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13 Virtual Games to Play in Your Elementary Classroom

From scavenger hunts to Pictionary, we’ve gathered a batch of virtual games to get students talking, laughing, and engaging with peers.

While most educators feel too worn out to take on anything else this year, classroom games—old and new—can provide a much-needed respite for students and teachers who are burned out on video lessons and miss social connection.

We found some easy-to-use virtual games that elementary teachers are playing with their students this year, along with tips on how to incorporate them into the classroom.

Gaming With Google Slides

After noticing how much her students missed informal socializing during hybrid learning, Liz Henneberry, a third-grade teacher in Franklin, Massachusetts, transformed Connect Four , Trouble , Chess , and Checkers to Google Slides; the latter two are adaptations from Eric Curts' templates , and all of Henneberry's templates can be downloaded and immediately used in your virtual classroom. During recess breaks, students click a board game shelved in a virtual recess room, which creates their own copy of the game. Students can then share the game with their friend using Google Drive so that the two can play a round together. If students are new to sharing Google Slides, Henneberry recommends modeling the step-by-step process first.

Similarly, Robin Nahhas says her third-grade students have loved playing Multiplication Tic-Tac-Toe , a downloadable game she created on Google Slides so that they could practice their multiplication facts. Before playing, Nahhas goes over directions and the code of conduct with students, reminding them of protocols such as not interfering with classmates’ games or else having their gaming privileges revoked.

Then, she pairs up students and places them in breakout rooms on Zoom. Each student in the pair selects a set of color pieces, and when it’s their turn, they roll two digital dice, multiply the numbers shown, and place a piece onto the virtual board with the corresponding number. To play again, they move their pieces back to the side of the board. If students need help solving a problem, they can rely on their partner or click the “Ask for Help” button after trying one of the strategies they learned in class with pencil and paper first.

Games to Boost Creative Thinking

During morning meetings, fifth-grade teacher Sarah Wood says she incorporates games like scavenger hunts that the whole class can play together while learning from home. When it’s time to play, Wood projects a word like blanket and a matching image on a slideshow, and then students run to find the item in their homes. When they find the object, they can share it on video or by typing in the chat box.

Wood has even focused the game around particular learning goals, like having students find objects that reinforce vocabulary or putting together a project with the items. Once, they were asked to find a broom, a blanket, and a few heavy objects, and then they had 10 minutes to build a reading fort. During asynchronous time, they used Flipgrid to give a tour of their forts.

She says her students have also enjoyed directed drawing exercises—when students are directed to draw something without seeing it. Wood gives directions like “Draw a large oval with a smaller oval inside; on the left side, attach a triangle,” based on images from a drawing book or a directed drawing YouTube channel . When her students are done drawing, they turn on their cameras, put their artwork up to the screen, and guess what they drew. Wood then reveals the actual drawing and it tends to bring out a lot of laughter, she says.

Wood’s students also love games where they take a more active role. Using Blackboard Collaborate  for Pictionary, students take turns drawing on a whiteboard—prompted by a word generator —while students call out their guesses. The next time Wood plays, she’ll use Whiteboard.fi instead of Blackboard Collaborate, a free virtual whiteboard. When playing Taboo , her students take turns trying to describe a word like crack , for example, while being prohibited from using related words like drop or glass while the rest of the class guesses. And her students are obsessed with competing against their peers by being the first to name Disney movies, for example, in the ever-popular quiz platform Kahoot .

Viral Sensations

Initially, during remote learning, it was hard getting students comfortable with face-to-face interactions over Zoom, but the viral video game Among Us —a kid-friendly murder mystery—has stimulated engagement and conversation in Vickiela Wright’s fifth-grade class, she says.

In the game, each student is a crew member on a spaceship and is given a task to keep it running. One or more students are impostors, and their mission is to kill the crew members without getting caught. In between each round, students use Google meets to try to guess the impostors and form alliances to identify the killer.

“The conversations, problem-solving, engagement, and teamwork were robust and surprising. One student said it was the best part of her life,” says Wright.

Similar to Among Us, Werewolf is a game of deduction where students take on the role of villager or werewolf. Students collaborate and problem-solve to kill the werewolves before they become werewolves themselves. And the hugely popular Minecraft: Education Edition can serve as a hangout for students’ pixelated avatars to socialize and even partake in English language arts–based station rotations.

Toy Theater | Educational Games for Kids

Toy Theater is your source for free educational games specially designed for elementary-aged students. It's available on all desktop computers, tablets, and mobile devices, ensuring learning is never out of reach. If you are a fan of our site, we encourage you to share Toy Theater on your social media or website.

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Explore Toy Theater

Here's a sneak peek into what Toy Theater has in store:

• Math Games : Ranging from counting and numeral recognition to division and telling time, there's a vast assortment of interactive math games.
• Language Arts : Students can work on spelling, letter recognition, and even practice reading with online books.
• Art and Music : From teaching students to play simple songs on a keyboard to exploring symmetry via art games, the platform fosters creativity alongside learning.
• Puzzles and Games : Ideal for early finishers or indoor recess, their online educational puzzles and games promise fun-filled learning.
• Teacher Tools : Need a fun timer or a spinner? Or perhaps a simple way to evaluate basic math skills? Their virtual teacher tools have got you covered.

Whether you project Toy Theater games and interactive tools on your smartboard for the whole class to see or use them during small group work, you’re sure to love them!

Class Playground offers an array of worksheets, activities, and knowledge on various subjects. It's the perfect spot for teachers seeking classroom resources.

15 Fun Virtual Classroom Games And Activities

One of the challenges that teachers often face is preparing fun and engaging games and activities for their students. With more and more schools transitioning to virtual classrooms, coming up with game ideas has become much more difficult.

The traditional classroom games that teachers are used to playing in class may not be possible while teaching online in a virtual classroom. So, we have put together a list of virtual classroom games and activities to help you out.

All of these games and activities can be played while teaching students online in a virtual classroom, and any materials we mention below can be downloaded and used in your virtual classrooms for free.

Virtual Classroom Games

1. quiz games.

Quiz games are a perfect activity for virtual classrooms. All students need is a pen and paper to write down their answers. There are many types of quizzes, but one quiz game that kids and teenagers really enjoy is the ‘top five’ quiz. In a ‘Top 5’ quiz, each question has multiple possible answers. For example, ‘Name a zoo animal.’. Then, students must write down one answer. Next, ask the students to show their answers using their webcam to the other students in the virtual classroom.

Once everyone has shown their answer, the teacher can reveal the ‘Top Five’ answers. If a student’s answer is the same as one of the ‘top five’ answers, then they get points. If they have an answer which is not in the top five, then they don’t get any points. Students really enjoy this game, especially when they get the number 1 answer. You can download an example quiz, and an editable quiz template to add your own questions, here .

You can also find many fun quizzes on our online quizzes page . These quizzes include interactive general knowledge quizzes, vocabulary quizzes, grammar quizzes, and more.

