educational game activities for high school students

6 Super Fun Games For High School Students

High school students can lose interest easily, and if your lessons are not fun and engaging, it can be difficult to get students to focus. But don’t worry! There are lots of fun and energizing classroom games you can use to keep high school students engaged. Below you’ll find our favorite fun games for high school students .

Fun Games For High School Students

1: thumbs up game.

This first activity is a classic classroom game that high school students love to play! To play, first, choose three students to come up to the front of the class. These students are the ‘walkers’. Next, tell all other students to put their heads on their desks, close their eyes, and put their thumbs up. Now the game can begin.

The three ‘walkers’ will then walk around the class and choose one student each by touching their thumbs. If a student’s thumb is touched, that student should put their thumb down. Once all three ‘walkers’ have chosen one student, they should return to the front of the class, and then the teacher should tell all students to “ Wake up !” (i.e., open their eyes and sit up).

The three students whose thumbs were touched should stand up, and then they must guess which of the ‘walkers’ touched their thumb. If they guess correctly, they get to swap places with the ‘walker’. If they guess wrong, they sit back down.

To make this game more fun for high school students, you can try giving each of the ‘walkers’ a funny name. This can be something silly or names from their favorite pop group, TV series, etc. Another thing you can do to make it even more fun is to get the ‘walkers’ to make a silly sound or to say something with a different voice when they touch another student’s thumb.

2: The Liar Game

This next activity is very versatile and can be used in almost any high school class. To play, you’re going to need some ‘game cards’. If you’re teaching vocabulary, these can be small flashcards , or if you’re teaching reading, these can be cards made from a passage of text split up into sentences. For the purpose of this explanation, the cards will be numbers. Create sets of 6-8 game cards and give one set to each student.

Next, you need to tell students the order in which the game cards will be played during the game. A great way to do this is to include the order number on the top of the cards when you create them. Finally, put students in groups of 3/4.

To begin, all 3/4 students in a group must put all their cards in the middle and mix them all together. Then, they must each choose 6/8 random cards (depending on how many are in each set) and make sure not to show these cards to other members in the group. Now the game can begin.

Students will take turns placing the game cards facedown in the middle in the pre-determined order. So, the first student should look at their cards, find the number 1 card, and then place it facedown in the middle and say “ Number 1 ” (or say the word/text that is on the number 1 card). The second student should then look at their cards, find the number 2 card, and place it facedown in the middle and say “Number 2”. Then it’s the next student’s turn to place the number 3 card in the middle. And so on.

The fun part of this game is that a student may not have the correct card to place in the middle because they chose random cards at the beginning. And so, if a student doesn’t have the correct card, they must lie! In this situation, they would choose any of their cards and pretend they are placing the correct card in the middle.

At any time, if any of the other students think someone is lying, they can shout “ Liar !”, at which point the last card to be placed in the middle would be turned over to check if the last student did in fact lie.

If a student is caught in a lie, that student must pick up all the cards in the middle. If a student is accused of lying, but they did not lie, then the accuser must pick up all the cards. The first student to get rid of all the cards is the winner!

3: Word Association Game

The are plenty of word association game variations , but the one we find works best with high school students is a version with a particular topic. To play, first, you must choose a topic. A great way to do this is to ask the students for ideas. This way, you will get topics that the students are interested in, which is a great way to keep students engaged. For example, students might choose a topic such as ‘ computer games ‘, ‘ pop groups ‘, ‘ types of food ‘, etc.

Once you have a topic, tell students that they will take turns saying a word associated with the topic. For example, if the topic is ‘ types of food ‘, one student might say “ Mexican food “, and the next student might say “ fried food “, etc. If a student is not able to say an associated word or repeats a word that has already been said, then that student is out! Play until only one or two students are left. These are the winners. Choose another topic, and start again.

4: The Chain Game

This next activity is similar to the above word association game but with a fun twist. To start, one student would say a word, and then the next student must say a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. This ‘chain’ continues until a student can’t think of a word or repeats a word that has already been said.

If your high school students have a particularly large vocabulary, this game might be too easy. However, a great way to make it more challenging is to make a rule that each word must be from a particular category. For example. ‘ things that are blue ‘, ‘ girl’s names ‘, ‘ famous people ‘, etc.

5: The Hula Skirt Game

This game is superfun and a great way to get your high school students out of their seats, speaking, and having fun. To prepare for this activity, you’ll need to prepare some questions to create the ‘hula skirt’. You can use any questions, but if you’re stuck for ideas. these 30 Ice-Breaker Questions work great with this activity.

Once you have your questions, type them up, one question per line, and print them on an A4 piece of paper. Next, with a pair of scissors, cut a line between each question to make strips. Don’t cut all the way to the end of the page so that the strips are still all connected. This is our ‘hula skirt’. Finally, tape the ‘hula skirt’ securely on the board and place a trash can about 5-10 feet from the board. Now the game can begin.

Make two teams and have them line up at the far end of the classroom. When the teacher says “ Go! “, one student from each team must race to the board and tear off one of the strips of paper. At which point they must read the question that is on the paper out loud and answer the question as quickly as they can.

After answering the question, a student must roll up the strip of paper into a ball and try to throw it into the trash can from where they are standing. If they get it in, they get 1 point for their team. Next, the student runs back to their team and tags the next player who runs to the board to choose the next strip of paper.

6: The Mafia Game

The Mafia Game is a really fun game that high school students want to play time and time again. The game is quite complicated, however, so you may need to practice a few times before students get it. Here’s how to play the Mafia Game step by step.

Step One: Choose A Narrator

The narrator’s job is to assign the roles, read the scenario, and moderate the gameplay.

Step Two: Choose The Number Of Mafia Members

The number of Mafia members should be about 1/3 of the total number of players. For example, if you have 30 students playing, then 10 of them will be in the Mafia.

Step Three: Assign Roles

In addition to the Mafia members, there should also be police officers, doctors, and civilians. Police officers try to catch the Mafia members, doctors heal people who have been attacked by the Mafia, and civilians are just innocent bystanders.

While assigning the roles, it is important to keep the roles secret or the game won’t work. A great way to do this is for the narrator to tell everyone to close their eyes and assign the roles by saying, “ I will now touch the Mafia Members on the head. “, “ I will now touch the Police Officers on the head. “, “ I will now touch the doctors on the head. ” Those that are not touched are the ‘civilians’.

Step Four: Round 1

Next, it’s time for round 1. The narrator should tell everyone to close their eyes. Then, the narrator will then say, “ Mafia members open your eyes. ” The Mafia members will open their eyes and choose one person to ‘kill.’ So that this is a secret, they should silently point to one person to make their choice. Once the Mafia have made their choice, the narrator should take note of who they killed, and then they should close their eyes again.

Next, the narrator says, “ Police officers, open your eyes. ” and the police will point at someone to ‘interrogate’. Later, this person will be asked if they are the Mafia and they cannot lie. The narrator takes note of who will be interrogated and then the police officers close their eyes.

Next, the narrator says “ Doctors, open your eyes. “, and then the doctors point at one person they will ‘save’. If this person was killed by the mafia, they are ‘saved’ and get to stay in the game.

Step Five: The Narrator Explains The Scenario

Next, the narrator says “ Everyone, open your eyes .” and then explains what just happened. For example, “ The Mafia Killed Chris. The doctors saved Kelly, and the police chose to interrogate Tom. ” Then the narrator will ask Tom if he is a member of the Maffia, and he must tell the truth.

In this scenario, Chris is out as he was killed by the Mafia. Kelly wasn’t killed and so there was no need to be ‘saved’. And if Tom answers “Yes” to being in the Mafia, then he is out. If he answers “No”, he is still in the game.

Step Six: Everyone Discusses

Now, that everyone has heard the scenario, it is time for everyone to discuss who they think is the Mafia. After the discussion, everyone will vote on who they think it is. The person with the most votes is ‘lynched’ and are out of the game. The narrator can then tell them if they caught a Mafia member, or killed a civilian, doctor, or police officer.

Step Eight: Repeat

Repeat the above steps until either all the Mafia members have been caught, or all the civilians are out.

As you can see, the Mafia game is quite complicated but it makes a fantastic classroom game for high school students once they get the hang of it.

Thanks for reading. I hope your students have lots of fun playing these classroom games. Before you go, here are some more activity ideas and resources you might find useful: Reading Games For Middle School Students Classroom Games For Middle School Students Middle School Icebreakers PowerPoint Game Templates ESL Activity Videos

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Kami Blog > Engaging Activities for High School Students

Inspiration

Engaging activities for high school students.

Student engagement strategies and active learning are key to learners bringing their best selves to the classroom. It’s important to use diverse fun activities in your lesson plan to maintain active learning. We’re here to help you make sure you don’t run out of ideas. Check out our engaging activities for high school students:

Here are 5 icebreakers to start the lesson

Have a daily riddle that the class solves before the lesson starts. They can break into small groups to brainstorm or call out answers for the whiteboard. Check out a collated list here to help you with riddle ideas.

Foster the habit of writing by giving a visual stimulus, such as an interesting photo, and asking your students to write something about it. Use this image generator to inspire the entire class and give them specific parameters about what you want to explore. Do this every day to develop their writing skills.

3. Discussion

Add all the questions you want to cover with your students to this editable spin wheel and give it a spin to start the class discussion.

4. Flash fiction

Flash fiction is about broad storytelling. Give your students a challenge to write a 6-word story. They can use any topic but stick to the parameters to introduce an idea, plot, and character. There are some fantastic examples here to get those creative juices flowing.

5. Human knot

This is a physical and fun activity to develop problem-solving skills. Ask the students to stand in a circle and join hands with two random people in the circle. This creates a human knot, and the goal is to untangle it. Make it competitive with larger groups by dividing students into smaller groups or pairs and seeing who can get untangled the fastest using those critical thinking skills!

10 Classroom activities to engage students

Now that everyone has warmed up review the below teaching strategies to spice up some learning activities with these ideas.

1. Host a Jeopardy quiz!

If you’re a fan of the tv show then put that fandom to good use and host a quiz on the topic you’re studying. This activity is ideal for when high school students need to get ready for a big test. Studies have shown that students that are quizzed are more successful. They can revise with index cards so they are really familiar with the topic beforehand. Divide the class up into two teams and draw a Jeopardy-style game on the board with titles based on the topics that will be covered in the test and quiz. Just like in the television show, each category should have points for each level of question. Keep it simple with 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25-point question levels. Give each team a buzzer from a board game or a bell for answering. The teams should consult with each other before buzzing in with an answer.

2. Play Guess Who

Learning who is who from history can get overwhelming so use this teaching strategy to help. Put those problem-solving skills to good use in history class (or others!). Describe a time, place, or person from history with only three clues. The entire class has to try to figure out who or what you are referring to, then race to the whiteboard to write the answer. The students can use their history books or clues around the room if they need to.

3. Journalling

Develop creative writing skills by asking each student to write a journal entry from someone else’s perspective. There are many famous diarists who provide key insight into life through history. You could allocate a different diary entry for each student and then ask them to read it in front of the class. For example, if studying the civil war you could allocate students to write as if they were soldiers, civilians, politicians, etc.

4. Entry tickets …and exit tickets

Put a stack of index cards next to your classroom door and write a question on the board. When your students come into class, hand out index cards, write down an answer to the question and hand it in —as their “entry ticket” to class.

The question should be something related to the day’s lesson, like “after last night’s homework assignment, what do you think about X?” or “after studying the material for today’s class, what are some areas you still need clarification on?”

Not only does this activity get your students engaged and interacting from the minute they walk into the classroom, but it also gives you valuable insights you can use to guide the day’s lesson plan.

When your students are getting ready to leave for the day, have them do the same thing—just with exit tickets (use Kami’s templates).

The same concept applies. Ask them a question about the day’s lesson, any questions they might have, or overall feedback—then collect their ticket before they head home. Reviewing their exit tickets will help you figure out where to adjust your lesson plan for the following day.

5. Brainstorming

Group brainstorming sessions are a great way to bring your students together to engage with whatever they’re learning. Instead of thinking about the topic alone at their desk, they get to expand their ideas with other students in small groups, which will help them be more engaged and gain a new perspective on the lesson. This is a fun way to develop helpful skills for high school students, especially around class discussion. Use Kami’s brainstorming worksheets for this activity idea.

6. Debate-style activity

Most students will have a view of what you’re learning. Use this to your advantage and create a school activity of debating the merits or detractions of whatever you are learning about. This is a good way to engage critical thinking skills as the best debaters will anticipate what the other person might say and be prepared. Get them to write down their main points on pieces of paper ahead so they can practice and be prepared for the debate. This can be done in front of the whole class and you can change the debaters each week.

7. Thumbs up / thumbs down

Thumbs up / thumbs down is a hands-on fun way to monitor if your students are following a story. Tell students to put their thumbs up if they agree with a statement or to put their thumbs down if they disagree. When students have a low energy level (maybe right after lunch?) Stand Up/Sit Down may be a better alternative.

8. Create a video lesson plan

Social media is a part of students’ lives, and those skills in making videos can be really helpful. Flip the tables and ask the students to put together a lesson on the specific topic. Ask the students to put together a video, and perhaps instigate a challenge to include certain vocabulary words you’re written on the whiteboard. This is a fun hands-on activity that could produce some great learning resources.

9. Think pair share

Think pair share can be used for a variety of topics; math problems, science processes, and reading. If you ask an open-ended question ask the students to think about it, then put them into small groups and let them discuss. Then ask all the students to contribute to the classroom discussion and share their thoughts in front of the class.

10. Roll the dice

High school students really respond to their learning when they feel engaged and part of it. Why not write down all the activities that you might have planned and number them? Then ask a student to roll the dice. Whatever number they roll is the activity you do for that lesson. You provide students with some potential impact on how they learn.

Student engagement strategies are a fun way to get the students learning and keep them engaged as their attention span might wane through the day (as might yours). It’s great to have lots of varied ways to engage the brain, body, and spirit. Please let us know on socials how you get on!

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10 Activities to Engage Students

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Educational Games to Help High School Students Soar

Are your high school students ready to become full-fledged geese yet? They are perilously close to leaving the nest, becoming adults, going off to college, and joining the workforce (Ahem - check out our openings at Goosechase! ).

…and yet, they can sometimes seem just like silly little geese – all full of fun and possible mischief. As a high school teacher, how can you keep them focused and on track, so they will be able to meet their college and life goals? One of the best ways to help them acquire the skills and confidence they will need after graduation is through educational games.

Learning can be fun and engaging

“Research shows that using games in teaching can help increase student participation, foster social and emotional learning, and motivate students to take risks.” Edutopia , The George Lucas Educational Foundation

One shock (shock!) to many college freshmen is that the professors don’t actually tell them where to look for the answers (imagine that, if you can). They become so accustomed to the typical high school classroom that they haven’t actually learned how to learn independently.

In a surprising number of high school classrooms (not yours, of course), students are still expected to learn through the traditional lecture, homework, test paradigm. While this may work for some students, others are left lost, unchallenged or bored.

Games, in contrast, bring an entirely new dimension to the traditional lesson plan and can actually help prepare students for college. They learn to overcome challenges, diversify their thinking, and seek answers independently or in collaboration with their peers. Many college learning experiences are heavily research-driven, but how can students rise to the challenge if they’ve just been given the questions throughout their high school career? Games can actually help them learn problem-solving skills, how to ask the right questions, and then provide them with perseverance as they search for answers.

