Review Games for Any Classroom

 

It’s no secret in my classroom that I’m always on the hunt for an engaging review game for my students. They’re always so excited to play a game before tests and it allows me to see if there are any concepts that need to be addressed again before an assessment. I’m excited to share these ideas with you, all of which have been given the student nod of approval!

 

Jeopardy-style Review Game: This is a classic staple of many classrooms, including mine! Teams compete to win the game all while reviewing questions related to our content. I’ve played the game as a whole-class activity and in small groups if my students have access to laptops for the day. It’s fun to act like a game show host for the day! I even play it up sometimes by having teams make up their own team name. Usually they compete for an extra credit point or two on our next test. It’s pretty easy to find a ready-made template online. All you have to do is make up your own questions! Using a standard board with 25 questions usually takes up about 40 minutes or so. I typically create two boards to maximize review time in class. It's hard to estimate how long a class will take playing the game so I come prepared each time! Oh - and don't forget the final question! The game can be won or lost in those last 5 minutes. It creates quite an exciting finale!

 

Trivia Game: I think this style of review game is going to be one of my new favorites. The best part? The game board is designed to be useful for multiple subject areas. Before playing the game with my students, I write down 20 questions. Although it's not necessary, I usually come up with a theme for each round of questions. On the day of the game, I divide students into teams of 3-4 and give each group a minute or two to think of a team name. In a series of 4 rounds, teams answer questions while trying to earn points! It's like trivia night right here in the classroom! The kids LOVE it and it really keeps every single student engaged in the review activity. I recently uploaded a free Trivia Game Board template with all the information and point sheets that you need to try the game in your own classroom.  CLICK HERE  to visit Teachers Pay Teachers and download it for yourself! (I promise it's totally free!)

 

Bingo: If you’re looking for a more individualized review experience, a bingo-style game is a great choice. I’ve used bingo-style games before (like this Causes of the Revolutionary War Bingo Game in my TpT store) and it’s a quick, informal way to review key terms, important figures, concepts, etc. I love creating bingo boards that are easily customizable by students. It’s important that every board be different and students can quickly fill in the squares on the board from the list of important concepts at the bottom of the game board. It’s an efficient use of time for me AND the students. A win-win!

Attack: I found this FREE review game on Teachers Pay Teachers by the amazing Math in the Middle. It. Is. Amazing. The game, called "Attack!", uses pictures of castles (or any other image that relates to your curriculum), which groups of students can “attack” by getting answers to your questions correct. It’s a huge hit in my classroom and every time we play, students think of new rules to add to the game. They recently added a rule that allows teams to help rebuild castles in an effort to form alliances with other “kingdoms”.  They hardly even know they’re reviewing content! ;)

Paper Toss: An old one but a good one. It’s been called by many names but it’s still a favorite for kids of all ages. Sometimes I save scraps of paper before it hits the recycle bin. Other times I wait until the end of the year and the kids recycle all of their paper one last time. To facilitate comradery, I usually put students into groups of 4. Each student gets the chance to answer a question. If they get it right, their group gets a point and they get to try to shoot for a basket in an attempt to earn an additional point.  We always make sure to recycle the paper at the end of the class! And the best part? A few minutes before the end of class, all the students get to throw their paper into the wastebasket in what can only be described as a big, friendly paper ball fight!

 

Like I said at the beginning, I'm ALWAYS on the hunt for new review games. If you have any suggestions to share with me, please tell me in the comments! I'm sure I'm not the only one who would appreciate some new ideas. Make sure to take a peek into the comments yourself to see if any inspiration strikes you! :)

 

~The Teacher's Prep