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Top 30 Quick Games to Play in the Classroom

If you need a fast, low-prep game you can play with your whole class, you're in the right place! These 30+ quick games to play in the classroom are fast, easy, and so much fun!

30 Quick Games to Play in the Classroom

The best classroom games require little set-up or equipment and are a great way to test your students' knowledge or help them bond as a community. 

They're great for quick brain breaks when everyone needs to let off some steam!

1. This or That

This is one of the simplest games, but kids absolutely love it! Announce two categories or opinions. Students will go to one side or the other, depending on their preference. Such a good conversation starter!

2. Four Corners

Like This or That, you'll assign each of the four corners in your classroom an answer. After you read off the prompt or question, students must run to a corner to make a choice.

This could be the best season, favourite snacks, the best classes, etc. It's quick and the best way to get some energy out while learning!

3. Copy Cats

The whole class stands in a large circle. As one student waits out of sight, another student silently leads the class to move in a certain way (clapping, stomping, swaying, etc.). 

The student waiting out of sight returns to figure out who the leader is. As the leader changes the movement, the rest of the class must follow along discretely without giving them away.

This is a great, quiet game that really helps younger children become aware of body language and get the wiggles out! 

4. Connect Four

I love using this popular game to practice identifying CVC words, long vowels, and other literacy skills! Students can play alone or with a partner to see who can get four words in a row. 

Get this game here.

5. Simon Says

Kids still love this classic game, and it's quick! Whether you're stuck in a long line or need to kill 5 minutes, pull out this old stand-by.

6. Jeopardy

Although this one may take a little more prep on your part, you can easily create your own Jeopardy game and come back to it again and again! 

It's great for a quick review game before a big test or to rehearse classroom norms and expectations. 

You could play with the students against the teacher instead of dividing the students into teams, especially if you're still working on building positive student relationships.

7. My take on Uno

This classic card game is a great way to teach specific literacy skills, like identifying long vowel sounds and more! 

The goal is to have just one card remaining in your hand and you can't help but get into it!

Bingo is still such a fun classroom activity! You can play endless varieties of Bingo, and I love incorporating math skills whenever possible! 

Depending on the age of your students, you can go for four corners, blackout, and more variations.

You can use Bingo to help your kindergarten students practice their phonological awareness skills in this fun game !

This two-digit number bingo game is great for small groups, too.

9. Charades

Charades is always such a riot, especially in primary grades! Have a bowl of ideas to choose from to keep the game moving quickly. 

The first kid to get the correct answer gets to go next, and you can play just one round or stretch it out during indoor recess days!

10. Tic Tac Toe

All you need is a simple sheet of paper for this simple game! Play it with your whole class by pitting the students against the teacher. This builds camaraderie among your students as they all work together to reach a shared goal

Make this game educational by hunting for CVC or CVCC CCVC words !

11. Heads Up Seven Up

There's a good chance you grew up with this fun game! Seven students will try to secretly choose seven students, who will try to guess who selected them and take their place. 

Heads Up Seven Up is fast enough for a quick brain break but also makes a great game to play once your kids get all their brownie points!

12. Snakes & Ladders

I've adapted this game to practice key phonics skills like identifying digraphs and more! If students land on a square with a snake, they go back one square, and if they land on a ladder, they follow it up the game board. 

Once they reach the finish line, the game ends!

13. Hangman

If you ever have a random 5-10 minute and need something to fill the time, this is a good way to do it! The concept is a little dark, so feel free to adapt it into something else (maybe decorating a gingerbread man or building a teddy bear). 

I usually play this with the teacher as the one running the game to ensure the words are all appropriate and correctly spelled.

14. Duck Duck Goose

Younger students love Duck Duck Goose, and it's a fun way to get some energy out. 

All students sit in a circle, with one student walking around the group, tapping each person on the head and saying, "duck." They'll choose one person to call, "goose," who will get up and chase the picker around the circle, trying to return to their seat. 

The first person to return to the goose's spot stays seated, and the person standing becomes the picker.

This is the best game for the lower grades! The leader says, "I spy something..." and states a colour or texture. The rest of the class tries to guess what they're looking at. The person who gets it right first gets to be the leader.

I've also created printable versions of I Spy you can use to reinforce phonics skills, like this one that requires students to identify CVC, CVCC, and CCVC words! 

16. Higher or Lower

Have a little fun while building number sense! In this game, one student waits outside the classroom while the rest of the class solves a math problem. After you go over the problem to find the answer, you'll bring in the guesser, who will need to figure out which number was the answer.  

As the guesser comes back in to stand in the front of the class, tell them the class has chosen a number between 0 and 100 (adapt as needed), but the only way they can help them find the right answer is to say "higher" or "lower!" 

Once the student reaches the number, the class cheers, and the guesser picks their replacement.

If you're looking for more math games, look at these differentiated elementary math games for K-2!

17. Where the Wind Blows

This is a great option for building positive student relationships! 

The entire class stands in a large circle. The leader says, "The window blows for people who like _____." Any student who likes what they mentioned moves to a different point across the circle. 

Students will naturally erupt in conversation about what they like or don't like, and they'll quickly see which people have the same interests.

Make your own custom IKEA spinner to determine who gets to be the leader first -- or to play some other fun number or phonics warm up games!

18. Human Knot

There are several different ways to play this game , but you tie all your bodies into a big knot! 

This is one of the best team-building games since you must work together to get everyone untangled!

19. Musical Chairs

For this classic game, turn on some fun music and have students walk in a circle around a row of chairs that is one short. 

As the music stops, everyone scrambles to a chair. The last person left standing is out. Take out another chair each round until the group gets smaller and smaller. 

The last one in a chair wins!

20. Silent Ball

This is one of the best classroom games because it's quiet, and everyone likes to play! 

The goal is for students to toss the ball to each other silently. If they talk or drop the ball, they're out. 

20. Two Truths and Lie

This classic ice-breaker can be a fun way to fill a gap in your lesson plans! Invite a few students to share two truths and lie, and try to figure out which is which.

21. Telephone

As students sit in a circle, one person whispers a message to their neighbour, who then whispers it to the next neighbour, and so on, until it travels around the circle. 

At the end, the last student reveals the message they heard.

The message almost always becomes distorted as it travels around the room. To help teach your students to listen more closely to each other, challenge them to pass the message accurately the whole way around!

22. Scavenger Hunt

Hide things around the classroom or school and have students track them down! This is a great way to change up your math routine, too. 

Blow up the problems on your math assignment, print them out, and spread them around the room. Have your students work on their answers on a separate piece of paper. 

They'll love moving around and working with others, which is excellent for a late-afternoon math class.

23. Freeze Dance

You can play this game with or without music, but the goal is to get your students moving and dancing as much as possible until you shout freeze!