Parents may be concerned that their children seem to be spending too much time on games. But, when used properly, games like Minecraft and Werewolf can actually help link educational content with friendly competition. Instead of isolating themselves in basements or bedrooms, students can actively use games to participate in collaborative, engaging learning experiences. During the pandemic, when there were weeks on end of virtual learning, games provided a much-needed outlet to keep students connected and motivated .

Other benefits that can be achieved by building lesson content around games include:

• Impactful games can be especially helpful in building subject knowledge with students who have difficulty focusing during a lecture/listening-based format.
• Fun games can improve attitudes about learning, and increase academic scores.
• Games promote curiosity, improve focus, and help players build grit and determination, as they search to solve a problem or uncover an answer.
• There is better retention of subject matter. Instead of just listening and taking notes, students become active learners. Content is more likely to stick because they are using more skill sets to achieve the end result.

How can I make my high school class fun?

In the classic movie, “To Sir, With Love,” the teacher played so forcefully by Sidney Poitier managed to make learning fun and meaningful for even the most challenging of high school classrooms. He brought real-world experience to students who seemed destined to go down the wrong path in life, and taught skills they would need to become adults. Here are some tips you can use to make teaching your high school class just as fun and rewarding:

• Add a little mystery (we all like to guess whodunit and why!).
• Mix it up – teach lessons in different ways, to appeal to all your students. Present class material Jeopardy-style: give them a concept and work backwards, asking them to come up with questions relevant to the topic.
• Use educational games to enhance student learning (again, Jeopardy is a great example of this! Five more fun ideas just a few scrolls ahead).
• Start giving your soon-to-be adults more choices about how they will learn. For example, give them 2 different books to choose to write a report on.
• Incorporate technology – they love it, and so can you.
• Give them opportunities to embrace their child-like qualities every so often with silliness and creativity – adulting will be hard enough.
• Get them involved – create interactive lessons where students participate, act out scenes, or explore on their own.
• Get real – relate the subject matter to skills they will need in college, at work, or in life.
• Think outside the academic box – maybe turn it upside down, or stand on it, or have students make a new kind of box!

5 Educational Games For High School Classrooms

Here are some games that can help high school students become more engaged in their education and build a range of useful life skills:

• Geoguessr : Make geography more than memorizing countries and capitals. Guide students as they use Google Maps to explore locations, see landscapes, and learn about the people and their environment.
• Words with Friends : This Scrabble-type game was all the rage a minute ago (now Wordle in all its iterations is hot), but it can still pack a powerful language punch for high school students. Two players compete against each other in a friendly competition to polish their language skills and claim bragging rights. Offer this as an activity to do outside of class for extra credit.
• Goosechase : Use Goosechase to build a custom game or access our library for some pretty fantastic teacher-created Experience templates , which you can adapt to your own needs. Get your students involved and engaged as they submit text, photo/video, and GPS check-in answers to questions you create based on your lesson plan. Just a couple of the High School Experiences you can find in the library:

Absolutism!

Students travel around the Eastern Hemisphere and meet some absolute monarchs.

Best for: Students Grade Level: 9-12 Subject: History

Geometry Hunt

Get them exploring and learning math skills with lines, planes, and rays (no automobiles).

Best for: Students Grade Level: 9-10 Subject: Math

4.   Giant Jenga: Want to take a break from screen time? Great for any subject. Buy a giant Jenga set (or have one built in tech class) and simply put questions on each block (use chalk so you can reuse your Jenga blocks). Students pull out a block and answer the questions, while trying to keep the tower from tumbling.

5.     CELLS alive! Use interactive models, puzzles and games to teach high school science.

Educational games can be a serious support to help high school students gain knowledge and achieve success with skill-building and college preparation concepts. Check out our top picks above, and explore all the ways Goosechase can help you as a high school teacher find ways to make learning fun and engaging - for you and them!

What is Goosechase?

At Goosechase, experience is everything. Originally inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that enables organizations and schools to engage, activate, and educate their communities through delightful interactive experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational game, or contact us to learn more about our enterprise solutions!

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17 Fun Interactive Games For Students in 2024

Here is our list of the best interactive games for students.

Interactive games for students are fun activities and games in which students participate in groups. These games also offer a fun and hands-on learning experience. Examples include Charades, Four Corners, and Pictionary. The purpose of these activities is to help students absorb educational material and make them feel comfortable in school. These activities are also known as “classroom games.”

These ideas are similar to interactive games for kids , study game s, team building games for students , online classroom activities and team building exercises . Two examples of these activities are vocabulary games and communication games .

This list includes:

• interactive games for college students
• interactive games for kids
• interactive games for high school students
• online interactive games for students
• interactive classroom games
• interactive quiz games for students
• education games for students
• school appropriate games
• school friendly games

Here we go!

List of interactive games for students

Interactive games for students are necessary for schools because they provide a new learning experience while giving a break to the students from the mundane school routine. These games also develop skills and competencies in children. To help you engage students in the classroom, here is our list of the best interactive classroom games for students.

Hangman is a fun and interactive game for students, which you can play in the classroom or online. When playing in the classroom, you will need an interactive display or a whiteboard. When playing online, you can use a virtual whiteboard app.

Every student participates and takes turns guessing while the teacher draws on the board.

The rules of the game are simple. The teacher will think of a word and draw blanks according to the number of letters. For example, if the word has six letters, then you draw six blanks. To make the game easy, you can also tell about the category, like if it is the name of a singer, a movie, or a famous place.

The students will think of some letters, and for every wrong letter, the teacher will draw a portion of the hangman. When the drawing is complete, the game is lost. However, if players guess the correct letters, then they save the hangman.

2. 10 Questions

10 Questions is one of the best interactive games for college students because it uses collective critical thinking.

In this game, you will divide the class into two groups. One group will think of an item. Then, the other group will prepare ten questions to ask to guess the object. Since the group has a limited number of questions, they must choose strategically.

You can set a rule that every group member will ask one question. The group can decide on the questions, and their answer will be either yes or no. The groups cannot ask for explanations or details.

After getting all the answers, the other group will think of an object and give their guess. The group will get a point if they make the right guess.

This game highlights the importance of group discussion and indicates how the groups must analyze the information and develop a unified answer.

Check out more question games .

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• icebreaker games
• bingo cards

3. 101 And Out

101 And Out is a fun game that will test your students’ math skills. This game is also easy to play, which makes it among the best interactive games for kids.

Here is how to play:

• Divide the class into two groups.
• Give a die to each group.
• Each group gets two dice rolls.
• With each dice roll, they can either keep the exact number or multiply it. So, for example, if one group gets a five on a dice roll, they can keep the same number or multiply it and keep 25.
• The groups will keep adding numbers with each dice roll.
• The goal is to reach 101 or close to it to win the game.

If you are playing this game with children, then you can set easy rules and ask them to add the numbers only and eliminate the multiplying rule.

4. Don’t Answer

Don’t Answer is a fun and engaging game that will check how well your students know each other.

In this game, you will make the class sit in a group. It is better to make good friends sit with each other because it will make the game easier.

Each student will randomly pick another student from the crowd and ask a question.

For instance:

• What is the name of your favorite superhero?
• Which is your favorite dish?
• When was the last time you got scolded?
• When is your birthday?
• How many siblings do you have?

However, this game has a twist. The addressed student cannot directly answer. The asked-about student cannot speak and can tell the other players whether an answer is right or wrong by a thumbs up or thumbs down. If the initial response is wrong, then they can ask follow-up questions to get the correct answer.

Trivia can be a great choice if you are looking for interactive quiz games for students. These challenges can disguise learning as a fun and spirited competition. Facing off in feats of knowledge can bring lessons alive and help students better retain information.

To make this game interactive, you can divide the class into groups. Then, when children discuss the answers in groups and decide mutually, it will strengthen their bond and friendship.

The best idea is to tell the kids about the trivia beforehand. Then, when they give the correct answers after coming fully prepared, it will boost their confidence and morale as well.

Here is a list of starter trivia questions and a guide to team Jeopardy .

6. Simon Says

Simon Says is a fun game that will get groups laughing. The fact that you play it both in-person and online makes it among the best online interactive games for students.

This game also builds a friendly relationship between the teacher and students.

How to play:

• Make all the students stand while keeping a distance between them.
• When everyone is ready, the teacher will say a sentence.
• The rule is that if the sentence starts with “Simon says,” the students must do it. If it does not begin with “Simon says,” then the students will not act. For example, the teacher will say, “Simon says, jump on both feet,” In this case, the children will jump.

To make the game more challenging, rattle off commands quickly. Rapidfire instructions will test and sharpen students’ focus. You will be surprised at how the students will act without listening for the particular phrase.

7. Charades

Charades is an interactive game you can play at any event. In this game, you will divide the class into two groups.

Each group will decide on a word for another group. Then, one member from the other group will come to act that word for their team. However, the member who acts cannot speak the word.

The team members will keep guessing until they reach the correct answer.

You can also set a time limit to make the game enjoyable. You can also make it more fun by asking the students to do activities specific to the classroom. For example, you can ask them to act like their favorite teacher.

8. Blindfold Conversation

Blindfold Conversation is an engaging game that will make your students interact and collaborate during the activity.

In this game, you will make your class stand in a circle. Then, one student will come to the center, and you will blindfold them. Next, a few students will make the blindfolded child spin in a circle. When stopped, he will point to one student. That student will speak in a funny voice, and the blindfolded student will guess their name.

9. Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs is the best game for a large classroom. The more participants you have, the more fun this game will be.

In this game, you will choose one student and make them leave the classroom or blindfold them. Then, you will pick one student to hide. You can hide them under the chair or make them leave the class to be out of sight. Then, all the other students in the class will change their places.

Then, the blindfolded student will enter the class and guess which student is missing.

This game boosts students’ powers of observation, which can come in handy while studying.

10. Pictionary

Pictionary has been the favorite game of children and adults alike. Pictionary can be a great choice if you are looking for some interactive games for high school students.

This game involves drawing a picture on the board without speaking the word. One student will come to the board and draw the image of the word given. Then, the whole class will participate in guessing the picture.

You can also play Pictionary online if you have online classes. The online version offers the same level of fun as the in-person version of this game. You can play online Pictionary on Drawize or conduct a Zoom meeting and use the digital whiteboard.

Learn more about Drawize.

11. Geography Puzzles

Geography puzzles are a great idea to make the geography class fun and engaging for students. Children often get bored in such classes. You can bring a twist with a class activity.

To do a geography puzzle, first, divide the class into groups. Then, you will give blank maps to each group. Finally, ask the class to fill out the maps and write the names of the countries.

You can also make it specific and include the topics in the puzzle taught in the class.

12. Ad Making

Making an advertisement is a unique and creative activity that students will enjoy. As this activity requires critical and creative thinking, it best suits high schoolers and teenagers.

First, give a product to your students. For example, soap, pencil, or notebook. It is better to hand out familiar, everyday objects to make the activity easy.

Then, ask the students to make an advertisement in groups to sell the product. The students can take inspiration from the ads they watch on television. Then, the students will perform in the class, and the team with the most creative idea will win.

13. Minute To Win It

Minute To Win It is a beloved game show. This exercise consists of different activities and games that participants will only have one minute to complete. The player who gets the most points in one minute will win the round. The best part about this game is that multiple players can participate, making it ideal for the classroom.

It is better to have the theme and decor of the original game show to improve the competitive skills of the students. Some examples of activities are:

• Stack plastic cups on each other without making them fall.
• Get a biscuit from your head into your mouth without using your hands.
• Keep three balloons in the air.
• Using a straw, such up skittles from one plate and transfer them to another.
• Throw ping pong balls into a basket from a distance.

These activities will make the students focus, and due to the limited time, they will try their best to be as quick as possible. The best part of this activity is that you can play multiple games, as each challenge takes under a minute.

Check out more Minute to Win It games .

14. Invent A Solution

Inventing a solution requires critical thinking, as students will work together in groups to fix a problem.

In this game, you will give an imaginary scenario to your students. For example, an alien spaceship has attacked the world, and the aliens want to invade your hometown. How will you make a deal with them or kick them out?

You can also use examples from everyday life, like giving a scenario of your friend who is in trouble and you have to save them.

Then, the students will get five minutes to discuss the answer in the group. Once done, one student from each group will come on the stage and explain their solution to the class.

Check out more problem-solving activities .

15. GoNoodle

GoNoodle is the favorite online platform of teachers. This website contains many fun games and interactive activities that help students participate and boost their confidence. If you are looking for some online interactive games for students, then GoNoodle can be the right platform.

The website gives you different categories of games to choose from. You can play games according to specific subjects and topics and do activities like stretching in video sessions.

Learn more about GoNoodle.

16. Debate Competition

A debate competition is among the best interactive games for high school students. Such competitions and activities improve students’ critical thinking skills, boost their confidence, and improve their communication skills.

To ensure interaction, you can divide the class into two groups and give an argumentative topic for discussion. One group will focus on the cons, and the other will highlight the pros. For example, you can provide globalization as the topic for discussion and ask the class to have speeches and arguments on it.

17. Four Corners

Four Corners is among the best interactive classroom games. This challenge involves four groups of students. You will also blindfold one student.

The rest of the students will run to four corners of the room. The blindfolded student will point to one corner, and students at the other corners will be out of the game.

Then, the remaining four students will run to the four corners again. Finally, the blindfolded child will again point to one corner, and the student there will win.

This game is easy to play, takes limited time, and only has one winner in each round.

Interactive games for students are necessary to boost their focus on their studies and keep them active in class. These games also build trust and friendly relationships as students play in groups to win.

Our list of interactive games for students includes in-person and virtual games that can keep students engaged and boost their confidence. For best results, match activities to the subject and your class’ age group, learning styles, and personalities.

For more fun with students, check out virtual field trips and family day activities .

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FAQ: Interactive games for students

Here are answers to questions about interactive games for students.

What are some interactive games for students?

Here is a list of some interactive games for students:

• Scrambled Eggs
• Making an advertisement
• Debate competitions
• Solving puzzles

In these games, students participate in groups or help one student with a problem. Such games also boost the thinking skills and confidence of children.

How do you get students to interact through games?

The best idea to get students to interact through games is by making them participate in groups. The students will use their abilities and work will full confidence. Also, they will be anxious about not letting their teammates down with poor performance, which will help them focus on the game. Also, the students will discuss the solutions before taking action. Discussing in groups and putting forward their points will also help them build trust and eliminate shyness.

Why are interactive games important for students?

Interactive games are important for students to help them learn better and develop or improve their skills. Interactive games also take the students out of the standard classroom routine and provide a new learning path.

Interactive games also build confidence, improve communication, and help students determine what to do in situations using their critical thinking.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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21 Fun Classroom Games Every Teacher Needs to Try This Year

Written by Maria Kampen

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What do all kids around the world have in common? They love to play.

Classroom games are a great way to harness the power of play and use it to enhance your students’ learning experience. Not only are games fun and engaging, they can also:

• Help students focus better 
• Present educational material in a new and interactive way
• Give the whole class an opportunity to get to know each other better

Keep reading for 21 fun games to play in class , then build them into your lesson plans for more learning!