2. Liar Game

This next virtual classroom game is great as an ice breaker and/or for getting to know your students. To play, first, choose a question to ask all the students. For example, if you’re meeting the students after the long summer break, you might ask them “ What did you do during the summer vacation? “

Next, instruct the students that when they answer they can choose to tell something true or they can lie and make up a story. Give the students some time, say 5 minutes, to come up with their story. When the students are ready, have each student tell their story. After each story, ask each student in the virtual classroom whether they think it is true or a lie.

This activity is a lot of fun and can lead to some hilarious stories. Students especially enjoy it when they are able to make their classmates believe their crazy stories.

3. Word Association Games

Word association games can be easily played in a virtual classroom and they require little to no preparation. If you’re not familiar with word association games, they are simple games in which the teacher would choose a word and then ask students to say the first related word that comes to mind.

A great way to play this in a virtual classroom is to give students a particular topic, for example, ‘animals’, and then ask students one by one to name something from that topic. The first student who can’t think of a word, or says a word that was mentioned previously, must do a forfeit. The forfeit could be that the student has to pull a silly face, do a silly dance, or just lose a point. For some other word association game ideas, check out our other post, Five Fun Word Association Games .

4. Describe And Draw

For this next virtual classroom game, each student needs a pencil and paper to draw on. This activity is a great way to practice listening skills.

First, the teacher should find something they want the students to draw and place it off-screen where students cannot see it. Next, the teacher should start describing the object and the students should listen and draw what they think the object looks like.

Once the teacher has finished describing the object and the students have finished drawing, ask the students to show their drawings to the other members of the virtual classroom. Next, show the students the object that you were describing and see whose drawing resembles it the most. After playing one time you can also let a student be the one who chooses an object and describes it. This game is a lot of fun, and kids especially find it funny when they see all the different drawings from their classmates.

5. Online Activity Videos

In your virtual classroom, if you are able to share your screen, then our collection of activity videos can be used when you want a fun, no-prep, ready-to-use game. On our activity videos page , we have over 70 ready-to-use games on many different topics. All are free and be shown in your virtual classroom from this website or from our YouTube channel.

6. Scavenger Hunt

This activity is a fantastic game to play while teaching online, especially with kids. And the best thing about it is it needs no preparation. To play, simply think of a kind of object that students likely have in their house/room. Then, students should run off and find that object and then return and share what they found with the class. For example, you might ask students to find something blue, or a toy, or find something that is a certain shape, etc. The things students come up with can be really surprising and funny making this activity great for teaching kids online.

7. Guess Who It Is

This next game is a great warm-up or ice-breaker activity. To play, choose one student and ask that student to close their eyes or look away from the computer screen. Next, choose one student to be a ‘secret witch’. That student should then say something like “I am a scary witch! Be very afraid! Wahahaha!”. And then, the student who closed their eyes should then open their eyes and try to guess which student’s voice they heard. This activity is super fun and works perfectly when teaching in a virtual classroom.

8. Would You Rather

Asking ‘Would you rather questions’ is a fun activity to play online with students and a great way to learn more about your students’ personalities. You can ask students to simply answer the question directly, or ask them to type what they would rather do in the chat window. If you need some ideas for these kinds of questions, check out our list of 30 Fun Would You Rather Questions For Kids .

9. Mystery Box Game

This next activity is a fun PowerPoint game that you can easily play online with students. For this game, you’ll need our Mystery Box PowerPoint Game Template . Simply add your own questions and/or pictures to the template before the lesson. To play this game, divide the students into two teams. The teams will take turns answering a question. After answering the question, students can then choose to keep the box or give the box to the other team. Inside the box is good points (e.g +1000) or bad points (-1000). Although this game takes a little preparation, it is worth it as students really love this activity.

10. Simon Says

The classic classroom game ‘ Simon Says ‘ can be easily adapted to play online. Ask students to stand up and stand back from the camera. Next, the teacher should say an action preceded by “ Simon Says.. “. For example, “S imon says touch your head “. If the teacher says “ Simon says… ” first, then students should do that action. If the teacher doesn’t say it first, then the students should not follow the instruction. Students that do, are out.

11. The Chain Game

This game needs no preparation and is great for when you have extra time in your online class. To play, one student should say a word, and then the next student should say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. To make it more difficult, you can introduce a category of words (e.g. animals) that students must focus on.

12. The Telepathy Game

To play this game, you’ll need to download our Telepathy Game PowerPoint Template or make your own. The idea of the game is simple. You ask students a question and give them two possible answers. Only one of them is the answer that the teacher chose. So, students must use ‘telepathy’ to read the teacher’s mind and guess the answer. If they guess correctly, they get a point. Students basically have a 50/50 chance to guess the answer. Although this game is so simple, kids really love it and love pretending that they have the power to read minds.

13. Make A Story Game

This activity is very simple but often students will come up with some really hilarious stories. To play, start the story but don’t finish the sentence. For example, “ Once upon a time, there was a .. .”. Then, ask a student to finish the sentence, and start the next sentence of the story. Again that student should not finish the sentence, the next student should. To play this game online, you can ask students to type in their sentences into the chat window and then the teacher can read the story allowed at the end.

14. Word Detective

If you are teaching a particular text or story, this activity is great to play to practice students’ reading and scanning skills. Display the text on-screen, or if students have their own copy of the text at home they can use that. Next, choose a word from the text and ask students to be ‘word detectives’ and find how many of that word there is. To make it more difficult, you can ask students to find a particular type of word, such as nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.

15. Blooket

Blooket is a fantastic platform for online learning that allows teachers to create and host quizzes and games. After creating a quiz, teachers can share the game with students so they can complete it online on their own devices. Check out this helpful guide on How To Use Blooket for more details.

16. Let’s Dance Game

This last activity can easily be played online by sharing your screen and using our Let’s Dance PowerPoint Game Template . The template has 30 boxes, each with space for one word or number. Simply type in 30 words into the boxes that you want students to practice. Then, the game can begin. Students will take turns reading the words in the boxes. Each time, students can choose to say 1 word, 2 words, or a maximum of 3 words. The student who says the last word must do a silly dance.

Thanks for reading. I hope you found this list of virtual classroom games and activities useful.

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

17 Favorite Classroom-Learning Games

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(This is the first post in a two-part series.)

The new question-of-the-week is:

What are your favorite classroom games?

I’m taking a break from finishing the series on teacher observations and, instead, sharing this series on classroom-learning games.

In the midst of the pandemic, I’m finding games an essential part of classroom instruction. They serve two (and many more) purposes: engagement in learning and distraction from COVID.

Today, Shannon Jones, Jennifer Bay-Williams, Molly Ness, and Sheniqua Johnson share their favorites.

You might also be interested in several game collections I’ve created. You can find all the updated lists here , and here are a few key ones:

The Best Online Learning Games t o Play During Distance Learning

The Best Ideas f or Using Games i n the ESL/EFL/ELL Classroom

The Best Websites f or Creating Online Learning Games

Now, to today’s guests:

Shannon Jones is a 15-year educator working in Wheaton, Md. She is a focus teacher for students in kindergarten through 5th grades. She can be reached at [email protected] or @MsJonesLuvsMath:

Learning games are an effective way for students to review current and previously taught content. Zaretta Hammond states that: “The very act of playing the game encourages the brain to strengthen the new neural pathways by making the learner continuously search his memory for information.” I typically use learning games during my small-group time. I also may use them at the beginning of a lesson to spark engagement and raise the energy level in my classroom.

