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It’s not surprising to teachers that students love games. What may be surprising to students is that teachers love games too! With creative, customizable game templates that let you address specific skills and the added energy and engagement that games bring to the classroom, games are a valuable part of any enriching instruction. And they’re tons of fun, too!
Discover the many benefits of learning by gaming in the classroom, how to gamify your lessons, and why it’s a lot easier than you think. You’ll see the results in your students’ smiles — and in their end-of-year assessment scores, as well.
Game-Based Learning Resources for All Classes
From elementary PE games to high school social studies games, gamified learning is effective for all grades and subjects. Use these highly versatile learning resources designed by teachers to engage all students in any classroom setting.
Create your own review game with digital templates
Digital review games are always a student favorite! When you’re looking for quick games to play in the classroom, you’ll need a straightforward template to customize a digital review game for your specific lesson or curriculum. Use editable resources to get students thinking and working on concepts they need to review, all while having a great time.
ZAP Digital Review Game Template For Any Subject or Unit
By Algebra Star
Perfect for any age, subject, or skill level, this versatile resource includes nine Google Slide templates for teachers to make their own digital review games. Each question has an assigned point value, making it simple for students to play over and over throughout the year.
Trashketball Game Template | EDITABLE
By Pocketful of Primary
Grades: K-12th
Subjects: For All Subjects, Instructional Technology
All you need for a fun game of Trashketball is a trash can, a ball, and this resource! Type your questions and answers into the game templates and let students shoot the ball into the basket after answering a review question correctly.
Stinky Feet Interactive Review Game
By Emily Wong
Grades: K-12th
Subjects: English Language Arts, Math, Science
Get students engaged and reviewing important concepts with Stinky Feet! This variation of the classic Jeopardy! review game challenges students to answer review questions without uncovering the dreaded “Stinky Feet” square and losing all of their points.
Assess understanding with student board game projects
For teachers with low-tech classrooms (or for students who could use tech reduction), paper board games are an excellent way to gamify your curriculum. Find ways for students to create elementary ELA games, science games for middle school, or anything in between with resources that provide board game templates for easy prep and fun activities.
Board Game Project Based Learning Templates STEM Activities + STEM Math Projects
By Sherbert Learning
Grades: 2nd-5th
Ideal as an extension activity or review game, this resource includes 64 pages of templates for warm-ups, game design, question cards, rubrics, and more for students to create their own board games. Use the resource before a math unit test or to assess student understanding before moving onto another STEM concept.
Design individual or small-group classroom games
Ever wish you had a collection of games that students could play or even design themselves? Use editable game templates for students to reinforce instructional concepts on their own or with small groups, and challenge older students to create their own review games as well.
Editable Powerpoint Games Bundle | Game Templates | Editable Game Show | Digital
By Teacher Gameroom
Grades: K-8th
Subjects: English Language Arts, Math
Some students work best on their own or with a few peers, even when learning by gaming. This editable resource comes with templates for 10 different interactive games, making it easy for teachers (or students!) to create their own customized review games.
Inspire students to solve puzzles in a class escape room
No one will want to escape your classroom after an engaging escape room activity! Find printable templates and editable resources to create your own escape room for elementary, middle school, or high school students to review skills and work together.
Digital Escape Room Templates | Google Apps
By Mrs B’s Brainy Bunch
Want to set up an escape room in your class, but worried about the amount of work it will take? Use complete and versatile escape room templates to easily design an escape room activity for any grade level or subject. It includes 78 blank template pages and nine instructional videos to guide you as you create a challenging and engaging escape room for your students.
Get students moving with active classroom games
Looking for indoor recess games to make classroom learning more fun? Check out these resources that feature physical activity in the classroom — perfect for rainy days or impromptu review sessions.
Editable Snowball Fight Editable Snowball Templates for Any Skill
By Sweetnsauerfirsties
Subjects: English Language Arts, Math
You don’t need a snow day to have a snowball fight! Bring this editable, no-prep game into your classroom to teach or review any instructional concept. Students use the printable question board and a pile of paper snowballs to get moving and review vocabulary words, historical figures, math facts, or any other subject in your curriculum.
What is gamification?
Gamification is a method of bringing game elements into your everyday instruction, allowing students to feel more like they’re having fun than learning or reviewing a concept. It works especially well in a classroom focused on inquiry-based learning, as students are used to approaching tasks with curiosity.
Learning by gaming can include elements like a stopwatch, point-scoring systems, or rewards for classroom accomplishments to make a lesson feel like a game. It can also take the form of longer critical thinking games that allow students to compete in healthy and educational ways, such as game shows, board games, or classroom races.
Examples of Game-Based Learning
So what does a gamified classroom look like? It can depend on the age of students and the technology in your school, but you can add game-based learning to your classroom with:
- Card games that cover math or reading skills
- Online quiz sites or flashcards
- Slideshows with review questions
- Outdoor games that combine physical and educational skills
- Competitive class games (such as board races)
- Quick games like History Hot Potato or Vocabulary Bingo
- Integrated games on educational apps
- Sticker charts or other point-and-reward systems
Basically, anything that you’d use in a game can work in a learning-by-gaming classroom context. Dice, sand timers, buzzers, whiteboards, or any other game element can encourage students to engage in a lesson by trying to win or score points.
Benefits of Gamification in Education
Gamification in education is a popular trend in education, but that’s not the only reason it works for students in any grade. Many studies on gamified learning show that this instructional approach can increase student autonomy and competence, helping them feel more successful in your classroom.
Additional benefits of learning by gaming include:
The biggest benefit of this approach is getting more students engaged in a lesson, where more traditional methods may have left some students behind. When everyone’s having fun, everyone’s learning!
Make learning fun, no matter the subject, with TPT
If students had to choose between a traditional lecture and a classroom game, they’ll pick the game every time. And when you’ve integrated high-quality, low-prep activities that focus on learning by gaming into your classroom, it doesn’t have to be a choice. Find more original games for school for classrooms that could use more engagement. Learning the same skills in a gamified setting can just be more fun!