There are even YouTube videos that guide your class through this game.

24. Hot Potato

This is a simple game, but it works! As you play music, students toss a ball or toy around the circle like a hot potato. 

When the music stops, whoever has the bean bag is out!

This dice game is a little noisy but so much fun! It's also great for teaching pattern recognition and practicing multi-digit addition! Learn how to play Farkle here. 

You can order a set of 6 cups on Amazon and have six groups playing at once! It's a wonderful treat for Fun Friday or a special occasion!

This is one of the best classroom math games for kids! Basically, you'll ask your kids to count by one. If someone reaches a multiple of 7, they say "buzz!" 

If they don't say buzz or take too long, they're out, and the group keeps going. 

This is perfect for teaching multiples, and you can adapt the number to make it easier or harder.

Want to help your kids learn their math facts? These no-prep digital interactive math warm-up games will get your kids playing right away!

27. Pictionary

Although the actual game has rules and guidelines, keep it simple. Have one student draw a picture, then have the rest of the class guess what it is. 

I prefer to do this within a category like food or animals to make it easier. Whoever gets it right first becomes the new artist. 

This one is great on Zoom if you ever do remote learning!

28. Marco Polo

If it's a nice day outside, divide students into partners, and take your whole class outside. Ask each pair to come up with a unique two-word phrase. 

Once everyone has a phrase, send them all to opposite ends of the space. Have them close their eyes and carefully try to find each other, with one partner saying the first part of the phrase and the other person saying the second part. 

This is a great way to practice social skills and careful listening. Plus, it's active, creative, and just plain fun!

29. Bananagrams

Like Scrabble, kids use tiles to build words but don't need a gameboard! 

The goal is to use all of your tiles to create words, building off of other words as needed. 

You can play as a whole class or have students work with partners or small groups. Students will practice quick thinking and spelling words! 

30. Would You Rather

This is a great game to learn more about your students! Ask silly questions for fun, like "Would you rather lick a slug or eat a raw egg?" 

You can also use it to dip into deeper conversations and ask questions, like "Would you rather be five years younger or ten years older?" 

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Best Homework Games for Students

Learning shouldn't stop because school's out. These homework games offer a nice mix of learning and engagement, so students extend classroom activities, refine skills, and reinforce concepts at home. With these great games spanning math, science, ELA, social studies, and more, students can form healthy study habits that help them dive deep into whatever interests them most. Whether students need to brush up on math facts and build fluency, grow their vocabulary, practice typing, stretch their thinking skills, or explore other cultures, this list has a game students can take home today.

Immediate feedback and breadth a huge plus, despite emphasis on drills

Bottom Line : Students can improve targeted skills by using practice modules in moderation.

The Robot Factory by Tinybop

Improve designs, collect favorites in robot creation sandbox

Bottom Line : A well-made and enjoyable STEM app that leverages what's great about play -- experimentation -- to spark engineering interest.

Simple Machines by Tinybop

Excellent elementary NGSS engineering practices embedded in fun games

Bottom Line : Fun gameplay lets kids explore important physics concepts in a solid standards-aligned context.

Motion Math

Playful collection of games reinforces a diversity of skills

Bottom Line : A great add-on to any classroom as a treat for students or as a way to get students to practice taught concepts to mastery.

Creative sandbox opens the door to coding in any subject area

Bottom Line : Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning.

Awesome, adaptive math games with a killer teacher dashboard

Bottom Line : Fantastic tool for flipped or blended classrooms, formative assessment, or extra practice in any setting.

Contraption Maker

Solve problems, puzzles, brain teasers while creating wacky machines

Bottom Line : Hands-on problem-solving leads to great fun and independent learning with the right curricular wraparound to connect what kids are doing with what they need to know.

Sandbox tool enables engaged, conceptual physics inquiry

Bottom Line : A robust, free pedagogical tool that's like a digital workbench where kids build and apply conceptual science knowledge.

Dungeon-crawling adventure where code is king

Bottom Line : While not everyone loves fighting ogres, CodeCombat offers a classroom-ready platform and an authentic learning experience.

Kahoot! Algebra 2 by DragonBox

Super fun, cutting-edge approach to learning and practicing algebra

Bottom Line : Kids build a strong foundation for algebra by learning the underlying concepts for solving equations with this extremely fun and educational math tool.

Tyto Ecology

Well-developed biome sim provides cheap, endless learning

Bottom Line : This affordable ecosystem balancing game teaches life science skills while keeping students engaged.

Universe Sandbox

Superb sandbox for astrophysics experimentation

Bottom Line : An impressive -- and complex -- tool that encourages a playful, systems thinking-oriented exploration of the universe and astrophysics.

One of the best creation tools available for aspiring game developers

Bottom Line : Great choice for a full unit or class on game design; fuels students game-making dreams.

Niche - a genetics survival game

Immersive genetics sim puts evolution in students' hands

Bottom Line : This hands-on genetics game allows students to experiment, explore traits, and come away with a sophisticated understanding of the subject.

Kerbal Space Program

Design and launch a rocket into space in realistic astrophysics sim

Bottom Line : This accurate rocket sim encourages trial-and-error learning and makes for great (and often explosive) physics and engineering experiments.

ELA and Social Studies Games

Hangart: play hangman, draw pictures, tell stories.

Games, creative activities give 360-degree view of common sight words

Bottom Line : Combination of guided games and open-ended activities give kids a great opportunity for digging deep into words.

Never Alone: Ki Edition

Illuminating native Alaskan folktale supports SEL skills

Bottom Line : A beautiful achievement developed in cooperation with indigenous folk that offers players valuable SEL skill building and a respectful window into Inupiat culture, ways of life, traditions, and stories.

Well-designed games, lessons can spice up your civics curriculum

Bottom Line : This game-based curriculum would be an excellent addition to any secondary social studies.

Sid Meier's Civilization V

Legendary strategy game is a hit with history buffs in school and out

Bottom Line : For flexible classrooms, creative teachers, and sharp students, Civilization V is the perfect platform for making rather than memorizing history.

Political Animals

Charming political campaign sim mixes data analysis and civics

Bottom Line : It's a highly entertaining and surprisingly deep way to help students see the strategy -- as well as ethical choices -- involved in elections.

SAT Vocab by MindSnacks

Variety is key in charmingly effective SAT vocab app

Bottom Line : Upgrading to the full version gets you great games and a thorough word list for SAT vocab prep.

Walden, A Game

Thoughtfully designed game illuminates Thoreau's writing, philosophy

Bottom Line : It's rare to be so moved and permanently transformed by a work of art; that this game manages to (re)create these experiences is a triumph.

Miscellaneous Games

One-stop shop for a wealth of fantastic PBS Kids educational content

Bottom Line : Robust collection of learning resources covers an impressive array of topics.

