions!
Learn More: Can You Spot The Error
2. Prediction Exit Ticket
A great activity is to have your kiddos think critically about what they’ve learned. Have them write their predictions on sticky notes or pieces of paper to post on the board as they leave for the day. This is one of many exit ticket activities that you can use in your teaching!
Learn More: The Teacher Toolkit
3. Who/What Am I?
Your learners are sure to love this game! Just have them place a sticky note on their forehead with the name of a person or a key vocabulary word that you are studying. They’ll then walk around your classroom asking their peers yes/no questions to figure out the mystery!
Learn More: Ice Breaker Ideas
4. Chain Notes
This is a great review activity that also reveals any misconceptions your children might have about a topic. Just write an open-ended question on an envelope about something you’re studying, have them write their answer, put it in an envelope, and pass it on to the next student!
Learn More: Griffith University
5. Blind Artist
Practice listening and communication skills with this fun game! Have your kiddies start by sitting back-to-back. One of them will describe a picture in front of them while the other one, who can’t see the picture, must draw it based on their partner’s descriptions. This one’s a sure winner!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
6. Student-Led Review Sessions
Your students will take ownership of their learning by creating assessment questions and answer choices. Have them work in small groups and then compile the questions into a game format for them to answer in teams! This one’s great for math, but can also be used in any subject area!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
7. Debate
Debates are great activities for building your kids’ critical thinking skills. Choose from these thought-provoking questions or create your own that are related to a current topic of study. Divide your class into ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ sides and then watch as the games begin!
Learn More: Junior Scholastic
8. Four Corners
Four corners is an easy activity that’s low-prep and will get your students out of their seats! Label each corner of your classroom with A-D or 1-4 and then create questions with four possible answers. Read your questions out loud and have them move to the corner with their answer choice.
Learn More: Alyssa Teaches
9. Interview/Role Play
Assign some of your children a character from a novel study or a person from a historical period that you’re studying while your other ones will create interview questions. Hold a ‘daytime talk-show’ style presentation where the actors are interviewed by their classmates. Bonus for dressing up!
Learn More: Everyday Speech
10. Bingo
Your students, regardless of age, will love BINGO! This is great for a whole class review and can be used across content areas. Create your boards, call out questions, and watch as they eagerly search for the answers and get excited about their chance to shout out BINGO!
11. 3-2-1 Exit Ticket
This exit ticket is great for encouraging your pupil’s self-reflection while also checking their understanding. On a sticky note or flash card, they’ll write three things they learned, two things they’re unsure about, and one question they want to ask. Have them turn it in as their ‘ticket’ out of class!
Learn More: The Art Of Education
12. Inside/Outside Circles
This one is a great community-building game! Arrange your kiddos in two circles facing each other and then post a question. They’ll discuss the answer with their partner for two minutes and when the timer goes off, the inside circle moves clockwise one seat and you’ll begin again!
Learn More: EduToolBox
13. Scavenger Hunt
Just say the words ‘scavenger hunt’ and watch your students’ faces light up! This is great for getting them excited about a new topic or for reviewing before a test. Just hide questions or tasks around the room for them to complete, and with each answer, their next clue will be revealed!
Learn More: A Lesson Plan For Teachers
14. Hot Seat
Start this fun activity with one of your kiddos sitting in a chair facing the class. Write a word on the board so they can’t see it and have them call on the audience for clues to help them guess the word. When they’ve correctly guessed, someone else takes a turn in the ‘hot seat’!
Learn More: Teaching To The Nth Degree
15. Idea Line-Up
This is a movement break activity that gets your learners thinking about their opinions on different topics. After you’ve posed a question, they’ll find their position on a continuum from agree to disagree. Next, have them justify their stance to a classmate who has a different perspective!
Learn More: Universiteit Utrecht
16. Elevator Pitch
At the end of a lesson, have your students pitch what they’ve learned in 60 seconds to either you or one of their classmates. You could also have them work in groups for a little healthy competition to see which team has crafted the most succinct summary of the material!
Learn More: Edutopia
17. Sentence Race
This game is perfect for helping your little ones unscramble sentences! You could split your class into teams to see which group can unscramble digital sentences the fastest, or have them race to a display with paper sentence strips. Either way, this is sure to be a keeper!
Learn More: Tiny Tap
18. Jigsaw
For this collaborative activity, start by placing your children into groups and assign only a part of a problem or class text to that group. Next, have one student from each of your groups get together to make a new group where they discuss how their individual topics all fit together.