The text Mini-lessons for Math Practice by Rusty Bresser and Caren Holtzman is full of quick and engaging math games that are great for brain breaks in the classroom and time fillers for the very end of the school day. Several of my favorites from this text include: Digit Place, Estimation Jar, Whole-Class Pig, and Guess My Rule.

Mall Math from The Great Big Book of Super-Fun Math Activities’ Jean Liccione is year after year one of my students’ favorite games. Students are provided with a menu of items from different stores at the mall that they can buy. Students use the spinner to choose a store from which to buy or return items. The game reinforces adding and subtracting decimals, but the students love the shopping and choosing aspect.

Battleship can be played with either the coordinate grid system or place value. In the place-value version, each player builds a secret nine-digit number, and students take turns guessing the place value of their partner’s digits. This is a great way to fortify knowledge of place value because students are required to use place-value language on each of their turns.

Rio, from A Month-to-Month Guide: Fourth-Grade Math by Lainie Schuster or the game Knock It Off are games that focus on the most challenging of the multiplication facts. Typically, I choose the 6s, 7s, 8s, or 9s to set up the board due to the challenging nature of these facts. Focusing on just one set of facts at a time, students roll a 12-sided dice or find the sum of two six-sided dice, then they multiply their number by 6, 7, 8, or 9 depending on the game board they’ve chosen. They win by using all of their 10 “chips.”

Fraction War is played with the same rules as the popular card game War. Students have a deck of like or unlike fractions. They take turns flipping over a card, then they compare the size of their fractions to determine a winner for each round.

Minecraft and Fortnite are currently very popular with my students, and it is always great when you can take a current trend that is in demand with your students and turn it into a game that meets one of your grade-level standards. The figures from Minecraft can be printed in color on 10 by 10 or 5 by 10 grids. Students can then work in learning centers to determine the fraction, decimal, and percent that is shaded. With Fortnite, print the map in either one or four quadrants, and students can work to find the coordinates of given places and their reflections, etc.

Some of my favorite online games include: Nearpod’s Time to Climb, Kahoot, Quizziz, and Blooket. My students enjoyed each of these games during virtual learning. All of these games can easily be played in the classroom, with some even offering a self-paced version that is ideal for independent learning in the classroom.

Game Criteria

Jennifer Bay-Williams works with preservice and practicing teachers as a professor at the University of Louisville and with teachers all over the world through conferences and workshops. She is the author of over a dozen books, including two books with Corwin Press Figuring O ut Fluency in Mathematics Teaching and Learning , K-8 and Everything Y ou Need for Mathematics :

I love games. My favorite games involve mathematical reasoning. Over the years, I have found and created hundreds of games. Today, as I select or create games, here is what I consider.

• Is there a speed component? If yes, it is a “ no ” for me. When students are in a hurry, they can’t think straight. You can probably relate.
• Are students solving the same problem? Well, this goes back to the last bullet. If two or more people are solving the same problem, the faster thinker dominates the thinking in the game. This is a “ no ” for me.
• How is winning determined? If it is based on who knows more, or is faster, or any other personal attribute, then this is a “ no ” for me. No student should feel less “smart” than the person they are partnered with, even if they are competing to win a game.

With a scan for these three pitfalls, here is short list of what I hope to find, or that I build in, to games that make the cut:

• Student reasoning is embedded. Many games have strategies to win the games, but what I want in a game is reasoning strategies related to the mathematics.
• Students can learn from their opponent or partner as they play.
• I (and other teachers) can see and hear student reasoning as they play.
• It is adaptable and reusable (so we don’t get bogged down in a new game taking time to learn the directions).

A few favorites. It is really hard to pick, but here are two that I hold up for different reasons.

Rectangle Fit. Students have grid paper (e.g., 25 by 15). The teacher rolls two die, which are the sides of a rectangle. Students fit that rectangle on their grid paper and record the product inside that rectangle. Teacher rolls again. Eventually, the teacher rolls something like 5 and 6, and some students cannot fit that rectangle on their grid. These students are out of the game. Winners are the last ones still playing.

Why I like this game: It connects visual representation to multiplication facts and helps students “see” commutativity. It is easily adaptable—use regular die for smaller products, 10-sided die for larger; you can even adapt to decimals! Change the grid size. Play with a group of six instead of the whole class. Oh, yeah, and kids love it (just today I received such a message from a teacher in summer school):

Photo by Jennifer Bay-Williams

Strategories: This is not a misspelling but an adaptation of a popular game. Students are given a recording card with strategies listed and a blank cell to write in an example problem. For adding fractions, the card looks like this:

To begin, students work individually to create a problem that “fits” that strategy. Then, students find a partner and talk through how to solve their own problem (or alternatively, talk through how to solve their partner’s problem). Students can have a different partner for each strategory. If you want to score it, you can score a correct process and correct answer each at 5 points.

Why I like this game: Real fluency is knowing when a strategy is a good idea—AKA flexibility. Flexibility is a neglected component of fluency! As students create a problem, they are thinking about when they would use it. The pair-exchange is great peer teaching, active movement, built in accountability, and 100 percent participation. As follow-up, I can ask partners to describe how their two examples are alike (comparing is so important in math learning) or focus on nonexamples (What problems don’t “ fit” a strategory?)

A word has yet to be used in this response that is almost always used in response to the question, Why use games? “Fun.” Games are fun. I love fun. Math should be fun. But fun is an outcome, not a purpose. My favorite games happen to be fun, but they are my favorites because of the opportunities for students to engage in meaningful practice, show off their good reasoning, and learn with and from each other, realizing along the way that everyone can do math.

Literacy Games

Molly Ness is a teacher educator and author of four books about English/language arts instruction, the most recent titled Every Minute Matters: 40+ Activities for Literacy-Rich Classroom Transitions . She sits on the board of directors for the International Literacy Association. You can reach her at [email protected] , www.drmollyness.com , or @drmollyness on Twitter:

Elementary educators know how important it is to infuse fun into your classroom routines—and we know time is precious. Yet there are so many spaces throughout the day when we have transition times: starting the day, lining up for an assembly, waiting for buses, and even small spaces when lessons take less time than we’d planned. Instead of turning to worksheets to fill those spaces, teachers I work with play with language in those transition times throughout the day.