When it comes to new math concepts, students usually need lots of practice to master them. Use these math games for kids to make math practice engaging and effective – all while building their problem-solving skills!

1. Prodigy Math

Best for: 1st to 8th grade

Be your students’ math classroom hero with Prodigy Math, an online role-playing game (RPG) that turns math into an adventure. 

As students explore the Prodigy world, complete quests and earn rewards, their success depends on answering curriculum-aligned math questions . Prodigy’s adaptive algorithm meets students where they are and tailors questions to their learning needs. 

Plus, you can align Prodigy to your classroom lessons ! You’ll get tools to help you:

• Differentiate content for every student
• Engage your learners with a new and fun way to practice math
• Gather insights to inform the teaching strategies you use every day

Sign up for your free teacher account today and start making math class fun.

2. Math baseball

Best for: 3rd to 8th grade

Divide your class into two teams to play math baseball — another activity that gives you full control over the questions students answer. Here’s how:

• One team will stand at the front of the room and start at bat , scoring runs by choosing questions worth one, two or three bases.
• “Pitch” the questions using flash cards, which range in difficulty depending on how many bases they’re worth.
• If the at-bat team answers incorrectly, the defending team can respond correctly to earn an out. 
• After three outs, switch sides. 
• Play until one team hits 10 runs.

3. 101 and Out

Best for: 2nd to 6th grade

101 and Out is a fun and effective way to end math class! The goal is to score as close to 101 points as possible without going over.

Divide your class in half and give each group a die, piece of paper and a pencil.

Groups take turns rolling the die, using their best strategic thinking skills to either count the number at face value or multiply it by 10. For example, if the first person rolls a six, they can keep that number or turn it into 60.

This game gets competitive quickly, and boosts excitement levels in your math class!

4. Get the Math

Best for: 6th grade and up

Make math come to life with Get the Math , a site that prompts your students to solve challenges related to math in different careers and real-world situations. 

The website contains videos with young professionals in fields like fashion design or video game development, explaining how they use math every day. You can assign challenges to your class after watching, some of which involve playing fun games. 

For example, one of the activities challenges students to use different materials and measurements to design a shirt for less than $35. 

5. Fraction War

Always a classic, the card game War can help students practice basic math skills in a more engaging way than traditional worksheets. 

This version teaches students the basics of fractions. Each student is dealt two cards, one numerator and one denominator. Once they calculate which fraction is larger, the person with the larger fraction wins and gets all four cards! Keep playing until all the cards are gone. 

Not teaching fractions? No problem! Use War to give students practice multiplying or dividing with two cards, or challenge students to practice place value and build a number bigger than their opponents’.

Make english class F-U-N with these games that boost reading and writing skills. Use them to practice the week’s vocabulary words or give ESL students more practice.

Can your students solve the puzzle before the hangman is complete? Use this classic game to introduce new sight words to the class or review vocabulary. 

Divide students into small groups with pads of paper, or stand up at the front and play as a class. Think of a word and put down one blank space for each letter. Have students guess letters, and write them in the blank spaces if they’re correct. If they’re incorrect, add another part to your stick figure.

You can also replace the hangman with a snowman for more festive (and kid-friendly) fun.

The game ends when students have either guessed the correct word or the hangman is complete!

You can even let your students take the lead in the game by asking one of them to choose the word, while the rest of the class attempts to solve their puzzle.

2. Bananagrams

Best for: 3rd grade and up

A portable take on Scrabble, Bananagrams is a fun way for kids to practice their word-building skills. 

Using a set of tiles with letters on them, students have to create interconnected words and use up all their tiles. The group that finishes first with correctly spelled words is the winner! 

Challenge students to play one on one or in groups to practice teamwork and cooperation. 

You can purchase official Bananagrams tiles online, but you can also find printables to make your own or use Scrabble tiles. 

3. Pictionary

Another classic game, Pictionary, helps students attach meaning to words that might be unfamiliar to them. Plus, they’ll get to flex their art skills!

Divide students into two teams or groups, then give each student a pad of paper or a whiteboard with a marker. Have one student stand at the front of the room and draw a word you show them. While they draw, the team has to guess the word. If they guess correctly, their team gets a point!

4. Spelling bee

Best for : 2nd grade and up

Inspire a little competition with a classwide spelling bee. Using your list of vocabulary words, give the first person an opportunity to spell the word. If they need it, give them the definition or use it in a sentence.

If the student is correct, they get to stay standing and move on to the next round. If they’re wrong, they sit down and the next person gets a chance to spell. The student left standing at the end is the winner. 

5. Beach ball analysis

Best for: 4th to 8th grade

Keep students engaged and active during reading comprehension lessons with a summer-inspired activity. 

Get a beach ball with colorful stripes and write a question on each section about the story’s:

As students catch the ball, they have to answer the question their fingers land on. Once they’re done, they can throw it to the next student!

6. Charades

Best for: 1st grade and up

Whether you’re working with ESL students or reviewing vocabulary ahead of a quiz, charades can help students connect meaning to new words.

As a class or in small groups, divide into two teams. Invite the first student up to the front of the room. Give them a word or phrase they can act out in front of their team without speaking. If the team guesses correctly in the allotted time, they get a point! Once the first team’s time is up, the second team can go.

Repeat for as many rounds as you’d like. The team with the most points at the end is the winner!

Do your students have ants in their pants and fingers that won’t stop fidgeting? These active games are great for getting out extra energy, taking brain breaks or even indoor recess activities . 

1. Scavenger hunt

Best for: All ages

Send intrepid explorers on a mission to find hidden treasures! For an interactive learning experience, create a scavenger hunt that challenges students to find or collect:

• Items or facts during a class field trip
• Objects with different shapes around their house
• Different leaves and animals in their neighborhood
• Things hidden around the classroom linked to a vocabulary or language lesson

Whether it’s educational or just for fun, scavenger hunts are a fun way for the whole class to engage with the world around them. 

2. Freeze dance

Best for: Kindergarten to 3rd grade

Sometimes you just need to dance it out. For a quick brain break, put on some fun music and encourage your students to stand up and dance away — the sillier the better. 

When the music pauses, they have to freeze in place. Any student who unfreezes before the music starts again is out!

3. GoNoodle

Best for: Kindergarten to 5th grade

GoNoodle is a tried-and-true favorite of many teachers. Colorful videos and engaging activities promote social emotional skills , active living and academic success! 

Whether you need activities for indoor recess or just fun ways for students to get moving more, GoNoodle worked with child development experts to create content that’s engaging and appropriate for young eyes and ears. Students can also complete activities at home to stay mindful and focused, even when they’re not at school.

Teachers can sign up for a free account, or upgrade to a GoNoodle Plus account starting at $10 USD/month.   

Not only does yoga help students stretch out the wiggles in their body, it can also help cultivate mindfulness!

Lead your class through some easy stretches as a fun mid-day break or to get them energized first thing in the morning. Whether it’s downward dog or just stretching towards the sky, they’ll benefit physically and emotionally.

5. Minute to Win It

Best for: 4th grade and up

Based on the game show, Minute to Win It games challenge the whole class to complete simple (or not-so-simple) tasks in under a minute. These interactive games help promote a little healthy competition in your classroom and provide hours of fun. 

Some challenges include:

• Speed stacking paper cups
• Rolling a coin between the tongs of a fork
• Building a tower out of spaghetti and string
• Getting an Oreo from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands

Set up a couple different stations and divide the class into small groups. Rotate groups through each activity so the whole class gets a chance to participate.

Want to inspire some classroom unity and get students to work as a team? These games encourage students to put their heads together and solve problems.

1. Icebreaker games

Best for: 5th grade and up

If you have a new class or a group of students who need to get to know each other, icebreaker activities can help:

• Boost morale and motivation
• Get students working together
• Build a rapport between students

Short and easy, icebreaker games are a fun way for students to introduce themselves. Ideas include:

• Get students to line up by height, birthday, shirt color or any other characteristic
• Play bingo, where each square represents a characteristic and students have to interact and learn more about each other to fill out squares
• Start off the class with a short sentence. The next person has to add to the story without repeating information or getting stuck, so see how long you can keep it going!

2. Jeopardy!

Turn your classroom into the set of a gameshow and bring out your best host impression! Divide the class into two teams and challenge each to answer questions and earn points. 

Whether you’re reviewing concepts from class or just testing their trivia knowledge, Jeopardy! encourages teams to work together to answer questions. Plus, there are lots of free templates to help you build your game quickly.

3. Human knot

This is a simple game, but great for teaching students the importance of communication and working together. 

Have students stand in a close circle with their arms out in front of them. Each student must randomly grab someone else’s hand (but never the same person twice). The goal is to organize themselves into a perfect circle without letting go. For an extra challenge, time your students to see how long it takes them to untangle their knot!

4. Hula hoop chain

This game also promotes coordination and teamwork! Students stand in a circle and join hands with the person next to them. 

Before the circle is closed, place a hula hoop around one student’s arm. The objective of the game is to communicate with team members and pass the hula hoop around the circle without letting go. 

Have students close their eyes or blindfold them for more difficulty, or divide the class into two teams and race. 

5. Hands-free cup stacking

For this activity, you’ll need:

• 6 paper cups
• A rubber band
• 6 equal pieces of string

Tie the strings around the rubber band and divide your class up into small groups of six (or whichever number words best). Each student holds one string and has to help their team stack the cups into a pyramid by using the rubber bands to grab the cups. 

Remember — no hands allowed, so students will have to communicate and work together to complete the task.

Classroom games enhance teacher and student experiences

Every classroom is different, so keep trying new classroom activities and customize them to what your students need. 

Whether you want to engage your students during a lesson, occupy them during an indoor recess or build teamwork skills, classroom games can help you keep activities educational and fun. That sounds like a win-win to us!

Prodigy Math and Prodigy English help teachers engage students through the power of digital game-based learning . Success in Prodigy requires students to correctly answer curriculum-aligned questions adapted to their learning needs, and gives teachers more ways to make math class fun! Sign up for your free teacher account today to get started. 

8 Easy, Awesome Brain Break Games for High School Students

When people first begin thinking of the concept of  Brain Breaks , they often think of children in an elementary school classroom playing some type of silly game. The fact of the matter is brain breaks are effective for anyone at any age, especially high school students who need short breaks just as much as anyone. You may have to get a little creative with  brain break games for high school  students, but when you find something that works for your particular students, it’s absolutely golden.

Brain break activities don’t need to take up much time in the school day, but incorporating something like a quick movement break, even if it’s just a minute brain break, will help with energy levels (both increasing and decreasing, depending on the situation). These quick exercises and regular breaks will help your entire class refocus, be it because of the mental break or whole-body physical activities.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT IN HIGH SCHOOL

It’s somewhat difficult to comprehend what good brain break games for high school could actually work. You   don’t want to come up with something that students will feel is childish (unless you have that one awesome class that lives for stuff like that), but at the same time, it is absolutely vital that high school students learn what they need to do to help refocus, reenergize, and also are able to recognize when their mind needs a moment.

They’re about to embark into the real world after all and these are life skills that will take them throughout their journey. You need something that is fun for them, but at the same time is mentally engaging.

Brain break games for high school allow the students a quick brain break to help them focus. They can be a few minutes of (potentially) intense physical activity to help rev up the engine again. A mind break, on the other hand, helps kids learn how to focus their energy and refocus when they’re mentally drained.

Studies are finding that  students today are ill-prepared to be able to focus and concentrate  like generations before them. With the ever-increasing life of technology surrounding us, our students are not building the same muscle tone that previous generations had.

Though this is certainly different, it’s not limiting and is something that we need to be aware of and to work within the classroom.

Simply put, the right-hand needs to know what the left hand is doing to make this work.

Couple that with teenagers who are most likely more interested in the social aspect of school than what is actually being taught, and you have the recipe for absolutely needing brain breaks in your classroom.

So I set out to do some research on the best brain break games for high school students based on my own experience and those of others. I was looking into ways that work well with various subjects and ages of students too, so this isn’t just “brain breaks”. These are actually “mind breaks”. I always feel that the two are different.

WHO IS RESISTANT: TEACHERS OR STUDENTS?

It seems that High School teachers seem to be the ones who show the most resistance to this concept of good, meaningful brain break ideas. The common misconception is that taking a few minutes to perform one of these brain break games for high school will completely disrupt the flow of the classroom . There is a vision of students doing the cha-cha slide or dancing until the music stops. Though these can be a fun brain break concept, as a general rule it isn’t necessary to have a full-out dance party to implement physical brain breaks.

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Simply put, with all of the expectations of testing and curriculum put on our plates, it seems like this will just waste time and there will not be enough time to cover what absolutely must be taught.

On the contrary, utilizing  brain break games  for high school students (ad) will actually help them stay more focused and more productive with the tasks at hand. Brain break games for high school students do not need to be corny with some patty cake or sensory bins like with younger kids. They just need to be something that helps your students get the blood pumping and oxygen flowing to their brains again so they can legitimately focus on their work.

Focusing on Student Buy-In

The importance of student buy-in for brain breaks in high school cannot be overstated. High schoolers often find themselves engrossed in rigorous lesson plans, sitting for extended periods, and needing a little break to recharge their mental faculties, plus it is important to give them tools to help themselves refocus as they get older and move on from K-12 education. Effective brain breaks, those short activities designed to increase blood flow and engagement, serve as a means of respite from long periods of academic concentration or can merely help refocus the brain when distracted or exhausted.

When students embrace these moments, it can positively impact their overall learning experience. Whether it’s a quick dance break, a game of beach ball toss, or a challenge involving a medium-sized ball and a single spaghetti noodle, it’s crucial that students willingly participate. 

Their involvement not only promotes physical exercise but also nurtures social skills and a growth mindset. As students guide one another in these activities, they create bonds, learn to appreciate the benefits of brain breaks and foster a sense of unity. This buy-in ensures that brain breaks become a cherished part of the high school day, rather than just a fleeting distraction or something they’re “too cool” for.

To make brain breaks successful for high school students, it’s essential that teachers vary the brain break activities to cater to different interests and grade levels. By incorporating movement songs, dance moves, and even sign language into these short breaks, instructors can appeal to a wide range of preferences.

Activities like the water bottle toss or the inner circle game, where students pass a piece of paper with instructions like “touch your right hand to your left shoulder” around the group, invite students to participate in a fast brain break that reinforces their understanding of different movements and sign language. When students have the freedom to choose their favorite brain-break ideas and propose variations of the games, it not only keeps them engaged but also empowers them to take ownership of their learning experiences.

In essence, it’s an easy way to ensure that brain breaks serve their intended purpose – reenergizing young minds while promoting engagement and enthusiasm in high school classrooms. So, encouraging student buy-in and adaptability to meet specific criteria are the keys to making brain breaks a great asset in high school education.

MAKING IT WORK

Games are an excellent way to engage high school students in the learning process, making educational content enjoyable and interactive. Whether it’s through board games, card games, strategy games, or online games, the variety of available options caters to different subjects and grade levels. In small groups or large circles, games encourage student participation and social interaction, fostering a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. From relay races to scavenger hunts, students work together towards a common goal, enhancing their problem-solving skills and critical thinking.