Customizable multiplayer auto races rev up basic typing practice

Bottom Line : Nitro Type is pretty darn engaging, but teachers need to prep students' typing skills first.

Classic logic puzzler gets a beautiful new look

Bottom Line : Promote powerful thinking skills, resilience, and decision-making through purely fun gameplay that will keep students begging for more.

Spiraling sandbox of adventure and creation gets kids to dig deep

Bottom Line : An irresistible and seemingly limitless incubator for 21st century skills that, with a little guidance, can chart new courses for learning.

Epistory - Typing Chronicles

Practice typing by exploring and defending a world made of paper

Bottom Line : Great for practicing touch-typing skills, this adventure game draws players in with a slowly revealed backstory.

Related Content

The best games to play while doing homework

Idle games, clickers, and management games all make for perfect study buddies.

You say you're just going to take a break from the school or work day to play "just one level" or "just one hour" of a favorite game. But before you know it, you've lost way more than just an hour. 

Fortunately, not every game is designed to grab and hold your attention. These games won't keep you away from your homework—at least, not for long. These idle and management games are perfect to leave running in the background while you write a report or have up on your monitor while you hit the books. Even more handy, several of them are free!

Fallout Shelter

 Free | Management | Steam , Bethesda Launcher 

Fallout Shelter puts you in the Overseer's chair to construct a vault room by room, organize expeditions into the Wasteland, and oversee the growth of your population. Vault dwellers have all the standard Fallout S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats, some of which make them better at producing resources like food and water and others that help them defend against rad roach and raider attacks.

Fallout Shelter is great for playing on the side while you work because it only requires a bit of attention every few minutes. In the early stages, you'll need to manually click on rooms that have finished producing food, water, and power to collect them. After completing a few achievements, you'll likely be able to earn a Mr. Handy unit, which will collect those resources automatically. Vaults do occasionally face emergencies like fires and deathclaw attacks, but the sirens are hard to ignore. If you've got your sound on or headphones in, you'll know when to look up and help your dwellers defend themselves. 

When you really need a break, treat yourself to one of Fallout Shelter's quests, which are more hands-on than managing the vault. Most quests take a few hours for your dwellers to arrive at, but if you send them off early in the day, you'll be able to start one when you're ready and take a few minutes to guide them through several floors of enemies and loot.

Realm Grinder

 Free | Clicker | Steam , Browser  

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Realm Grinder has as much theorycrafting as some MMOs I've played. If you want to get into that side of it, check out our Realm Grinder guide to get started and learn the lingo. There's plenty of number crunching if you want it, but don't let it scare you off. Like any clicker game, it's easy to get started. In Realm Grinder you start as the ruler in one of six factions each aligned with good or evil. The evil factions (goblins, demons, and undead) are most oriented towards an idle play style where you earn coins based on upgrades that you've bought instead of increasing the coins you earn per click. 

Realm Grinder is a great studying game. Not only does it flex your arithmetic skills in calculating upgrades (if you want to get that deep) but it really doesn't require too much of your attention. The endgame for Realm Grinder can get pretty complex if you allow it, but if you just want to mess about and earn a few trophies, you don't need to read up on all the meta strats. The only danger is if you get too into it, you may end up doing speed runs instead of studying. 

Spaceplan 

 $2.99 USD | Clicker | Steam

Spaceplan has what few other clicker games do: an ending. A great ending, even. You're lost in space on a potato-powered ship and the only way to find your way back to Earth is to make lots and lots of potatoes. With the help of your onboard AI, a GladOS and HAL 9000 lovechild called the Word Outputter, you'll make starchy creations to power your potato ship as you hop planets and universes on your way back home.

Like most clicker games, you'll spend a bit of time getting set up but Spaceplan quickly becomes a self-propelled machine that generates joules of potato power. Oh, and make sure to turn on the "scientifically accurate mode" which displays your power in joules instead of watts. You were paying attention in physics, right?

Have your sound on while playing Spaceplan because the low-key space soundtrack by Logan Gabriel is absolutely stellar. It's still my go-to concentration music even years later. It will probably take you about a week of casual check-ins to complete and if you enjoy the soundtrack along the way you'll likely love the groovy, cinematic ending.

 A Dark Room 

Free | Management | Browser  

A Dark Room almost defies explanation and demands to be played firsthand. You start off by a dwindling fire and your only option is to stoke it so you won't freeze to death. Before long you run out of wood and need to gather more. Next you wind up building a hut, and then another, attracting more wanderers to your small, budding village. You don't know why you're tending this fire in what seems to be the apocalypse, but you keep taking care of your people, assigning them jobs, and building the village's resources. The story is sparse and vague, but I've been playing for weeks just to see what new vagabonds I can attract and technologies I can find. 

Eventually, A Dark Room opens up after you obtain a compass and can leave the small village you've constructed. Like Fallout Shelter, you can go on expeditions in a Dwarf Fortress-like ascii art environment. Venturing further from the village, killing monsters, and finding new resources like iron mines and abandoned suburbs leads to further progress. After finding the right spread of villagers per job to stabilize the resources of wood, meat, and other necessities, it's easy to leave A Dark Room running for hours and come back later to investigate what new mysteries await.

Cookie Clicker

Free | Clicker | Browser  

Cookie Clicker is THE classic clicker game. It's still a browser game to this day even though it has developed a lot of pizzazz since 2013. There are animations and screen effects and lots of display options. At its heart though, Cookie Clicker is just about making cookies with milk. You recruit sweet grandmas, build cookie farms, cookie mines, and temples of cookie production. 

The first upgrade you can spend cookies on is an automated clicker that does the cookie clicking for you, meaning you can go hands-off very quickly. Although Cookie Clicker has some of the same deep strategy elements as Realm Grinder by storing progress across multiple runs, it isn't nearly as intense. You can pull up Cookie Clicker in a browser while you write a paper and check in on it whenever you remember.

Lauren has been writing for PC Gamer since she went hunting for the cryptid Dark Souls fashion police in 2017. She accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as self-appointed chief cozy games and farmlife sim enjoyer. Her career originally began in game development and she remains fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long fantasy books, longer RPGs, can't stop playing co-op survival crafting games, and has spent a number of hours she refuses to count building houses in The Sims games for over 20 years. 

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13 Fun Homework Ideas: The Best Ways To Make Homework Fun For Kids Quickly & Easily

Sophie Bartlett

Figuring out how to make homework fun can be a tricky task for parents.

Does it feel like you’re constantly nagging your kids to do their homework? If your answer is yes, know that we’ve all been there! It’s natural for parents to want their children to progress and do well in school, but after an entire day of paper, pencils, and books many youngsters will resist getting on with their homework – and that’s putting it mildly!

Fun Math Games and Activities Packs for Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Individual packs for Kindergarten to Grade 5 containing fun math games and activities.

