Classroom Games - Word Relay, Teacher Basketball & More

Word Relay

This game is good to help review vocabulary and spelling.

1) Split the class into two teams and have a player from each team come to the board.

2) Divide the board in two and write a word on each side.

3) The players begin the game by writing a word with the last letter of the previous word (i.e. snake ->elephant -> toys).

4) The players pass the marker to the next students and the word relay begins.

I usually assign more points for longer words or will not accept smaller words.

Do This Do That

This game is a variation of the popular game Simon Says. Instead of saying "Simon Says" the leader says "Do this" or "Do that". When the leader says "Do this" the students should follow the action, however, when the leader says "Do that" students should not follow the action. The amount of actions is limitless and if the students need a workout the leader can perform more physical movements like jumping jacks or push ups. The game can be elimination format or team format.

Teacher Basketball

With March Madness basketball taking place in Canada and the U.S. this month, I thought this would be an appropriate game to share.

1) Find a small soft ball for the basketball and use your arms or an empty garbage can to create the basket.

2) Draw two lines on the floor with an erasable marker. Make one line closer to the hoop than the other.

3) Divide the class into two groups and begin play by choosing a player from each team and asking them each a question from the lesson.

4) After the players answer their questions have them play Rock, Paper, Scissor to see who will shoot from the closer line.

5) Give a point for each basket and the team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

To make the game more difficult move the basket back and forth as the player is shooting (I close my eyes to keep it fair).

To make the game more competitive give one question to the players and have the player that answers first shoot from the closer line.

If a team begins to pull away, increase the value of the points to give the other team a chance to comeback.