Here are Nine student-favorite classroom Games:
Educational BingoThere are literally countless ways to use bingo. I created an award-winning bingo game based upon the people of American History. The boards have people’s faces on them and the clues are all standards-based facts.
Around the World
This might be my favorite time filler, quick game. Around the World works best with a set of flashcards – can be math, vocab, sight words, or spelling.
You have all your students stand up, the first student stands next to the student behind them. You show a flashcard and whoever is the fastest to say the correct answer moves on. The idea is to be the best in the whole class.
Memory
Memory can really be looked at as a simplified version of bingo. This works great with phonics, simple math expressions, for ESL students (think images and words), spelling, and states with capitals.
I don’t think there are as many educational memory games out there as are bingo games, so it might take some time on your part to do the construction. But once you make it and laminate – BAM, you have it forever.
Hangman
Hello spelling and vocabulary. I think that aside from flashcards, Hangman might just be the easiest game to play. And it’s a fantastic time filler.
I love to use Hangman when introducing new topics that we are going to study in class, or clues as to what the assembly is going to be about. I also like Hangman as a way to get to know students, or to tell everyone book titles of upcoming stories. So easy and so fast.
Get Out of Here
‘Get Out of Here’ is a fun game I like to play right before the end of the day, right before recess, or lunch. I stand in the doorway with either a set of Trivial Pursuit questions or flashcards.
In order to get out of my classroom you need to answer 3 questions correctly. If not, you head to the back of the line and start over.
For students who answer those questions correctly, they can get out of my room earlier than others. And who doesn’t love that?
JeopardyThis is such a fun game. There are already lots of middle and high school teachers who utilize Jeopardy type games. And why not? It’s great to use as a studying tool before a big test. It also works so well for when preparing for the end of a unit, midterms, or finals.
There are plenty of free Jeopardy templates for teachers available online. This helps make prep time for this game more manageable.
Fast Facts
This game consists primarily of giving students 100 simple math problems and a limited amount of time to use them. I use this daily with my elementary students and tutoring students.
The whole idea is to get your students to understand these math problems so well that it becomes rote. For 100 problems for a 3rd grader, give them 5 minutes; a 4th grader gets four minutes; a 5th grader gets three minutes; and a 6th grader gets one minute.
This same idea can be applied to pronunciation of words. With two students, give one a timer and the other has 100 words that they have to say correctly. The same time structure applies too. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s a great way to work on a skill.
Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts are a lot of fun, but they definitely take some planning to get set up. The great thing is, they can be used for nearly every subject.
I like to set up a scavenger hunt for when starting new social studies, science, or reading units. I go through the material beforehand and I create questions, fill-in-the-blank, pictures, dates, people – anything that I want my students to really know before we get into the unit. And then I put them into small groups and they have to search the textbooks, encyclopedias, online, and around the classroom for the clues.
If I’m really on my game (meaning I’ve had enough coffee) I try to get other classrooms involved and have students go to visit there for clues. It’s so much fun. I’ve tried doing scavenger hunts when doing nature units – but that does present the logistics on keeping an eye on all students, so plan accordingly if you decide to go that route.
Student-made Games
Who doesn’t like to showcase their skills, knowledge, or talents? Everyone does. Which is why it is so much fun to see your students get to shine when they create the games that are used in class.
This is something I normally don’t start to do until after the winter break; mainly because I want the chance to utilize a variety of games in my class long enough that my students really understand how to implement their own versions.
But, literally every game listed here could become a student made game. And, if you are worried about time or having it not being educational enough – make having your students make the game count as a formal assessment.
This article was written by Rosshalde Pak. She is an Education Entrepreneur based in Portland, Oregon.
Memory can really be looked at as a simplified version of bingo. This works great with phonics, simple math expressions, for ESL students (think images and words), spelling, and states with capitals.
I don’t think there are as many educational memory games out there as are bingo games, so it might take some time on your part to do the construction. But once you make it and laminate – BAM, you have it forever.
Hangman
Hello spelling and vocabulary. I think that aside from flashcards, Hangman might just be the easiest game to play. And it’s a fantastic time filler.
I love to use Hangman when introducing new topics that we are going to study in class, or clues as to what the assembly is going to be about. I also like Hangman as a way to get to know students, or to tell everyone book titles of upcoming stories. So easy and so fast.
Get Out of Here
‘Get Out of Here’ is a fun game I like to play right before the end of the day, right before recess, or lunch. I stand in the doorway with either a set of Trivial Pursuit questions or flashcards.
In order to get out of my classroom you need to answer 3 questions correctly. If not, you head to the back of the line and start over.
For students who answer those questions correctly, they can get out of my room earlier than others. And who doesn’t love that?
JeopardyThis is such a fun game. There are already lots of middle and high school teachers who utilize Jeopardy type games. And why not? It’s great to use as a studying tool before a big test. It also works so well for when preparing for the end of a unit, midterms, or finals.
There are plenty of free Jeopardy templates for teachers available online. This helps make prep time for this game more manageable.
Fast Facts
This game consists primarily of giving students 100 simple math problems and a limited amount of time to use them. I use this daily with my elementary students and tutoring students.
The whole idea is to get your students to understand these math problems so well that it becomes rote. For 100 problems for a 3rd grader, give them 5 minutes; a 4th grader gets four minutes; a 5th grader gets three minutes; and a 6th grader gets one minute.
This same idea can be applied to pronunciation of words. With two students, give one a timer and the other has 100 words that they have to say correctly. The same time structure applies too. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s a great way to work on a skill.
Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts are a lot of fun, but they definitely take some planning to get set up. The great thing is, they can be used for nearly every subject.
I like to set up a scavenger hunt for when starting new social studies, science, or reading units. I go through the material beforehand and I create questions, fill-in-the-blank, pictures, dates, people – anything that I want my students to really know before we get into the unit. And then I put them into small groups and they have to search the textbooks, encyclopedias, online, and around the classroom for the clues.
If I’m really on my game (meaning I’ve had enough coffee) I try to get other classrooms involved and have students go to visit there for clues. It’s so much fun. I’ve tried doing scavenger hunts when doing nature units – but that does present the logistics on keeping an eye on all students, so plan accordingly if you decide to go that route.
Student-made Games
Who doesn’t like to showcase their skills, knowledge, or talents? Everyone does. Which is why it is so much fun to see your students get to shine when they create the games that are used in class.
This is something I normally don’t start to do until after the winter break; mainly because I want the chance to utilize a variety of games in my class long enough that my students really understand how to implement their own versions.
But, literally every game listed here could become a student made game. And, if you are worried about time or having it not being educational enough – make having your students make the game count as a formal assessment.
From: http://www.teachhub.com/engaging-classroom-games-all-grades
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