Top Tips To Make Homework Fun:

1. work together, 2. use rewards and incentives, 3. make them a snack, 4. make it visual, 5. try different learning apps, 6. set up a homework play date, 7. go outside, 8. turn it into a game, 9. let them play teacher, 10. use a timer, 11. create a special homework space, 12. remember to be positive, 13. get help if you need it.

Thankfully, there are ways of making homework less boring and that are a little bit more fun for your child. Whether they need to practice spelling, learn their times tables or revise for an important exam, our top fun homework ideas will help you magically take the ‘work’ out of homework.

Adults often work best in the company of others, and the same can be said of kids, so why not sit with your child while they’re studying and get on with some of your own work or life admin?

Whether you’re returning emails or doing your online banking, creating a shared workspace and modeling focused work is a great way to spend quality time together while they complete their homework. Win-win!

Quick win : While your child is tackling their fractions homework, you could sit down with them and take a look through your finances.

Rewards and incentives are great when it comes to getting your children to follow your household rules and routines, and homework is no different. Things like stickers or the promise of time on their iPad or games console for slightly older children can all work wonders in getting them to do their homework without a battle.

Quick win: For every few questions they answer they could get a minute of screen time!

Let’s face it: A hungry child is an unfocused, unmotivated and unhappy child.

Most children come out of school ravenous, so let them nibble on a nutritious after-school snack while they get on with homework; things like popcorn, apple slices, grapes, or crackers and cheese are all great snack options.

If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, Active for Life has a list of healthy after-school snack ideas and recipes to try.

Quick win: One of the best brain foods for kids is a nice and crispy apple! So when your child is craving something sweet just cut up an apple and let them munch away.

Help to eliminate the late night ‘Oh, I forgot to do that’, and create a weekly homework chart so your child can see what they have to do each day and check off each ‘to do’ task as it’s been completed.

Again, Pinterest has some great free printables to help keep kids organized. Get them involved by letting them color it, or decorate it with their favorite stickers, and pin it up somewhere at their height, where they will see it easily every day as a reminder. Some exciting new stationery and colorful pens might help too.

Quick win: An easy way to make homework fun is to grab a piece of paper and get your child to draw out and decorate a ‘homework chart’ consisting of 5 days. Stick it on the fridge and add a sticker to each day after they’ve done their homework, when they’ve collected 5 stickers they get a treat!

If your child prefers to be online, there are some great online apps around that children will have fun using, yet encourage learning too. Here are our favorite free math websites for example. Speak to your child’s teacher too and see which apps the children use in school so you can support what they’re doing at home.

Quick win: One of our favorite websites that makes homework fun is Tang Math !

Holding a homework playdate where your child can invite one of their best school buddies over to do homework together can be a great way for them to learn and make sure the work gets done, especially older children in elementary school.

Plus, it’s likely that their parents will be delighted!

Younger children may need a bit more support and guidance but can still gain a lot from the experience of learning together with a friend – think of this as a mini-educational play date for them.

Quick win: Let your child and their friend play for a while, and then get them to work through their homework with the incentive of a yummy ‘ice cream party’ when they’ve completed all of their homework.

If the weather allows, create a comfortable outside study space and allow your child to do their homework outdoors.

The fresh air can help kids with their concentration if they’ve been stuck in a classroom all day, and studies also show that being outside, closer to nature, can increase productivity. The reward of a quick game of Frisbee or a kick-around of a soccer ball between tasks will help them stay motivated too.

Who said home learning had to be boring? If children enjoy what they’re learning, they’re more likely to remember what they’re being taught, so turn their learning into a fun game. Using sweets like Smarties to help with math and number work can turn the experience from a chore into a treat. If they get the right answer, they get to eat some!

Another trick that you can use when your child is learning spellings is to write them in shaving cream or in magnetic letters. It sounds simple but we can guarantee that it will make homework a lot more fun for your child.

These math games for kids and times tables games are a great place to start.

Quick win: If you’re looking for some fun homework ideas then check out this simple multiplication activity you can do at home, it’ll even get in one of your child’s five a day!

Make another fun homework game by creating your own mini-classroom and letting your child step into the role of teacher.

Have your child explain a concept to you as a teacher, as you, or their sibling, play the role of the student. This game works particularly well with subjects that require theory, like Science for example, as it will improve their understanding of the concept and build logic and reasoning skills.

Quick win: Make homework fun by getting your child to choose their favorite teddies and toys and setting them up in their own mini- classroom. Start off with registration, ‘mom’ ‘present’, ‘mr teddy’ ‘here’ etc. You’ll soon notice that your child is growing in confidence regardless of the topic as children love playing teacher!

Some children may have difficulty working for prolonged periods of time without a break, so using a timer can be great for getting them to complete homework without whining. For example, if your child is given 20 math problems for homework, you can say “Complete the first 10 questions, then we’ll take a 5-minute break, then complete the next 10 questions”.

Many children will need a mental break and will work more effectively when given the opportunity to take one. At the end of the task, they get to pick an activity of their choice. If your child gets easily distracted, a timer game can work well to keep them focused on the task in hand.

Quick win: Put the timer on your phone so that your child can see the countdown while they’re working.

A special study space can make homework more fun and help motivate your child to get it done! Choose a space in your house that’s least likely to distract your child, and create simple, organized, and kid-friendly homework.

You could hang up some of their artwork above the desk, and have all their school essentials nearby so everything is close to hand.

Quick win: Make sure that they aren’t surrounded by things that will distract them. Televisions and iPads are a no go at homework time!

Remember to always be upbeat and positive about school and the importance of their homework. Give your child lots of praise and encouragement about how well they’re doing to help them stay motivated and on track.

Quick win: After every homework session, spend five minutes talking through what your child has accomplished. If you’re running out of activities to do, have a look at our list of home learning packs – all free to download.

Homework can be frustrating if your child doesn’t understand the material or gets bored easily. If your child is struggling, get them some expert help!

Quick win: Third Space Learning has plenty of advice on learning math for kids and parents but if you need more support, our primary school math tutors are easy to organize and very affordable.

Do you have students who need extra support in math? Give your students more opportunities to consolidate learning and practice skills through personalized math tutoring with their own dedicated online math tutor. Each student receives differentiated instruction designed to close their individual learning gaps, and scaffolded learning ensures every student learns at the right pace. Lessons are aligned with your state’s standards and assessments, plus you’ll receive regular reports every step of the way. Personalized one-on-one math tutoring programs are available for: – 2nd grade tutoring – 3rd grade tutoring – 4th grade tutoring – 5th grade tutoring – 6th grade tutoring – 7th grade tutoring – 8th grade tutoring Why not learn more about how it works ?

The content in this article was originally written by primary school teacher Sophie Bartlett and has since been revised and adapted for US schools by elementary math teacher Christi Kulesza.