Fun activities such as vocabulary games or educational board games help reinforce important concepts, ensuring that students have a deep understanding of the main ideas in a particular topic. The best part is that games can be adapted to accommodate a small number of students or the whole class, making them a flexible and dynamic addition to the high school teacher’s toolbox, especially in today’s educational landscape, where online learning has become increasingly common.

Whether it’s a simple game of “Roll of Toilet Paper” for ice-breaking or a more complex strategy game, these games create a playing field where everyone has the chance to shine, learn, and have fun while doing so.

The key to this is knowing your students to determine what is a good idea. If you have a group of fun-loving teenagers who would love to play some silly brain break games for high school students, then, by all means, go to town.

There’s nothing better than a group of older students who want to revert a little bit back to their childhood and play the same games that the younger students will.

I have had classes with these types of students before, and they are an absolute blast to work with. They may buy into a game such as  Brain Break Bingo  or get super competitive with Simon Says.

However, finding a full class of students who will buy into this is hard to come by (though they are so much fun to have). Given this, you need to make sure that you have different Brain Break games for high school in your arsenal that would be appropriate for students who are, literally, too cool for school.

MAKING SURE YOU’RE CREATIVE

Again, how this looks really is dependent on the students that are sitting in front of you. You may need to get creative with your brain break games for high school with new brain breaks ready to go when they’re needed (especially if you are teaching any type of distance learning !).

It might involve creating something like having a permanent station set up where students can just walk over be able to stretch or do some yoga poses, or perhaps play some type of a game on a bulletin board so they can just have a few moments to move on their own accord.

It might be a quick game of “This or That” where you ask a question and students have to move to one side of the classroom or the other depending on their answer or utilize some good YouTube videos where music plays or another great activity that is interactive.

You could quickly split into teams and play a lightning round of “ Pictionary ” or “ Spontuneous ” (ad) (and to make it fun, you could keep a running score for a specific amount of time to add that competitive buy-in). It might be when they’re having a particularly low-focus day getting up and taking a quick lap around the school.

There are a lot of possibilities depending on your group size; you just have to make sure whatever you’re doing is something that your particular group of students buys into.

The key here is to not give up. You may have a challenging group that isn’t willing to buy into your brain break games for high school. That doesn’t mean you should just give up hope. It means you have to find something that works for them.

One of the great ideas for using games in the classroom is to divide students into smaller groups when working with a large class. This allows for better student participation, ensuring that each student has a chance to shine and contribute. As each group races to be the winning team, they learn valuable problem-solving skills and critical thinking while working with limited resources, often starting with just a single student’s quick thinking and ending with the last person in the group.

The variety of different games in the teacher’s repertoire keeps the classroom environment dynamic and engaging throughout the school year, ensuring that learning remains a vibrant and fun activity for all.

If you’re really stuck, survey them.

They’re old enough that they can tell you things that interest them or they think would be fun in terms of good brain break games for high school. If they come up with stuff that’s off the wall, find a way to create something that will work for them in your classroom. The possibilities are endless, and once you have something created, you have it for all time.

You may need to tweak it a little bit for the students that are sitting in front of you in any given year, but you already have the template to get yourself going with some amazing brain break games for high school.

No matter what you come up with, the key is just to make sure that you have opportunities for your students to take a moment when they need it. It might be because I need to be energized or it could be because they need to relax.

If you have just small opportunities throughout your class to do this, you will get better results from your students than you would any other way. Again it’s worth taking just a few moments (most brain break games for high school can take less than 5 minutes) to energize and focus your students to give you their best work. It’s worth sidetracking for just a couple of moments in order to get better results in the long run.

At the end of the day, we want to see our students succeed. They are not actually living in a time where they are naturally doing their best in the same fashion that previous generations did and we need to help them achieve more.

We know that  Generation Z  is different from any other generation that has walked into our classrooms (and Generation Alpha is coming right behind them). That is the reality; we can’t change that. But we can change how we approach it in our classroom.

Brain break games for high school students are not difficult to create, we just need our students to buy in and then the possibilities are endless.

IDEAS FOR BRAIN BREAK GAMES FOR HIGH SCHOOL

This list is a bit different than your usual fare in that respect, but I think it’s important to look into stuff like that. It’s not just about physical activity either. Some of these games actually require some mental engagement and allow students to refocus on their studies by doing so! So here we go!

1. HIGHLIGHT GAME:

Basically, you write down words that students should be able to define and understand easily on separate pieces of paper. Then, you give them a sentence or two and they have to find the words in the sentence and highlight them. They have to find all of the words correctly in a certain amount of time.

Not only does this give students a fun way to practice what they’ve learned, but it also gives them a chance to improve their reading skills and decoding abilities while refocusing and reenergizing at the same time!

2. THE PAPER AIRPLANE TOSS:

This activity is a great way to help students refocus and reenergize for a few minutes. I love that it’s also a lot of fun! You take some paper airplane templates, ask students to make them as best as they can, and then let them go through several rounds of tossing those planes into garbage cans or onto designated desks.

Not only does this provide a little bit of mental engagement, but it also gets kids up and moving around for a few minutes! It’s so easy for these students to get lethargic, so having activities like this is so important!

3. THE CONCENTRATION GAME:

This is a great way to help students who need a little bit of time and focus to re-energize. Basically, you give each student a few pieces from a puzzle and have them try to put the puzzle together without any verbal communication whatsoever. You can also do this with math equations or anything else that has multiple steps.

This activity is not only great for refocusing, but it’s also a good way to help students learn a little bit about each other in that they have to communicate in other ways. I love that this activity is easy and straightforward, but the results are just amazing!

4. 20 QUESTIONS:

This is a classic game that you can use for just about anything that has multiple steps. You give students a topic and then they have to ask the teacher 20 questions until the teacher says yes or no to every single one of them. The good thing is that it’s really easy to see whether someone is asking smart questions because you can focus on depth, not length.

I like this activity for a few reasons. One of those is that it not only refocuses kids but also helps them learn how to be on their toes and ask smart questions instead of just trying to play along or goof off!

5. THE JENGA GAME:

This one is a lot of fun. You give students some  Jenga pieces  (ad) and have them build a tower as you talk about a topic. Each student has to hold one piece of the tower at all times as you teach, but as the teacher talks about the topic, students can reach out and take other pieces from surrounding towers until they’ve taken enough that their own tower begins to wobble. Then they have to sit down.

This activity is great for refocusing while also teaching kids how to be more aware of what’s going on in the room so they can prepare themselves if their tower starts to wobble! I love this game because it really helps students get the most out of what you’re trying to teach them.  

6. MATCHING GAME:

This is another classic game. Give each student a paper with words from a certain topic or idea on it and have them try to find their matches as you teach the material. They can only use one hand, so they’ll have to pay attention!

I like this activity because it not only helps kids refocus for a few minutes but also helps them learn how to follow instructions in an active way.

7. THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE:

This is my favorite way to refocus kids for a few minutes at least once per class when they’ve been getting rowdy or when I see that they need a little bit of time. All you have to do is give them a simple task to complete before the timer goes off–something that’s not too big or overwhelming. I usually give students either 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 20 minutes of time for this activity.

When students are working on these tasks, they need to stay focused and silent until the bell rings to let them know their time has expired.

This technique is best for students who need a little bit of time to refocus themselves and get back on track. It also gives them some mentally engaging work so they can learn how to stay focused when doing something they might not be interested in.

8. THE ENERGY BANK:

This game is fantastic for when you’re teaching after lunch. All you have to do is make a “bank” on the board with two columns labeled “Energy” and “Fatigue.” Then, write some examples of things that give students energy along with what it feels like.

You should also include some examples of negative things that cause fatigue. Underneath “fatigue,” you should also put some examples of how it feels.

The whole point of this activity is to give students a visual representation of what will help them stay focused and what makes it hard for them to concentrate. It’s the perfect activity for keeping kids on track during those after-lunch classes!

…and these are just a few brain break games for high school. Give them a try or see what else you can come up with. You’ll be surprised at the effect they have.

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This article was originally published on April 5, 2019

About the Author: Jenn Breisacher

After moving from a teacher-dominated classroom to a truly student-centered one, Jenn found herself helping colleagues who wanted to follow her lead.  In 2018 she decided to expand outside of her school walls and help those out there who were also trying to figure out this fantastic method of instruction to ignite intrinsic motivation in their students.  Read more about her journey with Student-Centered World at studentcenteredworld.com/about

You May Also Like

Setting behavior goals for k-12 students, teacher self care: tips and strategies for effectiveness, easy brain breaks for kids in the 21st century classroom, margaret mbabazi.

I loved JENNs Work on student choices, and the whole way of engaging learners. I would love to continue following her lessons

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Launch Your Future: Amazing 25 Career Games for Teens

Help students find their career paths with our 25 career games designed specifically for high school students. These interactive career exploration activities will provide a fun and engaging way to learn about various professions and equip teens with essential insights and skills for their future careers. From virtual job simulations to role-playing scenarios, each game offers a unique pathway to understanding different industries and job roles, helping students make informed decisions about their educational and career paths. This guide is perfect for motivating and inspiring high school students in a careers classroom.

1. Career Speed Dating Acitivity

How to Implement:  Set up the classroom with pairs of chairs facing each other. Assign each student a profession (or allow them to choose) and give them a few minutes to prepare. Students then sit face-to-face with a partner, discussing their assigned profession. After a set time (e.g., 2-3 minutes), one row of students rotates, and the process continues until everyone has “dated” everyone else. It’s such a fun activity!

Benefits: The fast-paced nature of this activity ensures high engagement levels. Students learn to convey key information concisely and listen actively. It also exposes them to a multitude of professions in a short time, broadening their perspectives.

2. Guess My Job

How to Implement:  This game operates much like 20 Questions. Provide each student with a card containing a specific job title. The student then offers three hints related to that job, without revealing the profession directly. Classmates then take turns guessing the profession based on the provided clues.

Benefits:  “Guess My Job” encourages critical thinking and deductive reasoning. It also fosters a deeper understanding of various professions, as students must identify key aspects of a job role to give hints that are neither too vague nor too obvious.

3. Career Taboo

How to Implement:  This game is inspired by the classic Taboo game. Create cards for various professions and list four or five “taboo” words associated with each job that students cannot use when describing it. For instance, for “Dentist”, taboo words might include “teeth,” “brush,” “drill,” and “gum.” A student picks a card and tries to describe the profession to their classmates without using the taboo words.

Benefits:  Career Taboo pushes students to think outside the box and describe professions in unconventional ways. It refines communication skills and expands vocabulary, as students search for alternative words and phrases to describe familiar roles.

4. Career Bingo Game

How to Implement:  Begin by creating bingo cards, each filled with a variety of professions rather than numbers. These professions can range from common ones like “doctor” and “engineer” to more niche roles like “marine biologist” or “set designer.” Armed with a stack of descriptions for each job, read out the duties and responsibilities of each profession one by one. As students recognize a profession described, they mark it off on their bingo card. The first student to get a full row shouts “Bingo!”

Benefits:  Career Bingo not only introduces students to a plethora of job roles but also encourages active listening. As they attentively tune in to the nuances of each profession, they’re exposed to new possibilities and broadened horizons. It’s a great way to begin conversations about what interests them and what doesn’t.

5. Profession Charades Exploration Game

How to Implement:  Write down various job titles on individual slips of paper. Each student then randomly selects a slip and, without revealing their chosen profession, acts it out in front of the class. Their peers then guess the job based on the student’s non-verbal cues and actions.

Benefits:  This activity is not only engaging but also pushes students to think about the most defining and recognizable tasks of each profession. It’s an exercise in non-verbal communication, creativity, and comprehension, as students must break down complex job roles into simple, easily understood actions.

6. Salary Guess Game

How to Implement: Prepare a list of professions and their average annual salaries (without disclosing the amounts). Students are tasked with ranking these professions based on what they believe the salaries might be. After making their guesses, reveal the figures and discuss the reasons behind wage disparities, considering factors like education, demand, experience, and societal value.

Benefits:  This activity is an eye-opener for many students, as it challenges preconceived notions about job compensation. By discussing the factors that influence salaries, students gain a better understanding of the economic landscape of the job market. The game also prompts deeper reflections on the true value of a job and the balance between passion and financial rewards.

7. Job Skills Match-Up

How to Implement:  On one set of cards, list various job titles. On another set, jot down the primary skills associated with those jobs. Mix up the skill cards and distribute them to the students. Their task? Match the skills to the appropriate job. This can be done individually or in small groups.

Benefits:  This game sheds light on the specific skills required for different professions, helping students recognize where their strengths might align with potential careers. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of skill development in the path to professional success.

8. Career Day Role Play

How to Implement:  Prepare cards with different professions listed, along with a brief description of the job’s main responsibilities. Each student receives a card and has some time to internalize their role. Later, they pair up or form small groups to describe their day-to-day tasks in that profession to their peers, who then ask questions or seek clarity.

Benefits:  Role-playing is a powerful tool for empathy and understanding. By stepping into the shoes of various professionals, even if just for a short time, students gain a firsthand glimpse into the challenges, rewards, and intricacies of different job roles. Moreover, this activity fosters communication skills and promotes curiosity.

9. Career Exploration Mind Map

How to Implement:  Divide students into groups and assign each a specific profession or allow them to choose one of interest. Provide them with chart paper or access to digital mind-mapping tools. Groups then brainstorm and map out all they know about the profession, from required skills to potential work environments and associated tasks.

Benefits:  Mind mapping is an effective tool for visual learners. The activity encourages collaborative learning, where students pool their knowledge and insights. It also aids in identifying gaps in understanding, prompting further research and exploration of the chosen professions. This is perhaps the best way to introduce career opportunities at any grade level.

10. Profession Timeline

How to Implement:  Hand out sheets of paper or use a digital platform where students can create timelines. Assign or let them select a profession, then task them with plotting out the educational journey and work experiences needed to achieve that career. This might include college degrees, internships, certifications, and more.

Benefits:  By visualizing the steps needed to reach a career goal, students gain a clearer understanding of the dedication, time, and milestones involved. It promotes forward-thinking and long-term planning, enabling students to set tangible targets for their personal career decisions.

11. Job Scenario Problem Solving

How to Implement:  Prepare cards with hypothetical workplace challenges related to various professions. Examples might include handling a medical emergency as a doctor, resolving a client conflict as a PR specialist, or designing a bridge to withstand specific environmental factors as a civil engineer. Distribute the cards to the students and ask them to discuss or write about how they would tackle the given scenario.

Benefits:  This activity throws students into real-world situations, albeit hypothetically, forcing them to think on their feet. It builds problem-solving skills, cultivates creativity, and deepens understanding of the practical challenges faced in different professions. Furthermore, it allows students to gauge their interest and aptitude for various scenarios, potentially guiding them towards or away from a variety of careers.

12. Dream Day Diary Entry

How to Implement:  Prompt students to imagine a day in their dream job. What would they do? Who would they meet? What challenges would they face? Students then write a diary entry detailing this day, capturing both the highs and lows.

Benefits:  This introspective activity fosters self-awareness and creativity. It encourages students to dive deep into their passions, visualize their aspirations, and reflect on what they truly desire in a career. Reading or sharing these entries can also inspire classmates and highlight diverse aspirations within the class.

13. Skill Auction

How to Implement:  Prepare a list of skills associated with various jobs. Assign each student a set amount of “money.” As you describe each skill, students decide if they want to “purchase” it, with the highest bidder winning. The goal isn’t necessarily to spend all their money but to acquire the skills they find most valuable or intriguing.

