Games to Play in Your Classroom
Playing games in your classroom is the perfect way to review skills while keeping students engaged in their learning. I like to make sure that I always have some games prepped and ready to go. Not only do I purposefully place games into my lesson plans for the week, but I also use games when I see that my students may be losing focus and we need to change things up.
The Benefits of Playing Games
Playing games has so many benefits for students. First of all, students LOVE playing games. Games grab their attention and keeps them engaged in their learning. Students can also learn a variety of important skills while playing games. Not only can they learn academics, but games allow children to work on critical thinking skills as well as learning good sportsmanship and teamwork.
There is plenty of research to prove that games are beneficial in the classroom. “Studies show that, on average, using academic games in the classroom is associated with a 20 percentile point gain in student achievement.” (Haystead and Marzano, 2009.)
What are My Favorite Games to Play in our Classroom?
I love to transform classic board games and give them an academic twist. You can do this in many different ways, and the possibilities are truly endless.
I have way too many Candy Land games in my classroom, maybe more than I care to admit. However, I love using this game for reviewing many different skills. To create a sight word version of Candy Land, just write a sight word on each colored square. Before the player can move to that color, he/she has to read the sight word. I have also created math fact Candy Land where the player has to tell the answer to the problem before moving to their color. Other ideas for transforming Candy Land include: letter sounds, blends and digraphs, synonyms and antonyms, rhyming words, etc.
Connect Four is another game that lends itself to academics. I just write on the chips, and the students are ready to play. In the first picture, I wrote addition math facts on each piece. The player had to say the answer before putting in their chip. The second picture has beginning blends and digraphs on each chip. The players had to say a word that began with that blend or digraph before putting their piece into the game.
Another idea is to use Jenga. For the game above, I wrote ending punctuation on each block. Before pulling out the block, the player had to say a sentence that ended with that punctuation mark.
We also use Chutes and Ladders to review words with particular vowel sounds. In the picture above, I wrote a vowel on each section of the spinner. Before moving their piece, the student had to say a word that contained that vowel sound. You could use this with short or long vowel sounds. Another idea is to have the student say a math fact that equals the number they landed on before moving their game piece. For the Sorry games above, I wrote letters on each square. As the students move around the board, they have to say the letter sound. For the one on the bottom, I just wrote tasks on each card. For example, “Say a word with 2 syllables.”
I also love to have other games on hand in my classroom. Each month, I print off the games from my monthly NO Prep Game packets. I almost always print the black and white versions, but sometimes I print off colored copies and then laminate them. At the beginning of each month, I print classroom copies of each game and place them in a drawer. Anytime I notice that we need a change of pace or we have a couple extra minutes, I can pull out one of these games. Each month has a variety of math and literacy games that are perfect for reviewing skills that we have been learning. You can check out each month or the entire bundle HERE. The TIC TAC TOE game is from my Phonics TIC TAC TOE packet that you can check out HERE.
These math fact games are also great to have on hand. Our math series really lacks in math fact practice, so I like to use these to make sure that my students are getting plenty of practice with these skills. You can check the addition and subtraction games HERE.
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What are your favorite games to use in your classroom?
I am a firm believer in learning through play. These are great ideas. I always try to make lessons into a game whenever possible and my kids love it!
so great for kids!
thanks for sharing!
The magical world of classroom games, where learning and fun collide like Candy Land’s Queen Frostine and Lord Licorice in a sugary showdown. I’ve got so many Candy Land games I could open a Candy Land bank! Turn it into a sight-word showdown or a math-fact maze; I’m practically a Candy Land confectionery genius. You can also use AI to create photos and be creative in your own ways.
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Really enjoyed this article! It’s so refreshing to see how classic board games can be transformed into powerful learning tools in the classroom—turning review time into something engaging rather than just another worksheet. I love how you mention games like Candy Land and Connect Four and show how a little creativity can make them academically meaningful. By doing so, you’re helping students not only learn but want to learn. Thanks for sharing these ideas—I’ll definitely be pinning and using some of them soon!
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Mastery of the basic controls takes more skill than it first appears wacky flip
I totally agree that games are the best way to keep students focused. When we have extra time, I usually suggest cookie clicker unblocked at school to help them blow off some steam while still practicing clicking precision. It’s cool how you adapt classic games like Candy Land for lessons, and I’m definitely going to try that sight word trick!
Incorporating play makes review days so much fun for the kids. I was unwinding with a quick game of jewel shuffle after school when I spotted this post.
Working daily as a Crutches Manufacturer, I’m all about strong support systems—and games truly provide that essential structural foundation for kids to learn with joy.