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Videogames or homework? Why not both, as ACMI has 75 game lessons for you to try

Lecturer in Education, Monash University

Senior Lecturer, Digital Technologies, Monash University

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The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Monash University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU.

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Despite the growth of technology in our daily lives , the integration of digital technologies into education has been slower than anticipated . There seem to be a number of factors at work here, including problems with access to technology and the time and support needed to use technology successfully in the classroom.

Teachers may also lack confidence in choosing and using technology or believe technology will not improve learning .

Australia’s national museum for screen culture, ACMI, has released an online digital learning lesson bank to address these challenges. This is part of ACMI’s school program and resources database. Game Lessons offers digital games as lessons – 25 lesson plans comprising 75 digital lessons. These are created by expert teachers and include areas such as the arts, humanities, sciences, literacy and capabilities such as ethics.

The new resource is an interesting step forward that builds on the existing pedagogy of digital game-based learning. This refers to the use of games to teach content .

Read more: Gaming in the classroom: what we can learn from Pokémon Go technology

A brief history of digital education

Digital games such as Maths Rescue and Carmen Sandiego have been used in education for as long as computers have been available in classrooms.

The developers of globally-popular games such as Minecraft , Fortnight and Portal 2 have already capitalised on their potential in education. They’ve all developed educational versions of their games with supporting lesson plans and online communities.

Playing fun games that interest and motivate students is a key aspect of digital-based learning . Games, however, include other educationally useful features:

students can work at their own pace, or collaborate in a team

students practise skills until they are achieved and then move to a higher level. This provides experiences of mastery, continual assessments and immediate feedback

games automatically adjust to the level of difficulty needed to encourage student persistence. Students then gain rewards for hard work including virtual lives, coins or badges

transferable skills such as communication skills, strategising and problem solving are essential for collaborative gameplay. It also fosters creativity, flexibility and resilience skills

activities become more student-centred and students can be positioned as experts co-constructing knowledge with their teacher. This is a powerful motivator.

The research into the effectiveness of game-based learning seems highly contextual . A 2017 study examined the way teachers designed 27 game-based learning courses from middle school to higher education, including the specific game elements they used and why. It found

The structure of game-based learning at different levels will vary to meet the developmental and academic needs of students, but more work is needed in determining which strategies are most effective for learning.

Another study found many teachers feel unsure about using games in specific classes.

So, what is the ACMI resource?

ACMI’s Game Lessons are connected to the Victorian Curriculum and can be searched by learning area and year level, from foundation to year 12. To support these resources, ACMI also has professional development opportunities and peer to peer interactions in a Slack community.

Teachers are encouraged to pick and choose and adapt the most useful or inspirational aspects of the plans for their classrooms. They can leave out those aspects not meeting their needs.

Read more: How creative use of technology may have helped save schooling during the pandemic

In the lesson plans, students are no longer positioned simply as learners but as having active roles including watchers, players, makers or explorers. In some lessons they simply watch YouTubers playing games; in others they make their own online or offline games.

In one lesson, called Gone Home the players are immersed in a story where the protagonist is a mystery but players discover more about her through narration and the exploration of objects. This is a historical video game to develop skills in evaluating evidence.

Another video game is called Contraption Maker . Here students learn physics by becoming explorers in sandbox or simulation games and invent, tinker and test their ideas. A sandbox is a style of game in which minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer, allowing them to roam and change a virtual world at will.

Games such as the ones in the new ACMI resource can be seen as another tool in a teacher’s toolbox. The technology may be used as a stimulus for a main teaching activity, such as a writing task , in the same way a book, video, excursion or objects are currently used.

Maintaining momentum

The continual renewal of learning technology is relentless. It forces teachers to think twice before embracing this type of resource in case the technologies become redundant within a year or two.

For ongoing success, ACMI will need to ensure the Games Lessons library continues to meet the International Standards for Technology in Education. The library would need to meet current needs and anticipate future needs too.

Game Lessons is an ACMI education initiative funded by the Department of Education Victoria’s Strategic Partnerships Program, and supported by a committed network of teachers.

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10 Games You Can Play While Multitasking

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Whether you're working from home, studying, taking online classes, watching your favorite TV show, or prioritizing anything else important in your life, there are plenty of games out there that you can play and progress in that don't require much of your attention.

The 23 Best Idle Games For iPhone And Android

If you're looking for a low-effort game to play in the background on your mobile phone, here are the best to try.

If you're a multitasker at heart and need that extra bit of stimulation to make your work more tolerable, or your leisure time more interesting, these partially to completely "AFKable" games are worth checking out. Just... try not to get too sucked into the gameplay if you can manage it; that does defeat the concept of multitasking.

10 Runescape

While you certainly won't be bossing, raiding, or hopping into the wilderness for some PvP, there are plenty of activities you can do in Runescape , whether you're playing the old school or modern versions, that only require a few clicks here and there.

From barbarian fishing, cooking, smelting, and woodcutting, to flipping items on the Grand Exchange or mining Amethyst, there are tons of low-attention activities you can do that will passively net you skill XP and gold. If you're lucky, you might even get a skill-related pet while you're grinding.

9 Bloons TD 6

You might need to bump the difficulty down to easy, but BTD6 can absolutely be played on the side, especially if you refrain from turning on fast-forward mode and leave the auto-start next round function disabled. Usually, you'll only have to upgrade your towers every few rounds.

If you want to make the game truly AFK, you can play the Deflation game mode on easy difficulty, place all your towers with the budget you've been allotted, and let each round play out to see if the setup you chose makes it through to the end.

If you're not sure which hero to use, check out the best heroes in the game .

8 Cookie Clicker

It'd be hard to leave out the idle game classic, Cookie Clicker; you can't get more AFK than this. If you're just starting out, you'll have to do a little bit of clicking, but once you get cursors, farms, mines, and plenty of other cookie-generating structures, you'll be raking in that sweet, passive income.

While the game is quite cheap on Steam , you can still play the original browser version completely free. Although, if you're an achievement hunter that likes to show off games you've fully completed, you might as well dish out a few bucks.

7 Baldur's Gate 3

While Baldur's Gate 3 might not be the first option that comes to mind for games that are multitask friendly, the turn-based combat and oftentimes lengthy conversations you have with NPCs and key characters let you play the game as slow as you want.

18 Best Casual Games On Steam

Here are the best casual games on Steam!

As you grind away at your main task at hand, you can keep who you're going to romance in the back of your mind, occasionally glance at the battle you're in to plan your next move, or find synergies between your party members and the gear you've acquired.

6 Totally Accurate Battle Simulator

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator, or TABS as the community likes to call it, is a silly puzzle game with a top-down perspective. You're given a specific, limited amount of points for each level to buy units and defeat your AI opponents.

