Do your students get excited when you say it’s time for a game? I love math games and phonics games and spelling games to give students additional practice and master skills — but games to play with a class can also be good for brain breaks and to get kids moving.
Some of these activities may look like just fun, silly even, but just a few minutes of a classroom game can re-energize students and help them get them refocused. Plus games help students develop social skills, like taking turns, self-regulation, and cooperation, and boost activity. And many classroom games can be adapted for play on Zoom for remote learners.
7 Games to play with a class
Some classroom games work well for your whole class, others will be more fun for small groups—and some can even be adapted for kids to play on their own.
1. Scavenger hunt
This is one of the classroom games that adapts well for Zoom, though you may need to change the things you ask students to look for. Because students come from different home environments, choose things for your scavenger hunt that are broad and have many options, such as something blue, something that starts with S, or something you wear. In any case, give a time limit and have students share what they found.
2. 5-4-3-2-1
Students do a short series of activities in this quick classroom game brain break that can be played at home or at school. Have students:
- Touch 5 things
- Pat their head 4 times.
- Hop on their left foot 3 times
- Touch your nose (or to avoid touching the face, swap out another part of the body, such as the elbow or knee) 2 times.
- Shout Boo 1 time.
3. Nonsense stories
This is a great game to play as a class or in small groups. Start a story, but only give one line. Then go around the circle (or your Zoom screen) with each person adding a line to the story. It can be as silly as you like.
You’ll find more brain breaks, like nonsense stories and 5-4-3-2-1, in these Printable Brain Break Cards.
4. Obstacle course
Set up an obstacle course outside, in the gym, in the hallway, or in your classroom. Have students do a variety of challenging activities, such as:
- Hop from one marker to the next (markers can be cones, rubber mats, tape on the floor, or anything else that serves as a start or end point)
- Skip to the next station
- Walk along a length of rope (this could also be tape along the floor)
- Jump to the next marker
- Crawl to the next marker
- Slither along a mat to the end.
You can adjust the activities based on space, number of students, time, and materials. This classroom game could also serve as a PE activity. You can get more PE games and activities with fully formed lesson plans here: Grab and Go PE Lesson Plans.
5. Swim like a fish
If you are looking for games to play with a class that get kids moving, this is for you. If you are able to use an outdoor space or the gym it will give you even more space, but if you can’t have students spread out around the classroom. Remind them to be aware of other people and avoid running into or touching others. Then give students a series of movements such as:
- Swim like a fish
- Jump like a frog
- Slither like a snake
- Hop like a bunny
- Waddle like a duck.
6. Follow me
Similar to Simon Says, students do a series of actions in this classroom game, but instead of following verbal commands, students do what the leader does. Start with you as the teacher as the leader, but you can also try student leaders for other rounds. Do an action that students have to follow, such as tap your head, running in place, doing 3 jumping jacks. Students should do whatever actions you (or the leader) do.
7. People bingo
This is an in-person game that can work well even if students are spaced out. You’ll need a large space for students to move around. This could be your classroom or an outdoor area. People bingo can serve as a get to know you game.
Each student needs a people bingo sheet (possibly on a clipboard to make recording easier) and a pen, pencil, or marker. Students move around the room to find people who match each bingo box. When students find somebody who fits a box, they write the person’s name in that box. Students cannot use the same person in more than one box. When a student has 5 boxes in a row completed, they call bingo. Ask students to share something they learned about a classmate.
You can get People Bingo sheets with directions along with other fun classroom games for FREE in Classroom Game Cheat-Sheets. Fill in the form below to grab them now!
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If you are looking for games to get kids moving or give them a brain break to help them refocus, you can start with these 7 games to play with a class. And if you want more ideas, you can find them here:
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