Benefits:  This game emphasizes the value of diverse skills in the job market. Students reflect on which skills resonate most with their interests and aspirations. It also introduces the concept of demand and value in the job market, prompting discussions on why certain skills might be more “expensive” than others. Young people find this game a fun way to explore essential skills.

14. Profession Pictionary Game

How to Implement:  Just like traditional Pictionary, but with a career twist. Create cards with various job roles. Students select a card and draw an image associated with that profession without using any words or numbers, while their classmates try to guess the job.

Benefits:  Visual representation and interpretation are at the heart of this activity. Students must think creatively to depict complex job roles through simple drawings. It promotes teamwork, creativity, and reinforces the visual aspects of various professions.

15. Career Pathway Snakes & Ladders

How to Implement:  Adapt a traditional Snakes & Ladders game board to represent a career journey. Ladders signify promotions, positive networking opportunities, or successful job interviews, propelling players forward. Snakes, on the other hand, can represent setbacks like failed projects, job loss, or workplace conflicts, causing players to move backward. Play the game with dice and tokens as usual.

Benefits:  This game provides a visual representation of the ups and downs of a career. Students learn that progress isn’t always linear, and setbacks can be valuable learning experiences. It’s a playful way to introduce the concept of perseverance and resilience in one’s career.

16. Job Hat Guess

How to Implement:  Collect hats or props that symbolize different professions—e.g., a chef’s hat, firefighter helmet, artist’s beret. A student chooses a hat without revealing it to the class and wears it. Classmates then ask yes/no questions to deduce the associated profession.

Benefits:  This activity sharpens deductive reasoning and observation skills. It also highlights the symbols and tools associated with various professions, allowing students to connect iconic items with specific job roles.

17. Daily Routine Compare & Contrast

How to Implement:  Select two professions and, with the class, outline the typical daily routines of each. Discuss the similarities, differences, challenges, and rewards associated with both roles. For example, compare the day of a journalist with that of a marine biologist.

Benefits:  By delving into the daily grind of various careers, students gain insight into the tangible realities of different job roles. This activity fosters empathy, analytical thinking, and a deeper understanding of the myriad tasks within each profession.

18. Profession Trivia

How to Implement:  Craft a quiz filled with intriguing facts and scenarios related to various careers. For instance: “Which profession might require knowledge of Latin terms? A) Lawyer B) Chef C) Pilot.” Host a trivia session where students answer individually or in teams.

Benefits:  This trivia game educates students about diverse professions and makes learning fun and competitive. It stimulates curiosity and broadens students’ knowledge about the lesser-known aspects of various job roles.

19. Career Word Search

How to Implement:  Design a word search puzzle incorporating various job titles, both common and obscure. Distribute the puzzles and let students hunt for the professions.

Benefits:  While it might seem simple, word searches help improve pattern recognition and vocabulary. By searching for career-related terms, students become familiar with a wide range of job titles, some of which might spark their interest for further exploration.

20. Skill Set Venn Diagram

How to Implement:  Choose two professions and create a Venn diagram using a whiteboard or individual sheets of paper. Label each circle with one of the professions. As a class or in groups, students list skills specific to each job in the corresponding sections and shared skills in the overlapping middle section. This will also let students explore what higher education is needed for specific careers.

Benefits:  Venn diagrams are visual tools that aid in comparison and contrast. By analyzing the skills of two professions side by side, students can identify commonalities and differences, helping them understand how skill sets can be transferable across different careers. When venn diagrams are introduced to middle school students, this might be a great way to introduce career clusters.

21. Job Interview Hot Seat

How to Implement:  Prepare cards with various professions. Students draw a card and then sit in the “hot seat” where they’re interviewed for that job role by classmates. After a few questions, roles switch. The interviewer becomes the interviewee, and a new job card is selected.

Benefits:  This role-playing activity enhances communication skills, adaptability, and quick thinking. Students gain a taste of real-world job interviews, learning how to articulate their strengths and address questions confidently, all in a safe classroom setting.

22. Profession Flashcard Relay

How to Implement:  Create two sets of flashcards: one with job titles and another with job descriptions. Spread them out on a table or floor. Divide students into teams, and on the signal, teams race to match titles with the correct descriptions as fast as possible.

Benefits:  This competitive relay engages students actively and is especially effective for kinesthetic learners. It encourages teamwork, quick thinking, and reinforces knowledge about various professions in an interactive way.

23. Elevator Pitch Practice

How to Implement:  Introduce the concept of an “elevator pitch” – a concise, persuasive speech that’s typically delivered in the time span of an elevator ride. Ask students to choose a profession and craft a short pitch as if they were in that job, promoting their role or a project they’re passionate about. Allow time for preparation and then let each student present their pitch to the class.

Benefits:  The elevator pitch hones communication, persuasion, and self-presentation skills, all of which are important life skills. Crafting a compelling narrative in a short timeframe challenges students to distill information and present it with clarity and enthusiasm. This activity also builds self-confidence as students practice public speaking in front of peers.

24. What If? Scenario Cards

How to Implement:  Design cards containing hypothetical work-related situations. Examples might include “What if you were a software developer and the program you’ve spent months on suddenly crashes?” or “What if you were a journalist and a source retracts an important statement just before publication?” Distribute these cards among students and have them share their potential solutions, either individually or in groups.

Benefits:  These scenarios immerse students in real-world challenges, cultivating their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. They also foster empathy, as students step into the shoes of professionals facing dilemmas, and help them appreciate the complexities and nuances of different roles.

25. Pros & Cons Debate

How to Implement:  Distribute a list of professions among student pairs. Each pair is tasked with researching and then debating the advantages and disadvantages of their assigned job. After a given preparation period, pairs present their findings, with one student arguing the pros and the other presenting the cons.

Benefits:  This debate structure sharpens research, communication, and persuasive skills. Students delve deeper into professions, going beyond surface-level knowledge to understand both the rewarding aspects and the challenges. Through this, they gain a more rounded perspective on various careers, aiding informed decisions in their future.

Why Career Games are Crucial for High Schoolers

High school is a pivotal juncture in a young person’s life. It’s a time when dreams begin to crystallize into potential career paths, yet many students often feel lost amidst the myriad of choices. Exploring career goals at this stage isn’t just about helping them pick a job for the sake of it; it’s about discovering passions, talents, and understanding the dynamics of the working world.

Moreover, the job market is continuously evolving. With the rise of automation, artificial intelligence, and other technological advancements, some traditional jobs are fading, while entirely new careers are emerging. Providing students with a comprehensive view of these shifts can help them pivot towards professions that are not only fulfilling but also have long-term viability.

Career Activities Help Develop Skills for the Future Workplace

Beyond understanding job roles and industry shifts, students need to develop a set of universally valuable skills that will serve them in almost any profession. Here are some of the critical skills our students will develop with the aid of career games:

Adaptability and Flexibility: As the saying goes, the only constant is change. The ability to adapt to new situations, technologies, or job roles is invaluable.

Critical Thinking: In a world flooded with information, the ability to evaluate, analyze, and make informed decisions is more crucial than ever.

Collaboration and Teamwork: The future workplace values individuals who can work harmoniously in teams, capitalizing on the diverse strengths of each member.

Problem Solving: Every job comes with its challenges. Equip students with the mindset and tools to tackle obstacles creatively.

Communication Skills: Be it written, verbal, or digital, clear communication will always be at the heart of a successful career.

Emotional Intelligence: The ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions, as well as those of others, is increasingly being seen as a vital skill in the professional realm.

In essence, career exploration activities for high school students do more than just introduce them to various professions. They offer a platform to develop these vital skills in a fun, interactive, and memorable way. As educators, let’s harness the power of play to not only enlighten but also empower our next generation of leaders, thinkers, and doers.

Students will make career choices based on personality traits and what they believe are viable career pathways. While other classes may hone in on soft skills, one of the best ways to make a career decision is career awareness and hard work. It’s always a good idea for students to engage in things like job shadowing, participating in extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and speaking to a school counselor. Also, completing co-op credits at local businesses is helpful when exploring career interests. For a great resource on career development and handy career exploration tools, visit  https://blog.careeronestop.org/3-free-resources-for-career-development-professionals/

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Home » Blog » General » Fun and Effective Social Emotional Learning Games for High Schoolers

Fun and Effective Social Emotional Learning Games for High Schoolers

Welcome to my blog post on fun and effective social emotional learning games for high schoolers! In this post, I will share some engaging games that can help high school students develop important social and emotional skills. Social emotional learning (SEL) is a crucial aspect of a student’s overall development, and incorporating games into the learning process can make it even more enjoyable and effective.

Benefits of using games for Social Emotional Learning

Using games for social emotional learning has numerous benefits for high school students. Let’s explore some of these benefits:

Engages students in a fun and interactive way

Games provide a fun and interactive way for high schoolers to learn and practice social and emotional skills. By incorporating games into the classroom, educators can create an engaging learning environment that captures students’ attention and keeps them motivated to participate actively.

Promotes active participation and collaboration

Social emotional learning games encourage active participation and collaboration among high school students. These games often require students to work together, communicate effectively, and solve problems collectively. By engaging in such activities, students develop important teamwork and communication skills.

Enhances emotional regulation and self-awareness

Games designed for social emotional learning can help high schoolers enhance their emotional regulation and self-awareness. Through these games, students learn to identify and understand their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. This increased self-awareness can lead to better emotional regulation and improved interpersonal relationships.

Develops empathy and social skills

Social emotional learning games foster the development of empathy and social skills in high school students. By engaging in activities that require them to consider the perspectives and feelings of others, students learn to empathize and develop a deeper understanding of different experiences. These games also provide opportunities for students to practice important social skills, such as active listening, conflict resolution, and cooperation.

Now, let’s dive into some fun and effective social emotional learning games that are perfect for high school students:

Game 1: “Emotion Charades”

Description: In this game, students take turns acting out different emotions while the rest of the class guesses the emotion being portrayed.

How it promotes emotional recognition and expression: “Emotion Charades” helps high schoolers improve their emotional recognition and expression skills by requiring them to physically demonstrate various emotions.

Steps to play the game:

• Divide the class into two teams.
• One student from each team takes turns acting out an emotion without speaking.
• The rest of the class guesses the emotion being portrayed.
• Rotate turns between teams until everyone has had a chance to act.

Game 2: “Feelings Bingo”

Description: “Feelings Bingo” is a variation of the classic bingo game, where students match emotions to the corresponding bingo squares.

How it enhances emotional vocabulary and empathy: This game helps high schoolers expand their emotional vocabulary and develop empathy by associating emotions with specific words and expressions.

• Create bingo cards with different emotions written in each square.
• Call out emotions randomly, and students mark the corresponding squares on their bingo cards.
• The first student to get a line or a full card shouts “Bingo!” and wins the game.

Game 3: “Team Building Jenga”

Description: “Team Building Jenga” is a collaborative game where students work together to build a tower using Jenga blocks.

How it fosters collaboration and communication: This game promotes collaboration and communication among high schoolers as they strategize and work together to keep the tower from falling.

• Divide the class into small groups.
• Each group takes turns removing one block at a time and placing it on top of the tower.
• The group must discuss and decide on the best move to keep the tower stable.
• The game continues until the tower falls or the time limit is reached.

Game 4: “Role-Play Scenarios”

Description: “Role-Play Scenarios” involve students acting out different social situations and practicing appropriate responses.

How it develops problem-solving and social skills: This game helps high schoolers develop problem-solving and social skills by allowing them to explore different perspectives and practice effective communication in various scenarios.

• Create a list of social scenarios relevant to high school students.
• Assign roles to different students or allow them to choose their roles.
• Students act out the scenarios, focusing on problem-solving and effective communication.
• After each role-play, facilitate a discussion to reflect on the experience and explore alternative approaches.

Tips for implementing Social Emotional Learning games in high school settings

Implementing social emotional learning games in high school settings can be highly beneficial. Here are some tips to ensure a successful implementation:

Create a safe and inclusive environment

Establish a safe and inclusive environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves and taking risks. Encourage respect, empathy, and open-mindedness among students.

Provide clear instructions and expectations

Before starting a game, provide clear instructions and set expectations for behavior and participation. Ensure that students understand the purpose of the game and how it relates to their social and emotional development.

Reflect and debrief after each game

After playing a social emotional learning game, take the time to reflect and debrief with the students. Discuss what they learned, how they felt during the game, and how they can apply the skills they practiced in real-life situations.

Incorporate SEL games into regular classroom activities

Integrate social emotional learning games into regular classroom activities to make them a consistent part of the curriculum. This will reinforce the importance of social and emotional skills and provide ongoing opportunities for students to practice and develop these skills.

Social emotional learning is crucial for the overall development of high school students. By incorporating fun and effective games into the learning process, educators can create an engaging and interactive environment that promotes the development of important social and emotional skills. I encourage you to try out the suggested games and explore more social emotional learning resources on my blog. Start your EverydaySpeech Free trial today and discover the power of social emotional learning games for high schoolers!

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The BIG List of Extracurricular Activities for High School

175+ offerings to interest every kind of student!

When the school day ends, extracurriculars are just getting started! Whether students are into sports, academics, hobbies, service and leadership, or the arts, this huge roundup of extracurricular activities for high school has something for everyone.

What are the benefits of extracurricular activities for high school students?

There are so many terrific reasons to offer and participate in extracurriculars. They offer kids the chance to meet others with similar interests, encouraging them to make friends outside of their normal groups. Extracurriculars can encourage leadership and a sense of community and school pride too. Students get the opportunity to explore new interests and dive deeper into their personal favorite subjects or hobbies.

Plus, extracurricular activities look great on college applications and high school r é sumés . When kids participate in a mix of clubs and teams, they show their excitement in learning new things and serving their community. These are traits that universities and employers really value.

Schools should make an effort to offer extracurricular activities that appeal to a wide range of skills, interests, and talents. Encourage diversity with a range of clubs, sports, and organizations that anyone can join and enjoy. This big list will help you find creative new offerings to consider.

Athletics and Sports for High School

Sports extracurriculars can help students keep fit and learn to value a healthy lifestyle. These ideas include both team sports and individual competitions, from long-standing favorites to newer athletics opportunities.

• Baseball/Softball
• Beach Volleyball
• Billiards/Pool
• Capture the Flag
• Crew/Rowing
• Cross-Country
• Disc Golf/Frisbee Golf
• Field Hockey
• Figure Skating
• Flag Football
• Martial Arts
• Skateboarding
• Skating (Inline or Roller)
• Snowboarding
• Speed Skating
• Swimming & Diving
• Synchronized Swimming
• Table Tennis/Ping Pong
• Track & Field
• Weightlifting

Academic Clubs and Teams for High School

These extracurriculars offer opportunities for students to explore their favorite subjects more deeply. Some are competitive, while others simply give kids a chance to learn and make like-minded friends.