While thinking, planning, and familiarity with the game will determine how quickly you beat each level, you can also try unconventional strategies or try to brute force levels with various units. Once your units are placed, you start the battle and watch in anticipation to see which side wins.

5 House Flipper

House Flipper gives you an arsenal of tools to renovate and furnish homes however you'd like, although listening to the needs and wants of your clients is probably a good idea. Depending on what you're doing, you might not even need to look at your screen.

If, for example, you're breaking down walls with a sledgehammer, painting surfaces, or mopping floors, you don't need to be that accurate. Plus, since this is a casual, single-player game, you're free to go at your own pace, unlike in real life.

4 Idle Champions Of The Forgotten Realms

You'll enjoy Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms if you like the idea of blending an idle game with the Dungeons & Dragons universe. The game is completely free on multiple platforms, like Steam and the Epic Games store, and can be played completely AFK.

Choose your champions, strategically place your party on the battlefield, and let them handle all the fighting for you. As you play, you'll unlock new champions and upgrades, and explore iconic DnD locations in your adventures, like Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate, and Icewind Dale.

3 Slay The Spire

You can drag this enthralling, roguelike deck-builder to your second monitor, choose from one of four characters, each with their own unique cards and playstyle, and plan your next card combo one turn at a time.

The 8 Best Idle Games For PC

There's something satisfying about kicking back and watching these games tick along with little to no effort.

The game is single-player, so you won't be pressured to take your turn like you would in an online match of Hearthstone . With over 300 cards and 200 items, dozens of enemies and unique combat encounters, and plenty of events and modifiers, there's a ton to learn and discover.

2 League Of Legends

Unless you're playing as Yuumi, normal matches likely aren't the best idea to play in League of Legends while you're trying to multitask. If you've ever played a MOBA game in the past, you're probably aware of how competitive it can get, especially when you get lectured by your teammates or mocked by your opponents.

The good news is you can play Teamfight Tactics instead, a relatively simple auto battler game mode that mainly requires you to pay attention to item and champion synergies. The more you play, the more you'll understand the meta, and the more you understand, the less you'll have to think.

While you can face off against other players online, Faeria's unique blend of strategy deck-building and a dynamic, tile-based board where units can manipulate the environment offers rich single-player and co-op experiences through skirmishes, puzzles, and missions

Plus, if you don't feel like you have the attention span or energy for a regular match, plenty of time can be spent building and optimizing your custom decks; there are all kinds of synergies you can discover between specific cards and the game's four different elemental types.

Next: Best Casual Co-Op Games For Busy Gamers

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• Grades 6-12
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39 Classroom Games Students Will Want To Play Again and Again

Practice important skills while having fun!

The classroom games you choose to play with students may become their favorite memories. (I still remember playing Heads Up, Seven Up in Mrs. Merar’s first grade class!) Classroom games are a great way to build collaboration and community and practice important skills. Plus, they’re fun!

Benefits of Classroom Games

Classroom games capture what kids are naturally good at—playing—to improve other skills. Games support kids’ executive functioning skills . Things like planning, organization, turn-taking, and problem-solving are all skills that students need to be successful. Playing games, from Memory to Monopoly, gives kids experience in focus and concentration, working memory, and flexibility in safe spaces where they can grow and stretch these skills. Plus, they’re a fun way to learn more about how your students think and work together.

In addition to all the classroom games listed below, check out our lists of most loved educational board games and best board games for 6-to-12-year-olds .

Here are our favorite classroom games that you can use to teach, reteach, and engage students.

Games for Practicing Academic Skills

Classroom games can help students practice things that they need to know—like multiplication tables, vocabulary words, and science facts. They’re great ways to do a quick review or practice for a quiz.

Math (or Fact) Baseball

Divide the class into two teams. One team is “at bat” and scores runs by answering questions that are worth one, two, or three bases. You “pitch” the questions using flash cards. If the at-bat team answers correctly, they move around the baseball field and rack up runs. If the at-bat team does not answer correctly, the defending team can respond correctly to earn an out. Once the at-bat team has three outs, they switch.

You can also put students into pairs and have them play a partner version.

Why we love it: This game is great for upper elementary students who are able to follow the game and will love the strategy of earning runs.

Beach Ball Toss

Write questions on the sides of a plastic beach ball. You can write questions about a story (plot, theme, setting, characters, structure), about math (write numbers 1 through 6 on the beach ball and students have to select a math problem based on the number they choose), or simply silly questions that students can answer. As students catch the ball, they answer the question. When they’ve answered, they throw the ball to the next player. If you’re working with material that may be new for some kids, you can give each kid one “pass” and they can share the problem-solving with another student.

Why we love it: It’s flexible and works with students’ hand-eye coordination. ADVERTISEMENT

Buy it: Beach Balls at Amazon

Create a list of topics that students can visualize (think: science concepts, vocabulary words). Students work either in two teams for the entire class or in small groups that are divided into two. One student selects a card and has to draw an image that the other team uses to guess the word. The rest of the group guesses the term that’s being drawn. Add a timer for an added challenge. Provide additional differentiation by allowing students to provide one, two, or more letters in the word as well.

Why we love it: Kids who have strengths in drawing and thinking outside the box can really shine.

There’s the Simon Says you know from the playground and the Simon Says classroom game. In this Simon Says, tell students to do something that lets them show off what they’ve learned or practices a skill. So you might say, “Simon says spell ‘conundrum.’” Or “Simon says solve this equation.” Play either as a whole class with you as Simon or in small groups with cards of prompts that students can use when they take turns being Simon.

Why we love it: In addition to practicing skills, students also practice listening and impulse control.

Who doesn’t remember Mad Libs from their elementary school days? Practice nouns, adjectives, verbs, and more with the fill-in-the-blank word game. 

Why we love it: It’s a timeless word game that hooks kids on grammar, vocabulary, and reading.

Buy it: Mad Libs books at Amazon

20 Questions

Prepare cards with related words or topics. Group students into teams of two to four students. One at a time, students choose a card and the others have to try to guess what the card is by asking questions that can only be answered with a yes or no. Keep track of how many questions are asked, because you’re only allowed 20 questions to get to the answer. Have students put aside the cards they didn’t get for review. Tip: Guess in 10 , which you can buy on Amazon, has ready-made card packs for states, cities, countries, and animals.

Why we love it: Students practice working memory as they add new information to what they already know.

Memory is a game that students can do with any content—vocabulary words paired with their definitions, chemistry terms paired with images that depict them, or text structures paired with graphic organizers. First, have students create card pairs. Shuffle the cards and put them on the table. Take turns flipping cards over and finding the matching pairs.

Why we love it: Memory is so versatile you can use this game with anything from procedures to vocabulary to history facts.

