This is a classic flash card game. Its purpose is to reinforce math facts. Begin with the class in a circular pattern. Two people begin the game. The teacher displays a flash card, and the first person to correctly recite the solution moves on to the next person. The goal of the game is to try to make it all the way around the world and back to where the student originally began.

We grab atlases and compete to see who can find a random country the fastest. The first one with their finger on the country and their hand in the air wins. It’s easy and requires no advanced preparation, but has long-lasting results.

I have one of those beach balls with six colored longitudinal sections. With a permanent marker, I drew an equator on the ball, splitting each colored section in half. This gave me 12 sections on my beach ball, which I numbered 1 through 12. Additionally, to play the game, 12 index card with review questions or vocabulary are posted on the board. I begin the game with my class standing. I toss the beach ball to one student, and when they catch the ball, they much see which numbered section their left index finger lands on. This is the review question that they must answer from the cards on the board. Then that student tosses the ball to another student, and sits down. The game is played until each student has had an opportunity to answer a question.

Great for vocab words that are being introduced.  Have the students open a dictionary or glossary and lay it on their desk.  The students spread out around the room and do a movement to music.  These movements include crab walk, crazy walk, jog, hop, skip, sidestep, march, twist, or jumping jacks.  While music is played, they do the activity, and when the music is quiet, they go to the nearest book on a desk and look for the word that is called out by the teacher.  Once a student finds the word, they raise their hand, and when called on, they give the page number so everyone can get there.  The person says the word, part of speech, and definition.  Then the word is discussed as a whole class, and the process is repeated with another type of movement.

Four Corners is popular with teachers and students. Number the corners of the classroom from 1 to 4. Select one student to be “It.” That person closes his or her eyes while the rest of the students go to one of the four corners in the classroom. When all students are settled in a corner, It calls out a number. All the kids who chose the corner with that number are out of the game and must sit down. It closes his or her eyes again, calls out a number, and more students sit down. When the game gets down to four people or fewer, each must choose a different corner. If It calls out a corner where nobody is standing, It must choose again. The game continues until only one student is left. That student becomes It.

In this game, nobody wants to hold the rubber chicken—the game’s only prop! To begin the game, all students sit in a circle. Select one person to be It. That person holds the rubber chicken. The teacher or a “caller” says to the person holding the chicken, “Name five presidents of the United States. Pass the chicken!” As soon as the caller says, “Pass the chicken,” the person holding the chicken passes it to the right. Students quickly pass the chicken around the circle. If it returns to the original holder before he or she can name five presidents of the United States, the holder is still It. Otherwise, the person holding the chicken when It finishes listing five presidents is the new It. You should prepare the topic cards for this game in advance. Topics can relate to your curriculum or be general information topics. The student who is It must name five items in the called-out category in order to get rid of the dreaded chicken!

Some Suggested Topics
fast-food restaurants
authors of children’s books
countries in South America
sports teams
things that grow in the desert
vegetables
cartoon characters
musical groups
cereals
rivers in the United States
candy bars made with chocolate
large bodies of water
animals found in salt marshes
cities in [your state]
cities in Florida

The game can be easily adapted for classroom use, and it is one I use regularly because my students love it and it is great for reviews, vocabulary, etc. Choose two students to be the “contestants.” I often look for the two students who are following instructions, are setting a good example, or ones that I randomly choose from our popsicle sticks. Those two students go to the front of the room and face their classmates. Reveal a secret word to everyone but the two contestants; I use a dry erase board slate. The rest of the students raise their hands to volunteer one-word clues that might help the contestants guess the word. Contestants take turns calling on clue volunteers until one of the contestants correctly guesses the secret password. The contestant who guesses the password remains at the front of the class; the student who gave the final clue replaces the other contestant. I only allow each person to be called on once, and then when everyone has had a turn, then they can call on someone again. This makes the students really think about helpful clues.

In Silence, silence is the name of the game. Students must arrange themselves in order without uttering a peep! For example, challenge students to silently sequence themselves according to height. The game can be adapted with very little preparation to fit almost any curriculum theme. For example, if the class is studying state capitals, count out enough sticky notes for each student. On each note, write the name of a state capital. Each student wears a “capital” tag on his or her shirt. The students must silently sequence themselves in alphabetical order. You might make the game even more challenging by asking them to line up according to the state for each capital!

This is a classic spelling game. Begin by having the class form a large circle in an open area. Ask them to stay standing. Tell the students that you are going to give them a spelling word and that it is very important for them to pay attention. Say a spelling word. The first person will say the word. The next student will say the first letter of the word. If a student misspells the word, they have to sit down. The next person gives the next letter of the word. Have students go around the circle, spelling out the word. Once the all of the letters have been correctly spelled out, the next student says the whole word. The next person in the circle says “sparkle” and the person after them sits down. Start the game over when their are only a few students left standing.