Remember the childhood favorite Battleship, where you would place your plastic ships in pegs without your opponent seeing? The goal was to sink your opponent’s ships using horizontal and vertical coordinates. Sink or Spell is an engaging adaptation. In this version, students use their spelling and/or vocabulary words as their ships. Simply make a 10 x 10 grid, with numbers running horizontally and letters running vertically. Glue two of these sheets inside a file folder and laminate (so it’s reusable and ready to go for many games!). Students play in pairs, so both players get folders. Give students a list of words (this is a great review activity!), and each player secretly chooses five words from the list and writes them on their board—horizontally or vertically (but not backward or diagonal). Players take turns calling out coordinates (for example, C7). If a player’s opponent has a letter in that box, the opponent says, “Hit” and tells the other player what letter is in the box. If the box is empty, the child says, “Miss.” Players may guess the word or continue to guess coordinates. To sink a word, the player must correctly spell the word—and they get bonus points for defining it, using in a sentence, etc.

Use a label maker or printing labels to adapt a Jenga game into a literacy-rich version of Tower Tumble . Write vocabulary words, sight words, or homophones on each block. Students pull a block, read the word, define it and/or use it in a sentence, and then place it on the topmost level. The game ends when the tower tumbles!

I’m all for getting kids up and active, and kids love doing this with Beach Ball Bonanza . Hit up the dollar store and buy inflatable beach balls. Using a permanent marker, write open-ended prompts on each section of the ball. Ideas include the following:

• Sight words
• Comprehension questions: “What’s your favorite character in the book … and why?”
• Prompts for vocabulary: “Use it in a sentence” or “Here’s a synonym”

Model soft throws (this isn’t dodgeball!) and how to read the prompt closest to your right thumb. When kids catch the ball, they read the prompt underneath and share their answer, before gently tossing it to a classmate. To use this as a vocabulary-review activity, call out the word while the ball is in midair. So if the word is furious , a child might catch the ball, see the prompt under their right thumb is “Give an antonym for the word,” and answer happy before tossing the ball to a friend.

Creating a fun, literacy-rich classroom is a win-win, especially when you infuse games into those “found moments” throughout the day.

Kahoot, Jenga, & More

Sheniqua Johnson is a language-acquisition specialist in north Texas:

The classroom-learning games I enjoy the most allow students to be interactive while applying their knowledge or having the opportunity to review academic-vocabulary terms, problem-solving skills, or concepts. These games include Draw Me, Headbands, Kahoot, and Jenga.

Draw Me: Students practice and apply knowledge of academic-vocabulary terms by drawing visuals of the terms and allowing players to guess the term.

Headbands: Students review knowledge of academic-vocabulary terms by placing a term over their heads while players give clues until the person holding the term guesses correctly.

Kahoot: Interactive game through an app. Provides immediate feedback for teacher to plan small-group interventions. This game can be played independently or with small groups.

Jenga: Academic-vocabulary terms are written or placed on game pieces. As students choose pieces to remove from the tower, they must define words or answer questions, such as, word problems.

Thanks to Shannon, Jennifer, Molly, and Sheniqua for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

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Starfall was developed in the classroom by teachers and opened in August 2002 as a free public service to teach children to read. Since then it has expanded to include standards in language arts and mathematics for preschool through fifth grade and above. The program emphasizes exploration, play, and positive reinforcement—encouraging children to become confident and intrinsically motivated. Due to the engaging content that “feels like play,” Starfall serves as an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children. read more...

Starfall activities are research-based and align with state learning objectives for English language arts and mathematics. Its emphasis on phonemic awareness, systematic sequential phonics, and common sight words in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity is especially effective for teaching emergent readers, children of all ages with special needs or learning difficulties, as well as ELL (ESL) students. It is widely used in schools and homeschools.

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27 Classroom Games Students Will Want To Play Again and Again

Practice important skills … and have 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’ eye-hand coordination.

Buy it: Beach Balls at Amazon

Learn more: More Than Elementary

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.

Learn more: Differentiation Daily

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.

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.

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

Also, Guess in 10 is a great 20 Questions–style game played around various topics, including animals, countries, and cities.

Buy it: Guess in 10 at Amazon

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

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.

Learn more: Savvy Apple

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, 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.

Get printable Scattergories sheets on Pinterest.

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.

Buy it: Fix It Sentences at Teachers Pay Teachers

This is another classic game that can be adapted to any academic content. Each student gets a card that is taped to their back or their forehead. The card has a name of a person you’re studying or a topic on it. Then, the students circulate and ask questions of other people 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.

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.

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.

Check out these school-appropriate songs kids love .

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.

Classroom Games for Communication

Games that require students to talk and listen to each other 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 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 each other. 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.

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 in a row, 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!

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!

Tic-Tac-Toe

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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Teaching online check out these top online educational games ..

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While there is a wealth of subscription-based educational platforms that offer games to help make education more entertaining, they aren’t free. This poses a problem for teachers who would like to use them in a classroom environment with student participation. Fortunately, there are games that are not only free to use, but many that don’t even require account creation or sign-up. Teachers have created many of these games for use in their own classrooms. Because of this, these teachers have removed the barrier of pay-to-play so all children can benefit from and enjoy them. Here are the top free-to-use education games we recommend.

Room Recess

Room Recess is a website with over 150 learning games for children in grades from kindergarten to sixth covering subjects such as math, spelling, reading, typing, language arts, and problem-solving. Most of the games are designed for desktop or laptop computers, but there is a section for mobile games as well. An elementary teacher designed the games with the goal of having fun while learning fundamental concepts. Students do not have to sign up for an account to play.

Multiplication Games

Multiplication.com has math games for kids that help improve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills. Although there is a premium membership, there are free games that don’t require an account. There are also multiplayer games such as races where the faster you solve problems, the faster your avatar goes in the race. This allows several students in a classroom to compete in a race at the same time.

PBS Kids Games

PBS Kids features curriculum-based entertainment that is free to use and doesn’t require an account. The website hosts browser-based games that cover a variety of topics including math, reading, and science. Some games include familiar media and literary franchises such as The Cat in the Hat, Sesame Street, and Curious George.

ABCya.com is a game site that offers teacher-created educational computer-based games. Users can choose from grade levels K-6+ on the home page. Users can then choose from subjects on the grade level page. Once the user selects a subject, this leads to a page with games on the chosen subject that are appropriate for that grade level. Apple, USA Today, and The New York Times have featured ABCYa.com. There is no account sign-up to play games.

Funbrain.com has games appropriate for kids from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The site offers over 100 games that help develop skills in reading, math, and literacy. In addition to games, the site also includes comics and books. Some of the titles include  Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, and Amelia Writes Again.  There is no account required to play the games or read the books.

Primary Games

Primary Games was originally founded by teacher Susan Beasley who developed games to keep her students entertained while they learned. The site includes games specially designed for teaching and includes more than 1,000 game titles. There are also  curriculum guides for teachers  to show how to use the games in conjunction with the classroom curriculum. Students do not need an account to play the games on the site.

Arcademics Games are video games designed to help build skills in math, vocabulary, language arts, and thinking skills. The games challenge students to improve their skills through repetition and timed learning drills. The site protects students’ safety by not allowing any contact with students outside of the site and deleting any personal information used by students while playing the games. There is no account need to play Arcademics Games.