Academic Competitive Teams

• Academic Decathlon
• American Mathematics Competitions
• Chemistry Olympiad
• Debate Team
• FIRST Robotics Competition
• Mock Trial Competition
• Model United Nations
• Science Olympiad
• National History Bee
• National Science Bowl
• Physics Bowl
• Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee
• VEX Robotics Competitions

Academic Clubs by Interest or Achievement

• Astronomy Club
• Creative Writing Club
• Economics Club
• History Club
• Language Clubs (French, Chinese, Latin, etc.)
• National Honor Society

Arts Extracurriculars for High School

Tap into teens’ creative sides with extracurricular activities that explore fine, visual, and performing arts.

Performing Arts Extracurriculars

• A Capella Choir
• Barbershop Quartet
• Chamber Choir
• Concert Band
• Film/AV Club
• Flag Team/Color Guard
• Marching Band
• Men’s Chorus/Women’s Chorus
• Mixed Choir/Chorus
• Vocal Jazz Choir

Visual and Fine Arts Extracurriculars

• Ceramics Club
• Comedy/Improv Club
• Drawing Club
• Fashion Design
• Graphic Design
• Literary Magazine
• Photography Club
• Puppetry Club
• Slam Poetry Club
• Visual Arts Club

Hobby Clubs for High School

When students meet up with others who share the same interests, they’ll find new friends and learn so many new skills. Any hobby can become a club, including these ideas.

• Birding Club
• Bridge Club
• Cooking Club
• Croquet Club
• Dominoes Club
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Equestrian Club
• Esports/Video Games
• Fishing Club
• Foodie Club
• Geocaching Club
• Geology Club
• Hiking Club
• Historical Reenactment Club
• Horticulture/Gardening Club
• Makerspace Club
• Minecraft Club
• Nature Club
• Orienteering Club
• Philosophy Club
• Scale Model Club
• Sewing/Quilting/Needlework Club
• Tabletop Gaming Club
• Toastmasters/Speech Club
• Woodworking Club

Career-Focused Extracurriculars for High School

These clubs and activities support students who already have careers in mind, or those who want to see if a particular job or field is the right fit for them.

• Anthropology/Paleontology Club
• Architecture Club
• Auto Mechanics Club
• Business Professionals of America
• Computer Science/Coding Club
• Economics/Investment Club
• FFA (Future Farmers of America)
• Forensic Science Club
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
• Future Educators of American
• HOSA Future Health Professionals
• Inventors Club
• Junior ROTC
• Technology Student Association
• Women in Science and Engineering
• Young Entrepreneurs Club

Leadership, Service, and Community Clubs

Try these clubs to encourage students who want to make a difference in their school or community.

• Amnesty International
• Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts
• Cultural Clubs (Asian Students Association, Association of Latin-American Students, etc.)
• Ethics Bowl
• Gay-Straight Alliance
• Habitat for Humanity
• Multicultural/Diversity Club
• National Organization for Women
• Political Affiliation Clubs (Young Democrats, Young Republicans, etc.)
• Social Justice Club
• Spirit Club
• Student Government
• Student Union
• Tutoring Club
• Volunteer Club

Thinking about starting some new extracurricular activities at your high school? Come ask for advice in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, 25+ meaningful service learning projects for kids and teens ..

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13 STEM Games for High School Students

By: Author Charlene Hess

Posted on Last updated: December 20, 2022

If you’re interested in STEAM activities for kids but you have a high school student, these STEM games for high school students might be just what you’re looking for.

As the parent of a high school student, you’re likely looking for fun and educational STEM games for your teen to play. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place!

In this blog post, we’ll share some of our favorite STEM games for high school students. These educational board games are challenging but also a lot of fun!

Whether you’re into puzzles or strategy games, we’ve got something for everyone.

This article may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

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What Is The Benefit of Learning STEM?

What is STEM ? STEM (which is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a term that is used to describe a curriculum or learning activity that focuses on these specific subject areas.

A STEM education can provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and careers in the 21st century.

STEM learning can help students develop important critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They are a great resource for engaging your teen’s brain while also having fun.

For anybody who’s looking for ways to help their high school student excel in their studies, these STEM games are a great place to start!

Why Are Games Important for STEM Learning?

Educational board games can be a great way for students to learn about and explore STEM concepts.

When students are engaged in playing games , they are more likely to retain information and develop important skills.

In addition, games can be a fun and engaging way for students to spend their free time. Games can also help students relieve stress and anxiety.

So, if you’re looking for ways to help your high school student learn more about STEM, games are a great option!

What Are Some of the Best STEM Games for High School Students?

With so many games to choose from, how do you know which are the best STEM games to add to your educational games collection ? The easiest way is by word of mouth but if you don’t know anybody who plays high school friendly STEM games, a good, unbiased blog post is another good option.

Here is my unbiased, honest opinion on the best STEM games for high school students. This article was unsponsored and therefore put together completely by me.

NOTE – Advanced middle school students will enjoy these STEM activities and games as well.

Are you looking for a fun game to keep the teenagers entertained? Look no further than Quirkle ! This tile game is easy to learn but difficult to master, providing hours of entertainment for players of all ages.

The goal is to create rows of either all same shapes or all same colors, and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins. With six different shapes and six different colors, there are endless possibilities for gameplay.

So grab your teens and see who can take home the Quirkle crown!

There used to be a multi player version of this fun game but alas, I can only find the solo version anymore. However, don’t let that stop you from obtaining this game for your teenager. Sometimes solo games can be just as fun!

And with this STEM challenge, there’s nothing to stop you from taking turns.

In Katamino , players must solve the puzzle by putting all the shapes into the box. The catch is they must put them in in a certain order.

With more than 500 challenges, each one getting more and more difficult, this game provides teens with hours of STEM activity playtime, all while developing and challenging the critical thinking and spatial recognition parts of the brain.

Virulence is a popular game from Genius Games, a company that specializes in interactive learning and educational games.

With Virulence, you can learn all about viruses and how they work!

This game is designed to teach players about virus structure and components, and it complies with STEM and NGSS standards.

Rather than getting messy with a physical science experiment, keep the mess contained but the learning going by playing Virulence.

So whether you’re a student looking to ace your next biology test or just want to learn more about these fascinating microorganisms, Virulence is the perfect way to do it.

Domino Maze

In Domino Maze , teens learn to think like engineers by building domino chain reactions that must navigate stairs, pivots, blockers, and more.

With loads of obstacles and challenges to overcome, this STEM game is perfect for developing critical thinking and problem solving skills.

So what are you waiting for? Start your domino journey today!

Subatomic is another popular game from Genius Games.

Subatomic is the perfect game for aspiring chemists and physics enthusiasts of all ages.

With beautiful illustrations and an easy-to-learn ruleset, players can quickly learn about atoms, elements, and the periodic table. Best of all, players can use their new knowledge to build protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Who knows – maybe you’ll be the next Marie Curie or Albert Einstein! No matter your lesson plans, this game is sure to further your students’ potential STEM careers.

Hacker is a super fun STEM game for high schoolers from ThinkFun. Welcome to the world of Hacker!

In this STEM-based game, players must use coding puzzles to protect themselves from the hacker.

With 120 different challenges to solve, this game is sure to keep your teens entertained for hours on end. So why not dive into the world of cybersecurity and give Hacker a try today?

ThinkFun Gravity Maze

This ThinkFun Gravity Maze is an addicting game that will have you planning and plotting to get your marble to the finish line.

Enjoy a fun STEM project that just keeps on going and going!

With 60 design challenges from beginner to expert, this STEM toy will help develop your skills in spatial reasoning and planning, all while enjoying and learning more about the engineering design process.

Ktiki Escape Evil STEM Game

This Ktiki Escape Evil STEM Game is a unique game your teens will love and the perfect game for science enthusiasts.

With 16 different magic tricks that use everyday chemicals, this game is sure to keep you entertained for hours on end.

Whether you’re a seasoned scientist or just starting out, Ktiki Escape Evil STEM Board Game is the perfect way to have fun and learn at the same time.

Photosynthesis

If you’ve got an Earth science or plant loving teen, Photosynthesis is the STEM game for you.

With a challenging but engaging gameplay, players must carefully plan where to plant their seeds in order to grow their trees to full size.

With beautiful artwork and an easy-to-learn ruleset, Photosynthesis is the perfect solution to high school grade level STEM fun!

Robot Repair

Looking to learn about coding or computer science? Look no further than Robot Repair !

This game was designed specifically to help players build the mental skills needed to understand and grasp the concept of coding in a fun way.

With 40 challenges to complete, Robot Repair is a perfect way for anyone interested in learning more about coding to get started.

So what are you waiting for? Fix those robots and get coding!

Laser Maze (Laser Chess)

ThinkFun has done it again with this Laser Maze (Laser Chess) 3d modeling STEM game for high schoolers.

Laser Maze (Laser Chess) is the ultimate engineering challenge for your spatial thinking skills! Players must use critical thinking to move their pieces around the board, while avoiding the laser beam.

If you’re hit by the laser, your piece is removed from play. It’s a fun and challenging game that will keep you entertained for hours on end.

So put on your thinking cap and see if you can beat Laser Maze (Laser Chess)!

The Entrepreneur Game

You’re going to love this next game.

The Entrepreneur Game was actually the very first (and so far the world’s only) STEM Accredited Educational Entreprenuer Board Game. So you know youy’re getting an amazing STEM game for your teen.

If you’re looking for a game that will teach your high school students valuable skills they need for success, look no further than The Entrepreneur Game!

This game is perfect for budding entrepreneurs of all ages, and it will help them learn crucial concepts like math, critical thinking, budgeting, investing, branding, and negotiating. Plus, they’ll also get to experience the joys and challenges of running their own business, all while learning to solve real-world problems.

Whether your teen is just beginning to explore their real life entrepreneurial spirit or they’re already well on their way to becoming the next big thing, The Entrepreneur Game is the perfect tool for helping them learn and grow.

Circuit Maze

Step into the world of circuitry with Circuit Maze !

In this game, your high schooler will need to use your logic and planning skills to solve more than 60 challenges.

As teens play, they’ll gain an understanding of how circuits and electrical currents work.

So whether you’ve got a budding engineer or you’re just looking for a fun challenge for your high school student, Circuit Maze is sure to keep the whole group entertained.

More Recommended STEM Games for High Schoolers

If you’re still looking for more STEM-related resources for your high schooler, check out thee other ideas.

• Math Board Games
• Genius Games Learning Tools
• Sugar Metabolism Kit
• Structural Engineering Kit
• Hydraulic Elevator Kit
• STEM Activities for High School
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31 Educational Games for High School Students

Games for high school students can make learning more fun. Learning through games requires a careful balance of structure and fun (so the kids don't go crazy) and an amount of teen independence (so the mom doesn't go crazy.) Good thing for you, you're reading this just prior to the holidays! A great pre-holiday shopping guide for the teens in your house.

 {This post contains affiliate links . If you click and buy I may make a few pennies, but not enough for a latte.}

 There are benefits to learning by playing games. In addition to the benefits of learning academic information, high school students can learn a variety of other skills through playing games. 

Playing games can expand their memory capabilities. Many games require memory usage. Expanding memory capabilities can help them throughout different areas of their life, school included. (Couldn't we all use growth in this area!?)

Playing games can help teens that struggle with learning disabilities. Research has shown that learning through games can actually help children that struggle with learning disabilities, especially those that struggle with ADD. Games help teens work on their focus and self control, and help ease the attention disorder. This is definitely a plus for help in school!

Many games require problem-solving and critical thinking. Improving logical problem solving can, again, help in many areas of life. Some games even require students to make quick decisions in order to win. Practicing logical and strategic thinking is going to make those areas stronger. The more they practice this skill, the fewer errors of reasoning they will make. In addition to critical thinking and problem solving, game learning can also help students realize cause and effect through actions and consequences of the outcome of the game.

Playing games (especially with older siblings) teens learn how to win, and lose, with grace and good manners Although this skill can be hard for some, especially those who have learning disabilities, it is a skill that takes practice with attention to correction.

Playing games can also build the agility to grow the imagination and creativity of the high school student. 

There are also schools of thought to the role of the teacher, or parent, in a homeschooled student's case. There is research to indicate that maybe high school students need coaching about the skills they are working on, that they need to be conscious of their decisions and why they made the move the did. Many kids, high school students included, can fail to think at all about why they made the choice in a game that they did, which is why it can be important for parents, as the teacher, to facilitate that recognition by asking them why what they did worked, or didn't work.

Now, for the fun stuff. What to buy your high school students to help them facilitate all of those wonderful skills we just talked about above (and learn something academically, too!).

Games for English

1. Lego Brick Shakespeare: Four Tragedies & Four Comedies Paperback 2. The Play's the Thing Board Game 3. Scrabble Deluxe Edition Game 4. Rummy Roots 5. More Rummy Roots 6. Story Cubes

Games for Math

7. Sequence 8.. Rummikub 9. Sudoku Puzzle Book

Games for Social Studies

10. Ticket to Ride 11. Diplomacy Board Game 12. Where in the World 13. Sequence States and Capitals 14. Through the Ages: A New Story of Civilization

Games for Science

15. LEGO Mindstorms 16. Student Microscope Gift Package 17. Elemento Chemistry Card Game 18. Monopoly Night Sky

  Fun with Foreign Language

19. Les Aventures de Tintin : Tintin en Amerique (French Edition) 20. Finding Nemo DVD in French or Spanish 21. KLOO's Learn to Speak Spanish Language Card Game

Games for Fine Art

22. Impressionist Artists, Go Fish for Art Card Game 23. Dover Art Coloring Books: Color Your Own Mary Cassatt Masterpieces 24. How Great Thou Art: An Inspirational Approach to Drawing- Lesson & Sketch Book

Games for PE

25. Nerf Weaponry of All Kinds 26. Water Cannon (if you live in warmer climates) 27. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board

Games Just for Fun (our family favorites!)

28. The Settlers of Catan 29. Carcassonne Basic Game 30. Blokus 31. Apples to Apples Party Box

I'd love to know YOUR favorite games to make learning fun! Let  me know in the comments below!

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You should add Historical Conquest to your social studies list. When I got it for my son, I was surprised at how many times I asked him where he learned something in history and he said, “That’s on one of my Historical Conquest cards, Mom.” It made for a great co-op class for middle and high school kids, too! They were having fun, it didn’t require a lot from the teacher once the kids knew how to play, and they were learning/reviewing history. Win win!

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Lee has three core beliefs about homeschooling: homeschooling provides the best possible learning environment; every child deserves a college-prep education whether or not they choose to go to college, and parents are capable of providing a superior education to their children. Lee does not judge your homeschool or evaluate your children. Instead, she comes alongside to help and encourage parents homeschooling high school.

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Top 30 Quick Games to Play in the Classroom

If you need a fast, low-prep game you can play with your whole class, you're in the right place! These 30+ quick games to play in the classroom are fast, easy, and so much fun!

30 Quick Games to Play in the Classroom

The best classroom games require little set-up or equipment and are a great way to test your students' knowledge or help them bond as a community. 

They're great for quick brain breaks when everyone needs to let off some steam!

1. This or That

This is one of the simplest games, but kids absolutely love it! Announce two categories or opinions. Students will go to one side or the other, depending on their preference. Such a good conversation starter!

2. Four Corners

Like This or That, you'll assign each of the four corners in your classroom an answer. After you read off the prompt or question, students must run to a corner to make a choice.

This could be the best season, favourite snacks, the best classes, etc. It's quick and the best way to get some energy out while learning!