Buy it: Blank Memory Cards at Amazon

Bananagrams

Use word  tiles to create words and build off of words that others create. The trick: Students have to think fast to build words or they become the “bad banana.” 

Why we love it: It’s fast-paced and great for students who are learning and mastering spelling concepts.

Buy it: Bananagrams game at Amazon

In charades, students choose a card and act out the information on the card. For a unit on weather, you may have the words cloud , tornado , or hurricane , for example. Scaffold this game with three rounds. In the first round, students can explain the topics using a few words. Then, in the second round, they can only use one word to describe what they are acting out. And in the third round, they have to be completely silent, using only their bodies to act out each word.

Why we love it: This game gets students up and moving around and thinking creatively about how to show what they know.

Put students in the hot seat to review the plot points of a story, practice answering questions, or review for a science test. First, choose vocabulary to review. Then, select a student to sit in the hot seat. The other students ask questions about the topic or information. The student in the hot seat must answer as quickly as possible. If their answer is correct, they stay in the hot seat. If they get a wrong answer, they can pass the seat to someone else. (You can take the pressure out of this game, which can make some students nervous, by removing the timed aspect.)

Why we love it: Hot Seat is a great way to get students to practice information they need to have right at the tip of their tongue.

Scattergories

Scattergories can be played for academics or for fun. It also helps students improve their creative thinking. You’ll need a list of at least 10 categories—mix serious topics with silly ones. Then, select a letter of the alphabet. Have students brainstorm words to go with each category that starts with that letter. So, if the categories you have are Weather, Bees, and Favorite Places, and the letter is H, students might write: hurricane, hive, and Hawaii. Give a set amount of time for students to complete their own brainstorm, then share out. Students can rack up points for the number of categories that they complete. And sharing out helps them connect their brainstorming with everyone else’s.

Why we love it: The boundaries that kids have to work in when playing Scattergories is ideal for inspiring creativity.

Fix It Relay Race

Divide the class into teams of four to six students, and prepare sentences that each have an error—it could be a factual error for content classes or grammar or spelling mistakes for language classes. Arrange students in a line, with students standing a few feet apart. The first student in each team must correct one mistake in the sentence they are given. Then, they pass the card to the next teammate. The next student corrects another mistake. This continues until each team member has seen the card and they think all the errors are corrected. Then they run the card to the front to complete the relay.

Why we love it: Teams work together to complete each task.

Word Scramble

Each student or group has a word. The goal is to pull as many words out of the original word as possible within the time limit.

Why we love it: Word Scramble encourages flexibility, and students may be surprised at what they see in each game.

This is another classic game that can be adapted to any academic context. Each student gets a card that is taped to their back or forehead. The card has the name of a person or a topic you’re studying written on it. Then, the students circulate and ask questions of one another to try to figure out who or what is taped to them.

Why we love it: This game is easily differentiated by providing students with personalities that you know they are familiar with, and by providing them with questions to ask or a checklist of personalities that they can be thinking about as they figure out who everyone is.

Stickyball Bingo

Create a bingo board on your whiteboard with the words that you want students to work with or the math problems you want them to do. Then, have students throw a sticky ball at the board to select their game.

Why we love it: When their aim is poor, students may have to answer questions that push them out of their comfort zone.

Musical Chairs

Prepare a list of discussion questions or prompts. Students choose a card, then walk around the room while music plays. When the music stops, they find a partner and work on the questions they see on the card. You can prepare cards with math or science problems, questions from social studies, getting-to-know-you questions, or silly questions. Changing the type of questions that students are working with keeps this game fresh.

Why we love it: Musical chairs really gets students up and moving, and if you remove the loss of a chair each time, all students can stay in the game.

Learn more: School-appropriate songs kids love and Trivia Questions for Kids

Flashcard Duel

Students each have a set of flash cards and use them to “duel.” In pairs, students show each other a flash card one at a time. If they answer the card right, they get to keep the card. If they don’t, their partner keeps the card.

Why we love it: It’s fast-paced and easy for students to pick up and play during a few minutes of downtime.

Jenga is a versatile classroom game. Have students read decodable words, solve a mental math problem, or tell you a history fact before pulling a Jenga block. Or have them write sight words or questions onto the blocks themselves, and when students pull a block, they have to read the word or answer the question. 

Why we love it: Kids love playing Jenga, and when you ask the question before each turn, you can differentiate what each student answers.

Buy it: Jenga at Amazon

Bozo Buckets

Put questions about what you’re working on in class in the bottom of buckets. Have students toss a ball or beanbag into the buckets. When they get a ball or beanbag in, they answer the question in the bucket. 

Why we love it: Bozo buckets gets kids moving around and encourage them to cheer each other on.

Penny Pitch

Set up a paper divided into spaces with a question or math problem on each space. Students sit or stand away from the paper and toss pennies onto the paper. Then, they answer each question their penny lands on. 

Why we love it: Depending on the size of the paper, you can create desk-sized penny pitch games for small groups or a large board for the entire class.

With Kahoot, you can create games out of any topic you are working on. Create multiple-choice, Jeopardy-esque games, and students compete to earn the most points. It’s engaging, fun, and fast-paced. You should know, however, that Kahoot isn’t the only option for online games.  

Why we love it: Kids love playing on interactive online interfaces, and we love that we can find or create an interactive game for any lesson.

Learn more: Fun Kahoot Ideas, Tips, Topics, and Games

Tic-Tac-Toe

Divide students into teams. Have students complete math problems or answer questions. When they get a question correct, they can add an X or O to the tic-tac-toe board. 

Why we love it: It’s a simple game so students can play many rounds, which maintains momentum as you review material.

Put images from your last unit up around your classroom and have students guess based on clues you give. For example, “I spy an invertebrate …” 

Why we love it: It’s a classic game that can be adapted to any subject, and there are lots of opportunities for students to ask questions.

In this math game, students put down cards and find the ways to use the numbers to create equations. For example, if you see a 4, 5, and 20, you can take all three with the equation 4 x 5 = 20. The goal is to create as many equations and get as many cards as possible. 

Why we love it: This is a more open-ended game to practice math facts, so it’s naturally differentiated.

Buy it: Proof! game at Amazon

Duck, Duck, Goose

This game is a good way to get students up and moving, but give it an educational spin by changing the duck-duck-goose to words from a topic you’ve been studying (e.g., earth-earth-moon) or by having students move when they hear a term with a certain characteristic, like a prime number (2, 4, 7!). 

Why we love it: Get students up and moving and really paying attention as they listen for “goose.”

This is a game that every teacher should have on their go-to list. You draw a spot for a “ hangman ” and add spaces to represent the letters of a particular phrase or word. Whoever guesses the word or phrase first wins, but every wrong answer means that a body part is added to the hangman. If the hangman is completed first, then the leader wins. Create a list of words and phrases that have to do with what you’re teaching and use a round of hangman as a review.