Carmen Sandiego

The Carmen Sandiego game uses Google Expeditions and Google Earth to uncover clues from around the world to search for Carmen Sandiego. Users can click on the airplane to travel anywhere in the world with countries and cities labeled in text. Once the user reaches a city, they can choose from several famous landmarks to explore. Close-ups of landmarks are detailed photos from Google Earth. Playing the Carmen Sandiego game is a fun way for kids to learn about geography and social studies. There is no sign-up needed to play the games.

Sheppard Software

This site hosts games that have been created by Brad Sheppard. Brad Sheppard has been designing educational games since 1982. The home page organizes the games into categories such as math games, animal games, science games, and puzzles. This design makes it easy for teachers to find games that fit in with the subject they are currently teaching and no account sign-up is needed.

National Geographic Kids

The National Geographic website hosts more than 100 educational and entertaining games for kids. Topics include fun geography, adventure, interactive science, and puzzle games. To further support learning, the site also includes downloadable books, information about each state, information about animals, and more. The quality of the games and educational information is very high for a no-cost site with no sign-up.

Teachers have spent decades finding ways to make learning more fun for their students. These educational games help to make that possible. All games can be used in the classroom, and at home.

You may also like to read

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• Google Classroom Guide for Online Teachers
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• 7 Cooperative Math Games Teachers and Students Will Love
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21 Fun Classroom Games Every Teacher Needs to Try This Year

Written by Maria Kampen

Challenge and reward your students

With Prodigy, you can set a weekly goal for students to answer over 50 math questions and reward them with exciting in-game rewards.

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What do all kids around the world have in common? They love to play.

Classroom games are a great way to harness the power of play and use it to enhance your students’ learning experience. Not only are games fun and engaging, they can also:

• Help students focus better 
• Present educational material in a new and interactive way
• Give the whole class an opportunity to get to know each other better

Keep reading for 21 fun games to play in class , then build them into your lesson plans for more learning!

When it comes to new math concepts, students usually need lots of practice to master them. Use these math games for kids to make math practice engaging and effective – all while building their problem-solving skills!

1. Prodigy Math

Best for: 1st to 8th grade

Be your students’ math classroom hero with Prodigy Math, an online role-playing game (RPG) that turns math into an adventure. 

As students explore the Prodigy world, complete quests and earn rewards, their success depends on answering curriculum-aligned math questions . Prodigy’s adaptive algorithm meets students where they are and tailors questions to their learning needs. 

Plus, you can align Prodigy to your classroom lessons ! You’ll get tools to help you:

• Differentiate content for every student
• Engage your learners with a new and fun way to practice math
• Gather insights to inform the teaching strategies you use every day

Sign up for your free teacher account today and start making math class fun.

2. Math baseball

Best for: 3rd to 8th grade

Divide your class into two teams to play math baseball — another activity that gives you full control over the questions students answer. Here’s how:

• One team will stand at the front of the room and start at bat , scoring runs by choosing questions worth one, two or three bases.
• “Pitch” the questions using flash cards, which range in difficulty depending on how many bases they’re worth.
• If the at-bat team answers incorrectly, the defending team can respond correctly to earn an out. 
• After three outs, switch sides. 
• Play until one team hits 10 runs.

3. 101 and Out

Best for: 2nd to 6th grade

101 and Out is a fun and effective way to end math class! The goal is to score as close to 101 points as possible without going over.

Divide your class in half and give each group a die, piece of paper and a pencil.

Groups take turns rolling the die, using their best strategic thinking skills to either count the number at face value or multiply it by 10. For example, if the first person rolls a six, they can keep that number or turn it into 60.

This game gets competitive quickly, and boosts excitement levels in your math class!

4. Get the Math

Best for: 6th grade and up

Make math come to life with Get the Math , a site that prompts your students to solve challenges related to math in different careers and real-world situations. 

The website contains videos with young professionals in fields like fashion design or video game development, explaining how they use math every day. You can assign challenges to your class after watching, some of which involve playing fun games. 

For example, one of the activities challenges students to use different materials and measurements to design a shirt for less than $35. 

5. Fraction War

Always a classic, the card game War can help students practice basic math skills in a more engaging way than traditional worksheets. 

This version teaches students the basics of fractions. Each student is dealt two cards, one numerator and one denominator. Once they calculate which fraction is larger, the person with the larger fraction wins and gets all four cards! Keep playing until all the cards are gone. 

Not teaching fractions? No problem! Use War to give students practice multiplying or dividing with two cards, or challenge students to practice place value and build a number bigger than their opponents’.

Make english class F-U-N with these games that boost reading and writing skills. Use them to practice the week’s vocabulary words or give ESL students more practice.

Can your students solve the puzzle before the hangman is complete? Use this classic game to introduce new sight words to the class or review vocabulary. 

Divide students into small groups with pads of paper, or stand up at the front and play as a class. Think of a word and put down one blank space for each letter. Have students guess letters, and write them in the blank spaces if they’re correct. If they’re incorrect, add another part to your stick figure.

You can also replace the hangman with a snowman for more festive (and kid-friendly) fun.

The game ends when students have either guessed the correct word or the hangman is complete!

You can even let your students take the lead in the game by asking one of them to choose the word, while the rest of the class attempts to solve their puzzle.

2. Bananagrams

Best for: 3rd grade and up

A portable take on Scrabble, Bananagrams is a fun way for kids to practice their word-building skills. 

Using a set of tiles with letters on them, students have to create interconnected words and use up all their tiles. The group that finishes first with correctly spelled words is the winner! 

Challenge students to play one on one or in groups to practice teamwork and cooperation. 

You can purchase official Bananagrams tiles online, but you can also find printables to make your own or use Scrabble tiles. 

3. Pictionary

Another classic game, Pictionary, helps students attach meaning to words that might be unfamiliar to them. Plus, they’ll get to flex their art skills!

Divide students into two teams or groups, then give each student a pad of paper or a whiteboard with a marker. Have one student stand at the front of the room and draw a word you show them. While they draw, the team has to guess the word. If they guess correctly, their team gets a point!

4. Spelling bee

Best for : 2nd grade and up

Inspire a little competition with a classwide spelling bee. Using your list of vocabulary words, give the first person an opportunity to spell the word. If they need it, give them the definition or use it in a sentence.

If the student is correct, they get to stay standing and move on to the next round. If they’re wrong, they sit down and the next person gets a chance to spell. The student left standing at the end is the winner. 

5. Beach ball analysis

Best for: 4th to 8th grade

Keep students engaged and active during reading comprehension lessons with a summer-inspired activity. 

Get a beach ball with colorful stripes and write a question on each section about the story’s:

As students catch the ball, they have to answer the question their fingers land on. Once they’re done, they can throw it to the next student!

6. Charades

Best for: 1st grade and up

Whether you’re working with ESL students or reviewing vocabulary ahead of a quiz, charades can help students connect meaning to new words.

As a class or in small groups, divide into two teams. Invite the first student up to the front of the room. Give them a word or phrase they can act out in front of their team without speaking. If the team guesses correctly in the allotted time, they get a point! Once the first team’s time is up, the second team can go.

Repeat for as many rounds as you’d like. The team with the most points at the end is the winner!