3. Copy Cats

The whole class stands in a large circle. As one student waits out of sight, another student silently leads the class to move in a certain way (clapping, stomping, swaying, etc.). 

The student waiting out of sight returns to figure out who the leader is. As the leader changes the movement, the rest of the class must follow along discretely without giving them away.

This is a great, quiet game that really helps younger children become aware of body language and get the wiggles out! 

4. Connect Four

I love using this popular game to practice identifying CVC words, long vowels, and other literacy skills! Students can play alone or with a partner to see who can get four words in a row. 

Get this game here.

5. Simon Says

Kids still love this classic game, and it's quick! Whether you're stuck in a long line or need to kill 5 minutes, pull out this old stand-by.

6. Jeopardy

Although this one may take a little more prep on your part, you can easily create your own Jeopardy game and come back to it again and again! 

It's great for a quick review game before a big test or to rehearse classroom norms and expectations. 

You could play with the students against the teacher instead of dividing the students into teams, especially if you're still working on building positive student relationships.

7. My take on Uno

This classic card game is a great way to teach specific literacy skills, like identifying long vowel sounds and more! 

The goal is to have just one card remaining in your hand and you can't help but get into it!

Bingo is still such a fun classroom activity! You can play endless varieties of Bingo, and I love incorporating math skills whenever possible! 

Depending on the age of your students, you can go for four corners, blackout, and more variations.

You can use Bingo to help your kindergarten students practice their phonological awareness skills in this fun game !

This two-digit number bingo game is great for small groups, too.

9. Charades

Charades is always such a riot, especially in primary grades! Have a bowl of ideas to choose from to keep the game moving quickly. 

The first kid to get the correct answer gets to go next, and you can play just one round or stretch it out during indoor recess days!

10. Tic Tac Toe

All you need is a simple sheet of paper for this simple game! Play it with your whole class by pitting the students against the teacher. This builds camaraderie among your students as they all work together to reach a shared goal

Make this game educational by hunting for CVC or CVCC CCVC words !

11. Heads Up Seven Up

There's a good chance you grew up with this fun game! Seven students will try to secretly choose seven students, who will try to guess who selected them and take their place. 

Heads Up Seven Up is fast enough for a quick brain break but also makes a great game to play once your kids get all their brownie points!

12. Snakes & Ladders

I've adapted this game to practice key phonics skills like identifying digraphs and more! If students land on a square with a snake, they go back one square, and if they land on a ladder, they follow it up the game board. 

Once they reach the finish line, the game ends!

13. Hangman

If you ever have a random 5-10 minute and need something to fill the time, this is a good way to do it! The concept is a little dark, so feel free to adapt it into something else (maybe decorating a gingerbread man or building a teddy bear). 

I usually play this with the teacher as the one running the game to ensure the words are all appropriate and correctly spelled.

14. Duck Duck Goose

Younger students love Duck Duck Goose, and it's a fun way to get some energy out. 

All students sit in a circle, with one student walking around the group, tapping each person on the head and saying, "duck." They'll choose one person to call, "goose," who will get up and chase the picker around the circle, trying to return to their seat. 

The first person to return to the goose's spot stays seated, and the person standing becomes the picker.

This is the best game for the lower grades! The leader says, "I spy something..." and states a colour or texture. The rest of the class tries to guess what they're looking at. The person who gets it right first gets to be the leader.

I've also created printable versions of I Spy you can use to reinforce phonics skills, like this one that requires students to identify CVC, CVCC, and CCVC words! 

16. Higher or Lower

Have a little fun while building number sense! In this game, one student waits outside the classroom while the rest of the class solves a math problem. After you go over the problem to find the answer, you'll bring in the guesser, who will need to figure out which number was the answer.  

As the guesser comes back in to stand in the front of the class, tell them the class has chosen a number between 0 and 100 (adapt as needed), but the only way they can help them find the right answer is to say "higher" or "lower!" 

Once the student reaches the number, the class cheers, and the guesser picks their replacement.

If you're looking for more math games, look at these differentiated elementary math games for K-2!

17. Where the Wind Blows

This is a great option for building positive student relationships! 

The entire class stands in a large circle. The leader says, "The window blows for people who like _____." Any student who likes what they mentioned moves to a different point across the circle. 

Students will naturally erupt in conversation about what they like or don't like, and they'll quickly see which people have the same interests.

Make your own custom IKEA spinner to determine who gets to be the leader first -- or to play some other fun number or phonics warm up games!

18. Human Knot

There are several different ways to play this game , but you tie all your bodies into a big knot! 

This is one of the best team-building games since you must work together to get everyone untangled!

19. Musical Chairs

For this classic game, turn on some fun music and have students walk in a circle around a row of chairs that is one short. 

As the music stops, everyone scrambles to a chair. The last person left standing is out. Take out another chair each round until the group gets smaller and smaller. 

The last one in a chair wins!

20. Silent Ball

This is one of the best classroom games because it's quiet, and everyone likes to play! 

The goal is for students to toss the ball to each other silently. If they talk or drop the ball, they're out. 

20. Two Truths and Lie

This classic ice-breaker can be a fun way to fill a gap in your lesson plans! Invite a few students to share two truths and lie, and try to figure out which is which.

21. Telephone

As students sit in a circle, one person whispers a message to their neighbour, who then whispers it to the next neighbour, and so on, until it travels around the circle. 

At the end, the last student reveals the message they heard.

The message almost always becomes distorted as it travels around the room. To help teach your students to listen more closely to each other, challenge them to pass the message accurately the whole way around!

22. Scavenger Hunt

Hide things around the classroom or school and have students track them down! This is a great way to change up your math routine, too. 

Blow up the problems on your math assignment, print them out, and spread them around the room. Have your students work on their answers on a separate piece of paper. 

They'll love moving around and working with others, which is excellent for a late-afternoon math class.

23. Freeze Dance

You can play this game with or without music, but the goal is to get your students moving and dancing as much as possible until you shout freeze!

There are even YouTube videos that guide your class through this game.

24. Hot Potato

This is a simple game, but it works! As you play music, students toss a ball or toy around the circle like a hot potato. 

When the music stops, whoever has the bean bag is out!

This dice game is a little noisy but so much fun! It's also great for teaching pattern recognition and practicing multi-digit addition! Learn how to play Farkle here. 

You can order a set of 6 cups on Amazon and have six groups playing at once! It's a wonderful treat for Fun Friday or a special occasion!

This is one of the best classroom math games for kids! Basically, you'll ask your kids to count by one. If someone reaches a multiple of 7, they say "buzz!" 

If they don't say buzz or take too long, they're out, and the group keeps going. 

This is perfect for teaching multiples, and you can adapt the number to make it easier or harder.

Want to help your kids learn their math facts? These no-prep digital interactive math warm-up games will get your kids playing right away!

27. Pictionary

Although the actual game has rules and guidelines, keep it simple. Have one student draw a picture, then have the rest of the class guess what it is. 

I prefer to do this within a category like food or animals to make it easier. Whoever gets it right first becomes the new artist. 

This one is great on Zoom if you ever do remote learning!

28. Marco Polo

If it's a nice day outside, divide students into partners, and take your whole class outside. Ask each pair to come up with a unique two-word phrase. 

Once everyone has a phrase, send them all to opposite ends of the space. Have them close their eyes and carefully try to find each other, with one partner saying the first part of the phrase and the other person saying the second part. 

This is a great way to practice social skills and careful listening. Plus, it's active, creative, and just plain fun!

29. Bananagrams

Like Scrabble, kids use tiles to build words but don't need a gameboard! 

The goal is to use all of your tiles to create words, building off of other words as needed. 

You can play as a whole class or have students work with partners or small groups. Students will practice quick thinking and spelling words! 

30. Would You Rather

This is a great game to learn more about your students! Ask silly questions for fun, like "Would you rather lick a slug or eat a raw egg?" 

You can also use it to dip into deeper conversations and ask questions, like "Would you rather be five years younger or ten years older?" 

14 Great Science Games for High School Students

Science can be a difficult subject for high school students to grasp. The deeply complex methods, rules, and vocabulary words make science a daunting subject. Yet, science is one of the most important and interesting subject’s high school students will learn in the course of their lives.

Victor Pereira, a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education, understands first-hand the challenges of teaching science .

Classes can vary hugely in terms of students’ prior knowledge, experiences, and interest in the subject. By the time they reach high school, many students are wary of science, thinking the material is boring and useless, or that they themselves are incapable of learning it. And building an understanding of science depends on acquiring a new and complicated vocabulary, which can be odious to teach and to learn. - Victor Pereira, Why Science?

Pereira recommends approaching science as a way to observe the world, identify patterns, and ask and answer questions. It needs to go beyond memorization and into discovery and fun.

And what better way to have fun than playing a game?

Incorporating interactive science games can make the learning process so much more fun and engaging.

In this blog post, we will provide a list of 14 great interactive science games that teachers can use in their classrooms. These games are designed to help students learn about different scientific concepts, such as chemistry, biology, and physics.

So without further ado, let's get started!

Slides with Friends Biology Deck

We love a good classroom game at Slides with Friends. And with good reason! They’re so much fun, whether you’re meeting in-person or virtually.

With our new Biology Trivia deck , we’ve combined the competition and fun of a game with the learning of a quiz . The questions in this quiz get progressively harder and cover a wide range of science topics. The students can work individually or in groups and with or without their books. It’s just such a versatile base quiz.

The best thing about the biology deck? You can quickly plug in your own questions, making it specific for whatever lesson you’re covering.

And, teacher friends, worry not! They’re also super easy to put together.

Science Jeopardy

We couldn’t get far in this list without talking about the MVP of any educational classroom game. Jeopardy can be used for pretty much any school subject, but really shines as a science game. Added bonus? Almost everyone knows how to play this game.

You can make your own Jeopardy game using PowerPoint, putting it up on your screen, and having individual students (or teams!) compete. Your Learning Center has a fantastic tutorial, plus a free template so you can put your own game together in minutes.

Looking for something a little more grab and go?

Jeopardy Labs , Factile , and even Boston University all have pre-made science Jeopardy games ready to go with just a few clicks.

Cellulose: A Plant Cell Biology Game

Ideal for smaller classes, Cellulose is a board game that gives students a peek into how plant cells work. The goal of the game is to collect as many resources as possible through the different phases of a plants day (sunrise, daytime, evening). Over the course of the game, students use those resources to undergo photosynthesis, make carbohydrates, and craft strong cell walls.

While Cellulose may take a while to play, the game is ideal for an end-of-lesson overview on plant life and the photosynthesis process.

CSI: The Experience

The Center for Technology in Teaching at Rice University has created several games specifically to get more students interested in different STEM careers.

One of our favorites is CSI: The Experience . In the game, students learn what it takes be a forensic scientist by working through 5 cases. The best part? It features the well-known characters from CSI and ranges from beginner to advanced.

While the subject matter may be a bit grisly for younger students, high schoolers will appreciate the details of this unique science game.

Science Taboo

Another classic, science taboo gives students a chance to go over vocabulary but in a much more entertaining way. Like a classic Taboo game, the goal is for students to describe a word without using any ‘forbidden’ words and get their team to guess the right word.

What makes Taboo such a great classroom game is it gets students to use alternative ways of describing their vocabulary words, improving their comprehension. Plus, adding a little competitive edge to learning vocab will always make things more fun.

To bring this game to your classroom, you can find the general setup and rules here and a detailed description and list of words by this TeachIt resource .

While Wingspan definitely covers a very specific area of science, for teacher’s teaching about birds, it’s a gorgeous, fun way to learn more about species and habitats.

The board game allows 1-5 players (or teams for larger classes) to create wildlife preserves to attract the best birds. The goal is to create food, have the birds lay eggs, and learn about the different birds. The game can be played in 40 minutes – perfect for a class period.

But what makes this game so special is the gorgeous, detailed bird cards. And with the European , Oceania , and Asia expansions, there are so many more beautiful birds to learn about.

But pause – We know board games can be expensive. Thankfully, Wingspan also comes in digital form so you can get all the benefits of the game without the higher price tag.

Science Pictionary

Can you tell we love a classic?

Like Taboo and Jeopardy, Pictionary is a classic, well-known game that can be very easily adapted into a science lesson for high schoolers.

Using a Pictionary word generator, like the science-themed one offered by Puzzlefry , you can call a student up to the board and have them draw easy, medium, or hard science words. If their team isn’t able to guess the word or phrase in the set amount of time, the other team has a chance to steal.

Universe Sandbox

Combining technology, games, and science is the absolute ideal way to get high school students engaged. And Universe Sandbox takes that concept and blows it out of the water. The physics-based simulator gives students a look at how space actually works.

On a computer screen or monitor, students can use Universe Sandbox to simulate gravity, create star systems, and even collide planets and stars. And, yes, the explosions are fantastic to watch.

Students can use the gameplay to test theories, play with Earth’s climate, and even see Earth at different historical events.

Cytosis – A Cell Biology Game

Teach students about cell biology with Cytosis , an informative, but very competitive board game. Students can work together in teams to build hormones, enzymes, proteins, and more. The goal is to get the most health points by building resources within a human cell.

Not only does Cytosis get to the actual basics of cell structures, but it makes learning about biology so much fun.

Family Feud – Health Science Edition

Amped Up Learning offers the absolute best take on Family Feud with its Classroom Feud – Health Science Edition . The downloadable PowerPoint is easy to show on a screen and gets teams working together to guess the top answers for specific statements.

Once you purchase the game (for only $3), it will be ready to run! The download also includes the teacher’s answer key and video instructions.

Classroom Feud also has an Anatomy Version which includes all the same things you love about Family Feud, just with the focus on anatomy.

Virtual Clinic Trials

Another fantastic game by Rice University, VCT (Virtual Clinical Trials) gives high school students the opportunity to experience what it’s like to run clinical trials. There are 3 neuroscience-related trials looking at spinal cord injuries, depression, and traumatic brain injuries.

Of course, the goal of these games is to get students more involved in STEM careers, which is always a win in our books.

Microscopya

If you’re looking for a quieter, more independent science game for your students, Microscopya might be the answer for you.

The video game let’s students create an avatar and explore the insides of a cell. The hand-drawn illustrations make the game visually dazzling. And the science behind the games are topnotch, making this game ideal for entertaining and learning.

Science Bingo

While Bingo on its own might not be all that interesting to teenagers, using them during lessons or presentations definitely help keep their attention. Especially if there’s a prize for the winner!

Create your own Bingo cards with important terms for your lesson to keep your high schoolers focused. Or take a shortcut and use these premade, free Bingo cards that already cover a wide range of different scientific topics.

In Covalence , a molecule building game, a group of builders have to guess what secret molecules the ‘knower’ has for each player. Using element tiles, students can try to figure out what the clues mean and how they can be applied to their element cards.

Covalence is a great game to teach students about different molecules, bonds, and chemical structures. To make this extra fun for the classroom, divide students into groups and have them work together to figure out their molecule.

Gamification in Science

The importance of gamifying STEM has been studied and praised over and over again. By learning in less traditional ways, science (and tech, engineering, and math) becomes so much more accessible to young students.

What’s great is that with all this new information comes so many fun ways teachers can incorporate science games into their classrooms.

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Building Young Students’ Working Memory Through Theater Games

By remembering the information necessary to play certain games, students develop skills that lead to academic success.