Why we love it: It’s a game that every student can play—even if they don’t guess the final phrase, they can definitely contribute letters.

Classroom Games for Communication

Games that require students to talk and listen to one another are great ways to encourage communication.

Yes, No, Stand Up

Have a list of sentences prepared. When you read a sentence, students stand if their response is yes and stay seated if it’s no.

Why we love it: Students practice listening skills and inhibition by standing or not standing in response to your questions.

Blind Square

Use a long rope and blindfolds. Have students stand in groups of four, then put the blindfolds on and hold the rope between them so it creates a square. They have to work together to put the rope down on the floor in front of them.

Why we love it: This game is great for middle schoolers to learn to work together.

Odd One Out

Prepare this game with a set of words or phrases written on slips of paper. Have students work in pairs or small groups to categorize the words or phrases as they relate to one another. Students have completed the game when they find the odd one out. So, students may have a group of four people from the Revolutionary War but only three who were presidents, so the one who is not a president is the odd one out.

Why we love it: Odd One Out requires students to use critical thinking and working memory as they come to each answer.

Can You Hear Me Now?

This is a fun warm-up or cool-down for the day. It’s also a great classroom game to play if you’re teaching virtually. Play as a class or in groups. Each student takes a turn describing an item for the others to draw one step at a time. For example, if the object were “cat,” the description might be: “Draw a circle. Draw two triangles on top of the circle …,” and so on until a cat is drawn. It’ll surprise students how their directions are interpreted and how hard it is to get people to follow their directions.

Why we love it: This is a humorous way to reinforce that students need to be clear in their directions and listen to yours.

Check out: 20 Classroom Zoom Games

Classroom Games for Collaboration and Team Building

Games that require teamwork are ideal for helping kids practice collaboration in short bursts and around a common, if silly, goal.

Minute To Win It

Challenge your class to compete in tasks that can take under a minute. You could:

• Speed-stack paper cups.
• Roll a coin between fork tongs.
• Transfer pom-poms with chopsticks.
• Build a tower out of marshmallows and toothpicks.
• Pass a balloon from one person to another without using your hands.
• Put together a puzzle.

Why we love it: It’s a quick way to engage students and shift students into a positive frame of mind.

Learn more: Fun and Easy Minute To Win It Games

Over the Electric Fence

Put two chairs next to each other, and tell students that they are connected by a wire that is 3 feet high. Even better, string a rope 3 feet high. Students have to imagine that this is an electric fence and if they touch it, they are dead. They’ll help everyone get over the fence and work together to do so. Make it even more challenging by telling students that they have to hold hands while moving everyone from one side of the fence to the other.

Why we love it: Students will have to slow down and figure out exactly how to solve the problem.

Create a square in your classroom using tape. Then, place plastic cups or cones around the inside of the square. This area is the minefield. Break students into pairs. One student is blindfolded and the other leads them. The students have to cross the minefield without touching or knocking down the plastic cups. The non-blindfolded student gives directions and the blindfolded student must follow them to cross the minefield without blowing up a “mine” or knocking over a cone.

Why we love it: Students will get out of their comfort level while playing this game.

Start with general everyday scenes (eating dinner, brushing teeth). Have two people act out a scene while everyone else watches. After a time, stop the scene and have someone swap out for a new player. Then, they have to change how the scene is being done. They could, for example, turn eating dinner into taking care of a pet. Once students are familiar with the game, make it more challenging with prompts from the book you’re reading or history scenarios (e.g., Washington crossing the Delaware turns into the French Revolution).

Why we love it: This game gives older students the opportunity to work with a variety of people and get creative connecting scene to scene.

Check out more team-building activities for kids and cooperative games for kids .

Classroom Games for Fun

Sometimes you need classroom games that simply let students have fun and blow off steam!

Silent Ball

The main rule is that students can’t talk. And if you drop the ball, you’re out.

Why we love it: Silent ball is a great transition game. Once students learn the rules, they can play this game at the drop of a hat.

Freeze Dance

This is a great brain break. Put on music and dance (challenge kids to a Floss-off or the Macarena to get everyone moving). Then, pause the music and any student who unfreezes before the music starts again is out.

Why we love it: You’ll see some students come out of their shells once the music starts.

Heads Up, Seven Up

Why we love it: This is a classroom game we remember from our elementary school years, and now we’re passing it along!

Use a version of tic-tac-toe during the dreaded indoor recess or as a brain break.

Tic-tac-toe with Hula-Hoops:

Human Tic-Tac-Toe:

Why we love it: Whichever version you choose, tic-tac-toe is a quick game that’s always a winner.

Place a number of objects (up to 20) on a table (or post on a slide with 20 words or pictures) and have students take one minute to try to memorize as many as they can. Then, cover the objects or hide the slide and have students write down as many as they can remember. Play this game once a week or so and see how students improve their memory strategies.

Why we love it: Students will sharpen their focus and memory skills trying to remember as many objects as possible.

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For more activities like these classroom games, check out these top online educational games ..

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These Are the Best Video Games to Play While Doing Homework

Do video games and homework go together? Various studies have suggested that gamers spend less time on their homework than those who don’t indulge, and might perform worse on standardized reading and writing tests. Other studies, in contrast, show no evidence of reduced scholastic achievement among gamers.

Whatever their effects may be, video games are a part of student life today, and taking a break from studies at home to play for “just one hour” or “just one level” is commonplace — though often those levels and hours somehow seem to expand.

PC Gamer, which styles itself “the global authority on PC games,” has just published its recommendations for games that won’t keep anyone away from their homework — at least not for long.

“These idle and management games,” writes game designer Lauren Morton on the site, “are perfect to leave running in the background while you write a report or have up on your monitor while you hit the books.” Four of the five games she lists are free (A Dark Room is the exception, at $2.99). Free games might be a factor why this one famous video games retailer is falling apart .

The games Morton recommends are:

Fallout Shelter, “great for playing on the side…because it only requires a bit of attention every few minutes.”

Realm Grinder, “a great studying game” that will “flex your arithmetic skills” but “doesnt really require too much of your attention.”

Spaceplan, a clicker game that takes some time to set up, but then requires only casual check-ins — and that, incidentally, has a “low-key space soundtrack by Logan Gabriel [that] is absolutely stellar.”

A Dark Room, a game which “almost defies explanation,” but that you can ultimately “leave…running for hours and come back later to investigate….”

Cookie Clicker, “THE classic clicker game,” which can be upgraded so that an automatic clicker does all the work. “You can pull up Cookie Clicker in a browser while you write a paper,” says Morton, “and check in on it whenever you remember.”

The homework-friendly video games are not necessarily the most popular. While fans continue to seek out the newest games, the best-selling games in history continue to be those that are all-around outstanding — these are the most popular video games of all time .

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