Do your students have ants in their pants and fingers that won’t stop fidgeting? These active games are great for getting out extra energy, taking brain breaks or even indoor recess activities . 

1. Scavenger hunt

Best for: All ages

Send intrepid explorers on a mission to find hidden treasures! For an interactive learning experience, create a scavenger hunt that challenges students to find or collect:

• Items or facts during a class field trip
• Objects with different shapes around their house
• Different leaves and animals in their neighborhood
• Things hidden around the classroom linked to a vocabulary or language lesson

Whether it’s educational or just for fun, scavenger hunts are a fun way for the whole class to engage with the world around them. 

2. Freeze dance

Best for: Kindergarten to 3rd grade

Sometimes you just need to dance it out. For a quick brain break, put on some fun music and encourage your students to stand up and dance away — the sillier the better. 

When the music pauses, they have to freeze in place. Any student who unfreezes before the music starts again is out!

3. GoNoodle

Best for: Kindergarten to 5th grade

GoNoodle is a tried-and-true favorite of many teachers. Colorful videos and engaging activities promote social emotional skills , active living and academic success! 

Whether you need activities for indoor recess or just fun ways for students to get moving more, GoNoodle worked with child development experts to create content that’s engaging and appropriate for young eyes and ears. Students can also complete activities at home to stay mindful and focused, even when they’re not at school.

Teachers can sign up for a free account, or upgrade to a GoNoodle Plus account starting at $10 USD/month.   

Not only does yoga help students stretch out the wiggles in their body, it can also help cultivate mindfulness!

Lead your class through some easy stretches as a fun mid-day break or to get them energized first thing in the morning. Whether it’s downward dog or just stretching towards the sky, they’ll benefit physically and emotionally.

5. Minute to Win It

Best for: 4th grade and up

Based on the game show, Minute to Win It games challenge the whole class to complete simple (or not-so-simple) tasks in under a minute. These interactive games help promote a little healthy competition in your classroom and provide hours of fun. 

Some challenges include:

• Speed stacking paper cups
• Rolling a coin between the tongs of a fork
• Building a tower out of spaghetti and string
• Getting an Oreo from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands

Set up a couple different stations and divide the class into small groups. Rotate groups through each activity so the whole class gets a chance to participate.

Want to inspire some classroom unity and get students to work as a team? These games encourage students to put their heads together and solve problems.

1. Icebreaker games

Best for: 5th grade and up

If you have a new class or a group of students who need to get to know each other, icebreaker activities can help:

• Boost morale and motivation
• Get students working together
• Build a rapport between students

Short and easy, icebreaker games are a fun way for students to introduce themselves. Ideas include:

• Get students to line up by height, birthday, shirt color or any other characteristic
• Play bingo, where each square represents a characteristic and students have to interact and learn more about each other to fill out squares
• Start off the class with a short sentence. The next person has to add to the story without repeating information or getting stuck, so see how long you can keep it going!

2. Jeopardy!

Turn your classroom into the set of a gameshow and bring out your best host impression! Divide the class into two teams and challenge each to answer questions and earn points. 

Whether you’re reviewing concepts from class or just testing their trivia knowledge, Jeopardy! encourages teams to work together to answer questions. Plus, there are lots of free templates to help you build your game quickly.

3. Human knot

This is a simple game, but great for teaching students the importance of communication and working together. 

Have students stand in a close circle with their arms out in front of them. Each student must randomly grab someone else’s hand (but never the same person twice). The goal is to organize themselves into a perfect circle without letting go. For an extra challenge, time your students to see how long it takes them to untangle their knot!

4. Hula hoop chain

This game also promotes coordination and teamwork! Students stand in a circle and join hands with the person next to them. 

Before the circle is closed, place a hula hoop around one student’s arm. The objective of the game is to communicate with team members and pass the hula hoop around the circle without letting go. 

Have students close their eyes or blindfold them for more difficulty, or divide the class into two teams and race. 

5. Hands-free cup stacking

For this activity, you’ll need:

• 6 paper cups
• A rubber band
• 6 equal pieces of string

Tie the strings around the rubber band and divide your class up into small groups of six (or whichever number words best). Each student holds one string and has to help their team stack the cups into a pyramid by using the rubber bands to grab the cups. 

Remember — no hands allowed, so students will have to communicate and work together to complete the task.

Classroom games enhance teacher and student experiences

Every classroom is different, so keep trying new classroom activities and customize them to what your students need. 

Whether you want to engage your students during a lesson, occupy them during an indoor recess or build teamwork skills, classroom games can help you keep activities educational and fun. That sounds like a win-win to us!

Prodigy Math and Prodigy English help teachers engage students through the power of digital game-based learning . Success in Prodigy requires students to correctly answer curriculum-aligned questions adapted to their learning needs, and gives teachers more ways to make math class fun! Sign up for your free teacher account today to get started. 

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21 Online Classroom Games, Activities & Ideas in 2024

You found our list of online classroom games.

Online classroom games are fun activities that teachers can play with their students over the internet. For example, Digital Scavenger Hunts, Virtual Pictionary and Online Bingo. The purpose of these games is to educate and entertain students, which also helps build friendships. These activities are also known as “online activities for students.”

These activities may include interactive games for kids , team building games for students , online art classes , online group games , team building exercises for students , and video call games .

Specifically, this list includes:

• fun games to play at school online
• online games to play at school
• online activities for students
• motivational activities for students online
• online class games
• interactive games for online class
• online games for high school students

Let’s get into it!

List of online classroom games

Competitions are a great motivator that gets people excited and invested in lessons. From creative challenges to debate-based matches, here is our list of online classroom games.

1. Digital Scavenger Hunt

Digital Scavenger Hunt is a game where the teacher compiles a list of items and activities that students complete by a given time. For an educational spin, teachers can match the items and activities to the lesson. For example, if you are a science teacher, consider adding simple experiments to the Digital Scavenger Hunt, such as putting Mentos in Diet Coke.

Here are some free virtual scavenger hunt templates and scavenger hunt puzzle ideas . We also have a list of apps for scavenger hunts .

2. Virtual Pictionary

Virtual Pictionary is an online version of the classic game, where one player illustrates a word, while teammates attempt to guess it. Split your class into two teams, and text the word to the illustrator using Zoom’s private chat feature. The illustrator can then use the video conference software’s screen share abilities to show their drawing, while the other team members guess. Teachers can use Virtual Pictionary to teach vocabulary, and develop creative skills.

Here is a list with more fun Zoom games  and virtual Pictionary games .

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3. Virtual Trivia

Virtual Trivia is a fun way to test your class’s knowledge on a particular topic. First, amass a list of trivia questions and answers. Then, divide the class into teams, who will compete to answer the most questions quickly and correctly. Virtual Trivia is a fantastic online classroom game because it is an exciting way to confirm whether your class retained the knowledge they need.

Check out this list of virtual trivia games to get started.