Learn More: Reading Rockets
19. Pictionary
Activate your kids’ creative side by playing Pictionary! Divide them into teams and have a member from each team come to the board to draw a word or phrase from a current unit. The first team that guesses correctly wins a point!
Learn More: The Teacher Toolkit
20. Taboo
Taboo is perfect for getting your students thinking about everything related to a topic! One member of a team will have a main word and a list of related words that they can’t use to describe this word. They’ll have to figure out other ways to help their team guess it correctly!
Learn More: Better Lesson
21. Simon Says
If you want a fun brain break activity, look no further than Simon Says! Give your kiddies actions to perform, but warn them that they can only do it if your directions follow the phrase ‘Simon says.’ If they do an action that doesn’t follow that phrase, they must sit down!
Learn More: The Genius Of Play
22. Pico, Fermi, Bagel
This is an awesome math game! One of your mathematicians will think of a three-digit number while their classmates take turns guessing the digits. Each guess is either Pico, the right number in the wrong place, Fermi, the right number in the right place, or Bagel, the wrong number entirely!
Learn More: University Of Washington
23. Chatterboxes
This is a fun, creative activity that requires no prep from you! Give your students a finger game template and have them write their own review questions and answers. They’ll then fold it and play with their classmates, asking and answering each other’s review questions!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
24. Board Race Relay
This is another fast-paced game your kids will love! Have them stand in four lines at the back of your classroom. Ask a question about that day’s learning and the first student in each line will race to the board. The fastest to write the correct answer wins!
Learn More: One Stop English
25. Hot Potato
This classic game is also great for reviewing important material before a big test. Have your students stand in a circle and pass the ‘hot potato’ until you say stop. Whoever is holding the object has to answer a question correctly or sit down. The last one standing wins!
Learn More: ESL Speaking
26. How Many Can You Name?
This game is a perfect start activity to get your children thinking about what they already know about a topic. They’ll get one minute to list as many words associated with a category. You can use this one across content areas – think adjectives, WWII, or terms related to the solar system!
Learn More: Bunscoil Rís Edmund Rice Senior School
27. Beach Ball
This can be used in many different ways from an icebreaker to a review! Write questions on a beach ball and have your kiddos stand in a circle. They’ll say ‘left’ or ‘right’ as they toss the ball and when it’s caught, their classmate will have to answer the question under that hand!
Learn More: Teaching With Jennifer Findley
28. Gallery Walk
For an interactive movement break, have your students participate in a gallery walk! Just post questions around the room and have them work in groups to answer them. After a few minutes, they’ll move to the next question where they’ll get a chance to read the other group’s responses.
Learn More: Facing History
29. Hangman Alternatives
A snowman, alien, and fighter pilot/parachute are more positive alternatives to the classic game of hangman! For this no-prep game, you’ll give your kiddos spaces for the number of letters in a word and they’ll have to guess the letters correctly. For each incorrect guess, you’ll add a part to your picture!
Learn More: YouTube
30. Word Ladder
Start this fun word association game by writing a content-relevant word on your board. Have one of your pupils give a word related to it and write this above your word. They’ll call on a classmate to give a word related to their word and you’ll repeat this until everyone’s had a turn!
Learn More: My World Their Way
31. Round-Robin Storytelling
This activity is great for small groups. One of your students will write the opening of a story and then pass their paper to a classmate who will add to the story before passing it to another. This is a super fun game that will definitely produce some giggles!
Learn More: Education World
32. Riddle Starters
A good starter activity that gets your students thinking is a riddle. Post riddles from the list here or think of your own that are related to a specific topic your class is learning about. They’ll love waking up their brains by trying to figure out the answer before anyone else!
Learn More: Innovative Teaching Ideas
33. Popcorn Reading
This is an oldie but goodie! Start by reading aloud a text and then shout out ‘popcorn’ followed by the name of one of your kiddos. They’ll pick up where you left off and continue to read until they want to stop. Then they’ll repeat the process to give someone new a chance to read!
Learn More: Scribd
34. K-W-L Chart
K-W-L charts are great activities to explore what your children already know about a topic, and what they want to know about it. This also acts as a post-assessment in that they can add what they’ve learned after your lesson!
Learn More: Read Write Think
35. Minute To Win It
Based on the popular game show, your children will have a blast with only one minute to solve a problem or answer a question! The more they get correct or complete, the more points they earn. Play this one as individuals or place them in groups for a fun team competition!
Learn More: Rhody Girl Resource
36. Scattergories
This is another great word association game that can be played across different subject areas! Give your kiddos a list of categories and a letter and they’ll have one minute to think of words that both fit the category and start with that letter. Each word that works will get a point!
Learn More: EMediaVA Blog