I love using movement games during transitions. The Wacky Steps game has been a big hit in my room because kids practice following directions while burning off extra energy. Great list of ideas, I will be trying several of these during the first weeks of school.
Candy Land with sight words is a clever way to turn a familiar board into practice. I also like how Connect Four asks students to explain a math fact before placing a chip; the move becomes part of the lesson. I have been comparing game ideas at https://outrivia.com/games-like-krillion. Your examples remind me to judge each game by what players practice and how its rules keep them engaged.
Your Connect Four example makes the teaching goal clear: students explain an answer before taking their turn. For older learners ready for a more involved strategy game, Korean Janggi can add a cultural comparison to familiar board games. Janggigame provides free browser AI practice and an illustrated Korean rules guide, so a teacher or parent can examine the piece movements first and decide whether the rules suit the group. It would be an extension activity rather than a replacement for your quick literacy and maths review games.
Your examples show why it helps to choose the skill first and then adapt the game around it. For older learners comparing strategy games, shogi offers a different question from Connect Four: a captured piece can return to the board, so players must consider both moves and drops. Shogigo has free browser play, adjustable AI levels and a Japanese rules guide explaining those decisions. A teacher could review the guide before deciding whether this more involved game suits a small-group extension activity.
The Connect Four example makes the learning step part of each turn rather than a separate worksheet. For older learners interested in patterns and game terminology, Japanese riichi mahjong offers another set of rules to explore. Webmahjong provides free browser practice against adjustable computer opponents and a Japanese guide to tiles, winning hands, calls and scoring. A teacher can inspect the guide first and decide whether a small-group discussion of one hand is suitable, rather than treating a full game as a quick activity for beginners.
The useful detail in the Candy Land and Jenga examples is that the learning task happens before the move, so it cannot simply be skipped in the excitement of playing. For older learners using a tile game such as Mahjongtime, I would adapt that principle by asking them to explain which rule makes a sample hand valid before continuing. I would keep that as a separate, age-appropriate activity rather than substitute a complex game for your first-grade examples. It is the clear link between the task and the turn that seems transferable.
Games are definitely a great way to review skills and keep students engaged. I like that you mentioned having games prepped for when focus wanes. It reminds me of how creative visuals, like perler bead patterns, can also support classroom activities.
These are wonderful suggestions for classroom engagement. I appreciate how you emphasize using games both as planned activities and quick refocusers when attention drifts. It reminds me of how popular dress up games capture interest through interactive fun, which is a similar principle to apply in lessons.
Love how games keep students focused! I often use quick activities to refresh attention, and they work wonders. For teachers needing visual resources, tools like a face square generator can help create avatars for group roles or digital badges—something my colleagues appreciate too.
Great point about using games to maintain focus! I agree that prepping activities in advance helps. I recently came across a simple rotate rings game online that looks like it could work well for quick classroom breaks too. Thanks for sharing these practical ideas!
The useful part of the Candy Land and Connect Four examples is that a child explains something before making the move. For a digital-puzzle extension, I would keep that same pause: ask the player to point to an open space and explain where the next piece might go before dropping it. A fruit-merging puzzle can provide a simple visual example, but I would treat it as an optional, supervised observation activity rather than assume it teaches the math facts in your lesson. Naming the decision gives the game a clearer purpose than simply asking for a higher score.
Love how you emphasize having games ready for those moments when students lose focus! Switching things up with a quick activity can really reset attention. For example, sometimes a short space game works well as a mental break while still reinforcing skills in a fun way.
I love how you emphasize integrating games to keep students engaged and focused. It’s a smart strategy for reviewing skills while keeping learning fun. I also appreciate that you have backup options when attention wanes. By the way, I sometimes look for fnf mod content for inspiration on interactive engagement too. These ideas will definitely help in my classroom planning.
I love how you mentioned using games when students lose focus—it’s a great strategy. Incorporating quick activities can really refresh the classroom energy. I also found an arrow game online that could fit into review sessions, as it’s engaging without requiring downloads. Would you recommend similar low-prep options for other subjects?
The 20 percentage point stat is a great hook for convincing skeptical admins that game time isn’t wasted time. I love the Jenga idea for punctuation practice — my kids always mix up dialogue tags and commas, and physically pulling a block makes the review feel less like a quiz. For days when you need a quick brain break between subjects, I’ve also had luck with simple puzzle games like Rotate Rings that students can play in pairs, since taking turns naturally builds some of that sportsmanship you mentioned. Curious whether you’ve tried adapting any of these for small group rotation stations?
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