4. Virtual Musical Chairs

Sitting in front of your computer all day to attend class can be draining. However, teachers can get their class moving through Virtual Musical Chairs, which adapts the idea behind the in-person game for a remote class. To play, broadcast a song, and have your students get up and dance. Then, periodically shut off the music. Once the music stops, students should rush to sit down. The last person to get to their seat loses the round.

Musical Chairs is an example of a virtual minute to win it activity .

5. Ambassadors

For classes that miss Model UN, Ambassadors is an educational game where students act as ambassadors of a randomly assigned country . Great for geography classes, players describe their country with facts, as everyone else guesses what country they represent. The winner is the student who guesses the most countries correctly. After a few rounds, your students will learn all sorts of fun facts about nations of the world.

6. Summer Book Club

To keep your students occupied over the summer, enlist your reading class for Summer Book Club, an activity where students log the number and a brief summary of pages they have read. The winner of Summer Book Club is the student who reads the highest number of pages by the end of the summer. To make winning more appetizing, prepare rewards for the winner. Teachers can also compile a suggested reading list to keep students on track.

7. Geography Puzzles

Another game for geography class, Geography Puzzles tests your class’s knowledge of the world. Send students a blank copy of a world map. Then, ask students to fill out the map as completely and accurately as possible. To make Geography Puzzles a collaborative effort, teachers can also pair up students and reward the team that finishes filling out their map first.

8. Virtual Game Show

Virtual Game Show is an online version of the popular show Jeopardy, where students attempt to guess the answer to questions. Using this Jeopardy builder or Google Slide template , assemble your board. Then, split the class into teams and share your screen to display the board. The team that collects the most points by the end of the game wins. Teachers can use Virtual Game Show as a lively way to quiz the class’s familiarity with a variety of subjects.

Check out our list of virtual game show ideas and this resource on how to play team building Jeopardy .

9. Alphabet Chain

Alphabet Chain is a terrific online classroom game for expanding students’ vocabularies. To play, choose a category. Your students then name words that fit that topic, except that every proposed word needs to start with the last letter of the previous word. If a student is unable to think of another word, then they are out. The last student standing wins.

10. Class Limericks

Limericks are a whimsical poetry form with a specific rhythm. Class Limericks is a wonderful game for online English classes that asks students to compete to write the most amusing limerick. Teachers can choose a particular subject or let students choose what they would like to write about.

For help explaining limericks to students, here are some guidelines on how to write a limerick .

11. Virtual Show and Tell

Suitable for younger classes, Virtual Show and Tell is an online version of the classic classroom activity, where students share an item with everyone and explain its significance. Teachers can set a theme for your show and tell to help students decide what to bring. This online activity can be educational, and also bring the class closer as each session reveals more of your students.

12. Would You Rather

Would You Rather is a simple icebreaker that gets students talking. To play, compile a list of prompts. Then, open the online lesson by asking students what they would rather do.

Here are some examples of great Would You Rather questions:

• Would you rather go back in time and experience the Revolutionary or Civil War?
• Would you rather live without gravity or the laws of motion?
• Would you rather go back to the dinosaur age or explore the depths of the ocean?
• Would you rather be a character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein ?
• Would you rather go on a pilgrimage with the characters from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales or Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West ?

Would You Rather gives students an opportunity to divulge more about themselves, and liven up discussions. Because these prompts rely on prior knowledge learned in class, teachers can use Would You Rather to check students’ retention of information as well.

Here is a list of this or that questions for inspiration.

And here are more icebreaker questions for students .

13. Desert Island Intelligences

For teachers running an online psychology course, Desert Island Intelligences borrows from Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences , which include:

• Visual-spatial
• Linguistic-verbal
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal
• Logical-mathematical
• Body-kinesthetic
• Naturalistic

The premise of this activity is that a natural disaster strands eight people representing each intelligence on a desert island. Due to limited resources, the class must vote one person from the island each round by determining the intelligence’s value for survival. Teachers love Desert Island Intelligence because it adapts well virtually, and serves as a fun conversation starter.

Here are more problem solving games to try .

14. Rube Goldberg Off

Rube Goldbergs are intricate machines that people program to complete a simple task. Rube Goldberg Off is a challenging online classroom game for science classes that asks students to compete to design the most inventive machine. Teachers can set the parameters of the activity by instructing students to create machines to complete a certain task.

Building the machine is an example of a  hybrid activity .

15. Utilitarian Test

According to the University of Texas , utilitarianism is a philosophical concept that values the choice that brings the greatest amount of good to the group. Utilitarian Test is an online classroom activity, where students discuss the ethical nuances of famous utilitarian questions, such as the trolley problem , fat man, transplant surgeon, and Heinz dilemma . Teachers can use Utilitarian Test to get students to reveal the logic behind their decisions, and see if students truly understand the concepts.

Online instruction is a completely new experience than in-person lessons. To help bring your plans to the virtual classroom, here are some online classroom ideas to maintain your students’ productivity level, despite the distance.

16. Virtual Field Trips

A great way to have fun with an online classroom is to get out of the classroom. You can take your students on a virtual adventure of places like the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal and Machu Picchu. Some locations of live facilitated options, while others are fully digital. Either way, virtual field trips provide an excellent and engaging learning opportunity for students.

Here is a list of the best virtual field trip ideas , and one with virtual tours for kids .

You could also participate in take your child to work day online .

List of online classroom tips

Here are some tips to improve learning and engagement in online classrooms.

17. Use entrance and exit cards

When students and teachers are apart, it may be difficult to keep students on track. To help set the tone of your lesson, use entrance and exit cards at the beginning and end of class. These cards consist of questions regarding the lesson’s content. The entrance cards prep students for your lesson, while exit cards check comprehension.

18. Collaborate both synchronously and asynchronously

An important virtual classroom idea is that learning is not restricted to the time when your students are online. Students can collaborate synchronously, which is when they are all online at the same time, or asynchronously, which is when they are not necessarily online at the same time.

Examples of synchronous learning include:

• Discussion in breakout rooms
• Listening to the same lecture
• Giving presentations together

Examples of asynchronous learning include:

• Discussions in forums or message boards
• Readings that students complete on their own
• Pre-recorded video content that students view on their own

Using both of these methods helps enrich your students’ learning experience, and lets students continue thinking about the lesson, even after the class video call ends.

19. Break up your lesson into manageable chunks

When people are not in person and rely on video for connection, their attention span shortens. To prevent students from becoming disengaged in class, break up your lesson into manageable chunks. As a teacher, try to avoid speaking to students for extended periods because your students will become disengaged. Instead, pepper in activities or challenges throughout your lesson to encourage participation.

20. Check understanding with the chat feature

Another way to maintain student engagement is to periodically ask students to answer simple questions through the chat feature on the class’s video conferencing software. Teachers can use these questions to check comprehension among students, and see who is still actively listening to the lesson.

21. Think, pair, share

For teachers, think, pair, share may already be a familiar concept since it is a learning strategy that is used in in-person classes. However, with video conferencing software’s breakout rooms feature, teachers can capitalize on this characteristic by having students collaborate in small groups before sharing answers to discussion questions. Using think, pair, share in an online classroom maximizes participation and keeps students focused on the lesson.

