Classroom games are a good way to break up the school day and maintain student alertness. Games can be academic or social in nature, as well as performed indoors or outside. Games may also require that you break your students into groups or have them compete against one another. To determine the best game for your class, consider class size, game purpose and available resources. Furthermore, to make the best out of your class game, be sure to involve all students.

Instructions

1.

* 1

Encourage students to get to know one another before game play with ice breakers like "Two Truths and a Lie." This game requires students to state two truths and one lie about themselves and have the class guess which pieces of information are true and false. Social or team-building games may be more appropriate for the first few days of class when students are still getting to know each other.

* 2

Determine the type of game you will play with your class. Some games, like "Jeopardy," can be used to test student knowledge. To play, have students answer trivia questions about a particular subject for points. Likewise, you can also modify "Family Feud" to reinforce classroom material, as students associate different concepts and themes with a given topic. Students can play by stating the information most relevant to a particular subject, as determined by the teacher.

* 3

Consider class size. Whether you play an academic or social game, you will need to consider what game is best based upon the size of your class. Games like "Jeopardy," in which individuals compete against one another, may be more appropriate for small classes with 10 or less students. On the other hand, a "Family Feud"-style game is best for classes that can be broken into teams of five or more. If playing an icebreaker game, pair students together rather than in groups.

* 4

Survey your resources. If you would like to make use of the Internet for your game, it will be important that you ensure your classroom or school has enough computers to make the most out of your game. If all you need is space, however, consider whether you will need to play your game outdoors rather than inside of the classroom. If you find you will not have enough materials for your game, ask to borrow another teacher's or request additional materials from the school administration.

* 5

Create time for all students to play. Games should involve all students, even if it means creating larger groups or having multiple groups playing games concurrently. If you have a large class, break the class into groups of four. Groups one and two can play against one another, while groups three and four compete. The winners of both games can compete against the other group. For example, if team one beats team two and team three beats team four, teams one and three can play one another in a final round. Ensure that the losing teams continue to participate by helping to keep score or read questions.