Final Thoughts

Teaching online is a tough adjustment to make that requires teachers to think deeply about how to best adapt their methods for distance learning. With these online classroom games, activities, and ideas, you can take your lessons to the next level and increase student productivity.

Next, check out our list of free online group games for more fun ideas.

We also have a list of virtual graduation tips , and virtual birthday party ideas for when it is time to celebrate a student’s birthday.

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FAQ: Online Classroom Games

Still stuck on how to engage your students virtually? Here are some frequently asked questions about online classroom games, activities and ideas.

What games can you play in a virtual classroom?

Adapting in-person games for a virtual setting is entirely possible with some resourcefulness. Some examples of games you can play virtually are the digital versions of scavenger hunts, Pictionary, trivia, and Jeopardy.

How do you make a virtual classroom fun?

To make a virtual classroom fun, break up your lesson into manageable chunks with exciting online classroom games and activities. By mixing things up, you prevent your class from becoming bored and disengaged.

What are the best virtual classroom activities?

The best virtual classroom activities are extensions of ideas you have already taught in class. By tying in your lesson to the activity, students can play, while also applying principles you taught them. This method leads to a better absorption of the lesson.

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2. use real-world examples to explain concepts, 3. optimize content for online learning, 4. leverage multimedia tools, 5. incorporate game-based learning, 6. track student progress with technology, 7. utilize formative assessments, 8. personalize your teaching, 9. foster a strong classroom community, 10. offer flexible learning paths.

Have you ever thought about how to make your online teaching better? As more classes move to virtual spaces, it’s important to learn some online teaching tips . In this blog, we’ll look at practical ways to improve your teaching skills in the digital world. Let’s dive in and discover how to excel in online teaching!

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13 Online Teaching Tips for Educators

When you’re figuring out how to teach online, one of the best online teaching tips is to kick off every session with a quick personal check-in. Ask your students how they’re doing or if they have anything interesting to share. 

This not only warms up the virtual classroom but also strengthens the bond between you and your students, creating a supportive and connected learning environment . It’s a simple yet effective tip for online teaching that makes students feel valued and ready to engage.

One of the top tips for online teaching is to anchor your lessons in the real world. By weaving real-world examples into your teaching, you make complex or abstract ideas more tangible and easier for students to grasp. 

This method not only aids understanding but also shows students the relevance of what they’re learning, making the educational experience more meaningful. Whether it’s math, science, or literature, showing how concepts apply in real life can significantly enhance students’ comprehension and interest.

It’s crucial to tailor your course material specifically for digital platforms. This means breaking down your lectures into shorter, more digestible pieces that fit the online medium perfectly. 

Such structuring not only makes the learning process more manageable for students but also boosts their engagement and retention rates. This approach is one of the best online teaching tips for creating an interactive and engaging online course.

By integrating various types of content, such as instructional videos, podcasts , and interactive simulations, you cater to different learning styles and preferences. This diversity in teaching materials not only keeps the course interesting but also helps in conveying complex concepts more clearly, ensuring that your students remain hooked and learn effectively.

Game-based learning is a powerful strategy to boost student engagement and motivation. Platforms like SplashLearn take this to the next level by transforming math and reading lessons into interactive games. This method not only makes learning more enjoyable but also allows students to understand and apply complex concepts in a fun, engaging environment. SplashLearn’s curriculum-aligned games ensure that while students are having fun, they’re also receiving a quality educational experience.

In today’s digital age, tracking student progress has become more straightforward and efficient with technology. SplashLearn offers a robust platform where educators can monitor their students’ progress in real-time. This feature is incredibly beneficial for identifying students who may be struggling with certain topics, allowing educators to provide targeted support promptly. 

Additionally, the platform facilitates the provision of timely feedback, enabling educators to quickly address students’ questions and assignments, further enhancing the learning experience. SplashLearn’s detailed reports and analytics make it easier to customize teaching strategies to meet the individual needs of each student, ensuring that every learner receives the attention and guidance they need to succeed.

Regularly integrating formative assessments like quizzes, reflection journals, or discussion prompts is crucial. These tools offer immediate feedback to students , helping you identify areas where they might be struggling. Early intervention can then be made to address these issues. It’s one of the most impactful online teaching tips and techniques, ensuring that the learning process is continuous and adaptive to student needs.

Leveraging data and analytics from your Learning Management System (LMS) is among the top online teaching tips for tailoring your approach to each student’s unique learning journey. By understanding each student’s progress, strengths, and areas for improvement, you can adjust your teaching methods to meet their individual needs, making teaching online a more personalized and impactful experience.

Creating a welcoming and inclusive online environment is crucial for building a strong classroom community. Start with ice-breaker activities, encourage ongoing group discussions, and facilitate peer feedback sessions. These strategies not only make students feel more connected but also enhance their learning experience.

One of the best ways to teach online classes is by offering flexible learning options. Allow students to dive deeper into subjects with additional resources, choose their assignment topics, or participate in optional discussions. This approach empowers students to take charge of their learning, making education more relevant and engaging for them.

11. Stay Updated on Online Teaching Practices

Continuously seeking professional development and staying abreast of the latest online teaching tools , trends, and methodologies are vital online teaching tips for educators. By dedicating yourself to lifelong learning, you ensure that your teaching strategies remain effective and innovative, providing your students with the highest quality online education possible.

12. Use Student Feedback to Adjust Teaching Methods

A crucial tip for teaching online classes is to actively seek and use student feedback. Asking your students how they feel about the teaching methods and materials gives you invaluable insights. Be ready to adapt and change your strategies based on what they tell you. This approach ensures that the learning experience is continuously improving, making it more engaging and productive for your students.

13. Promote a Growth Mindset

Encouraging a growth mindset is fundamental in teaching online effectively. Motivate your students to see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Remind them that effort leads to improvement and mastery over time. Celebrating their progress and efforts, instead of focusing solely on the outcomes, helps build resilience and a love for learning . This strategy is not just a tip for teaching online classes; it’s a powerful approach to education that empowers students to become lifelong learners.

Pros and Cons of Online Teaching 

Conclusion .

Embracing these teaching tips for online teaching can make a significant difference in your digital classroom. By incorporating student feedback, fostering a growth mindset, and adapting your teaching methods, you’re not just teaching online effectively; you’re also creating a supportive and dynamic learning environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the biggest challenge in online teaching.

The biggest challenge in online teaching is maintaining student engagement and motivation in a virtual environment, where physical cues and in-person interaction are limited. Overcoming this requires creative teaching strategies and effective use of digital tools.

Is online teaching stressful?

Yes, online teaching can be stressful, especially when adapting to new technologies, managing student engagement remotely, and balancing the demands of online lesson planning . However, with proper support and resources, this stress can be managed effectively.

Why online teaching for teachers?

Online teaching offers teachers flexibility in scheduling, the ability to reach a broader audience, and opportunities to utilize innovative teaching tools and techniques. It also challenges educators to continually adapt and improve their teaching methods, enhancing their professional growth.

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