“Turn in your homework, get out your book, and come to the rug.” Seems simple enough. However, anytime students need to follow multistep directions and keep information in mind long enough to accomplish a task, we are actually asking them to use a complex form of cognitive processing called working memory , which helps store information in the short term. For example, when students read a passage, they use working memory to retain information, perhaps just long enough to successfully answer questions about it. Or, in math, students might use it to keep track of which step they are on in order to solve a problem correctly.

Working memory is like the brain’s scratchpad . It’s a core executive function skill that neuroscientist Adele Diamond determined is critical for cognitive, social, and psychological development; success in school and in life; and mental and physical health . Research supports the connection between strong working memory and academic success, especially as it relates to math and reading comprehension .

The good news is that working memory can improve, simply, through play. Making believe can have a most profound impact on young minds: When children “self-distance” or pretend to be someone else, these skills actually improve . As a theater teacher, I already believed that imagination could unlock incredible potential in our young people. The studies about the “ Batman Effect ” led me to collaborate with Mount Sinai Parenting Center on guided-play games that educators and families can use to practice these brain-based self-control skills.

The following theater games build students’ capacity for attention regulation and especially their working memory. You can add this social and emotional learning (SEL) boost to your morning-meeting routine or tie it into your curriculum.

4 Theater Games That Boost Working Memory and Other Skills

1. Movement Story and Sound Story. ( Literacy ) Start by making up a simple story with your students. Anytime a new character or element is introduced, ask them to act it out with a gesture. Once there are about five gestures, have the class retell the story using just the movements and no words. I call this Movement Story . You can follow a similar pattern and play Sound Story with noises or catchphrases. Have students take turns and retell what they made up, just through the sounds. As they get more adept at this, build longer stories together, helping to increase their stamina for recalling more information.

2. Taxi. ( Imagination ) Dramatic play requires young children to keep information in mind, like who their character is and what the rules of the world are. A great example of this is in the improv game Taxi , where kids imagine they are someone with an important place to go, and the taxi will help them get there. You can start as a driver with kids lined up to hail a ride. One at a time they get in the cab and let you know who they are and where they need to go. The driver can ask some questions, and the student responds in character. The road can wind or bump or detour; there might be magical wings on the cab needed to get them to their destination on time.

After about a minute in the taxi, they “arrive” and need to pay the driver. This could be in the form of magical coins, a special dance, or delicious food. The payment marks the end of their turn, and another student can now hail the taxi. Students are practicing working memory as they follow the established formula of the game and as they hold on to their character throughout their time in the taxi.

3. Four Corner Emotion. ( SEL ) In Four Corner Emotion , students repeat a phrase inspired by different “feeling” words. The phrase could be simple, like “How are you?” or a more complicated line of dialogue from a book. Prepare the game by labeling each corner of your room with a different emotion—for example, anger , fear , joy , and sadness . Start by having a student say the phrase neutrally. Then, when you call out an emotion, they run to that corner and say the phrase as if they are feeling that way. Keep calling out different emotions until the student has visited all four corners.

This game exercises working memory on a variety of levels: Students have to keep the phrase in mind as they move around the room. Additionally, they have to recall the ways that emotion manifests in the body, voice, and face so they can accurately portray it when they get to that corner. For more advanced memory work, have the students recall which corner goes with which emotion rather than having them labeled.

Through playing, students can grow their emotional literacy and learn more feeling vocabulary, which can lead to better academic performance . They can also see the many different ways one emotion can be expressed. For example, “anger” may look seething and quiet for one person but explosive and loud for another, even as they say the same phrase.

4. Landmarks. ( Curriculum tie-ins ) To play Landmarks , first brainstorm a list of specific locations with your class. These could be places in a book, geography terms, or a relevant tie-in with your curriculum. With each of these locales, the students come up with a pose they would make that uniquely symbolizes the place. Experiment with levels, groupings, and using the room creatively.

For example, for a New York study, you might name specific places, like “Brooklyn Bridge” (“Find a partner and raise your arms like a bridge”), “Statue of Liberty” (“Stand on your chair with a pretend book and torch”), and “Central Park Zoo” (“Get on all fours and be an animal!”). Call out the locations, and kids will have to remember and do the gesture that they assigned to it. Turn on music in the background and play it like a freeze dance game, where kids are moving until you call out a “landmark.” Much like movement games that help with spelling , this physicalization helps retention and makes the learning all the more fun.

It’s your turn. What games or activities do you use to help your students develop their working memory? Share in the comments.

7 Goal-setting Games And Activities For High School Students

Being in high school is a time that opens us up to a universe of possibilities and opportunities, and with that comes an ever-flowing rush of new ideas, thoughts, emotions, and notions. 

High schoolers, we understand you and the immense potential you carry. Here, we have got you covered. Goal setting, in general understanding, is as simple as it sounds. A goal can be anything you desire to achieve, from the smallest of chores like waking up and eating, to the intensive, long-term goals like preparing for an upcoming examination or competition. 

This is where goal setting comes in, including a clear arrangement of one’s present and future plans, targets, and aspirations, all in one place. Research has revealed that goal-setting [ 1 ] greatly affects student learning and performance in the classroom. Hence, to employ this and make it fun at the same time, this blog post brings you the list of interactive yet valuable games and activities that cater to the required role. 

Empowering goal-setting games & activities for high schoolers

Setting personal goals elevates self-awareness and provides a clear idea of the possible actions, plans, and aspirations, thereby increasing motivation. Employing games and activities promotes higher productivity and interest levels, quality of work, and reduction of stress. With this in view, given below activities and games not only create a space for students that heightens their potential but also ignites their ambitious sides. 

1. Create your own vision board

 In a classroom setting, it is essential for everyone to not just be aware of their goals as a collective batch, but also their individual goals for the day in school. In this activity, a group of students and peers can come together to make a pictorial representation of their weekly schedule, divided in a way that lists their day-to-day goals. 

One way to do this easily is on a whiteboard or a paper chart, dividing it into rows and columns, with their timetables and day-to-day goals written accordingly. This can be done in a competitive spirit. In this sense, let’s say, the one who completes and ticks off their daily goals first, wins, and gets to choose a topic of their choice and interest for an upcoming debate or discussion, or gets to decide the next day’s goals for everyone. 

For example, the daily goal of studying for three hours, or completing one’s assignments can be up on the visionary board and can be checked off by the ones who complete it first. This allows for healthy competition, collaborative effort, and a much clearer vision of one’s present progress!

2. The S.M.A.R.T way

S.M.A.R.T. goals are an acronym for goals that can be defined in the following aspects: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. These are all the enlisted qualities that any goal should have in order for it to be achieved. To start, teachers can first instruct students about the SMART goals, and how to use them along with some examples.

Each student will have to write their one most important goal on a paper and collect it all in a box. Now, call one student at a time randomly and ask to pick one chit. According to the goal mentioned on it, the students have to make a plan by using these five aspects. 

For fun, this can be done in the way of sticky note tags on a class board, with every student assigned to their specific column. Also, teachers can provide smart goal worksheets to students for a more systematic way to carry out the activity. This way, one can not only have a crystal clear vision of what they want to achieve, but also an automatically laid out plan to achieve the same. What’s well begun is half done!

3. Goals as Spelling bees

Are you one of those people who number, categorize, annotate, and divide all their notes? Well, even if you aren’t, you’ve got to admit it’s as fun as it is elaborate. But don’t worry, you don’t need sticky notes or highlighters for this one. It’s a verbal practice!  

The class can be divided into groups and given the same letter of the alphabet, out of which they’ll be asked to form and annotate as many useful and insightful goals according to their designated curriculum, as per the alphabetical order. In the end, no matter who wins or loses, you still have double the pool of ideas and an even greater collaborative space than before. It’s a win-win situation! 

4. Drawing interest maps 

At a time when you are surrounded by an endless number of opportunities, possibilities, and preferences. Such a time calls for a mind map, or in the case of setting your goals, an interest map. This can be done in the following way. 

Make a rough list of everything that you are interested in, your hobbies, the extracurricular activities you enjoy, the subjects you feel most interested in, the jobs or career fields you feel you could perhaps fit in, anything that draws you towards itself, and everything you feel passionate about. Once you do, sit with them for some time. 

The simplest thing would be beginning with a flow chart under your name, writing all those hobbies and interests in one line. Then, connect each of those hobbies and interests with one or more subjects or extracurricular activities they can be associated with. Finally, in the third line, connect them further with the jobs, positions, and careers that seem fit for those categories, and voila! You just created an interest map. 

5. Make a real bucket list 

Yes, by a real bucket, we mean a real bucket. Don’t get us wrong, you can make it with paper or a hardboard too. By making a paper or a cardboard bucket, you can fill it up by writing your goals on different colored paper chits. The physical presence of an actually fillable bucket and not just metaphorically can help one look forward to goal setting even more.  

Seeing your bucket fill slowly with goals and aspirations not only becomes a great source of motivation but also a constant boost of self-esteem, confidence, and purpose. It’ll not just be fulfilling to see yourself check one goal off the bucket every time you complete it, but also how your progress moves up the graph steadily. 

For example, you plan on learning any vocational language, or a new musical instrument. You can write those on different chits, and once you do achieve them in the future, you can pull them out of the bucket and color them with a different color as an indicator of completion. And yes, you can also make two, one for your short-term goals and the other for your long-term goals!

6. Introspective journaling 

Do you know how journaling [ 2 ] helps one process their personal issues and crises effectively? Guess what, it does the same for your academic and professional goals too! Introspection, as an intensive process, works towards the betterment of one’s own understanding of oneself. By using such strategies, individuals actively alter their behavior in an attempt to improve their personal perspectives, mood, and daily functioning.

It gives you a clear understanding of where you are presently and where you see yourself in the next week, month, year, or even five years. Along with that, it gives you something to look forward to, something to work towards constantly, a purpose that feels in alignment with where your interests lie. 

For example, if a student aims at improving their concentration, they may begin timing their study sessions. While journaling, they may begin by writing why they feel it is difficult to sit for longer hours and continue with what they think might help with it. Writing about goals and action plans is also a great option for journal topics . After some time, they can reflect back towards what worked for them, and new techniques they discovered that can add more to the ongoing progress. 

7. Prompt narration 

There’s nothing more important than self-evaluation and criticism, except for one thing: self-appreciation. In a class setting, it is natural and even good for healthy competition to exist. But in the age of high schoolers, there are more insecurities and self-doubts than one can imagine. This is why it is important for one to reflect back on their own achievements, as small or as big as they can get, and appreciate themselves for it.  

Such prompts can be given by the professors in class, parents or guardians at home, and even by friends sitting together in a peer group. For instance, “What are five things you did this week that you appreciate yourself for?”, “What are three things you couldn’t do last year but can do now?” , “How do you think you have become more accepting and kind to yourself in the past few months?”, “What are five new hobbies, activities, or interests you wish to explore in the next year?” and many more like these. Also, students can use these as writing prompts as well.

This gives the student not just a reflection of where they are, but also an appreciative picture of how far they’ve come, and that is a beautiful thing to feel! 

Significance of goal-setting activities 

Goal-setting activities and games can prove to be highly beneficial. A high school student can often be understood to be struggling with a blurry vision for the future. This often results in increased stress, low motivation levels, and even lower productivity. 

In such a case, an array of enjoyably laid out games and activities can help the students achieve a clear vision of their goals and targets, while also making them feel purposeful, motivated, and driven towards their ambitions. The benefits can vary through different aspects:

1. Physiological effects

When coming up with new ideas, and working your mind, there’s a rush of energy that desperately desires the right medium to be let out. Goal-setting games and activities are the best outlets that serve to let one’s physical energy be spent in a place that helps them feel more spirited and able. 

2. Psychological effects

Ideas are born in a space of inspiration. A normal academic routine, sometimes, may lack providing more room for exposure and visionary talent. Goal-setting games and activities can help one to exercise their tickling brain into forming a display of thoughts and insights.

3. Cognitive effects

Cognition is what governs our thinking and ideation. Goal-setting activities help students to improve their critical thinking skills, and dimensional perception and form highly creative approaches towards their desired goals and targets. 

4. Neurological effects

One’s neurological function and health largely depend on how stressed or relaxed one feels. Goal-setting activities help students to get a clearer idea and pathway towards their respective aims, and hence provide a calmer space to think and work. 

5. Social effects

One’s confidence and esteem does rely on the level and quality of social bonding. Goal-setting activities, by nature, are designed to be collaborative and interactive in nature, providing one with a safe and healthy space to create that social edge for themselves. 

In a nutshell

Goal-setting games and activities are highly contributive and resourceful, not only for every student to comprehend their future aspirations, but also for the institution to be supportive of a child’s curiosity and hunger for knowledge. Being bound by parental and societal expectations, a child’s capacity for intrigue gets suppressed. 

As a space made for growth and learning, it is imperative for those creative explorations to bloom right there. Such activities, no matter how small they may seem, hold the power to leave a major impact on the development of young minds, leading them where they can believe that the world is their oyster. 

• Sides, J. D., & Cuevas, J. A. (2020). Effect of Goal Setting for Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Performance in Elementary Mathematics. International Journal of Instruction, 13(4), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1341a 
• Fritson, K. K. (2008b). Impact of Journaling on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control. InSight : A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, 3 , 75–83. https://doi.org/10.46504/03200809fr

Sananda Bhattacharya, Chief Editor of TheHighSchooler, is dedicated to enhancing operations and growth. With degrees in Literature and Asian Studies from Presidency University, Kolkata, she leverages her educational and innovative background to shape TheHighSchooler into a pivotal resource hub. Providing valuable insights, practical activities, and guidance on school life, graduation, scholarships, and more, Sananda’s leadership enriches the journey of high school students.

Explore a plethora of invaluable resources and insights tailored for high schoolers at TheHighSchooler, under the guidance of Sananda Bhattacharya’s expertise. You can follow her on Linkedin

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Live updates, police departments warn high school ‘senior assassin’ game could turn deadly: here’s what it is.

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Multiple police departments are warning parents and community members that a nationwide game between high school students later this week could have deadly consequences.

On social media, several police agencies are sounding the alarm on a game called “Senior Assassin,” where participants are given another player’s name who they are tasked with hunting and tagging, usually with a water gun, to eliminate them, until there is a single winner.

“The Arlington Heights Police Department wants to convey important information to community members by making you aware of an on-line, live action game called Senior Assassin. This game is played by High School students throughout the country, including here in Arlington Heights. It is an annual springtime tradition for students, especially seniors. Participants attempt to forego match elimination by squirting other players using a water gun with a goal of being the last person remaining in the game,” police in the Village of Arlington Heights wrote on Facebook Friday.

The post continued: “The concept is not against the law or a local ordinance. We ask everyone to play safely, use common sense and recognize how players’ actions may be perceived by members of the community. The unintentional result of participants running throughout the community with a water gun, some often resembling a look-alike firearm, could have deadly consequences.”

Police issued the warning as the game’s rules often dictate players are not able to play on school grounds or within classrooms, thus bringing their game into the public, where bystanders may not be aware of what is really happening.

“Players attempt to locate their opponents at various sites including home, local parks, and other gathering spaces within the community. Students will often hide in odd spots, chase targets through yards and appear suddenly in a vehicle or on foot,” Arlington Heights police said.

Adding, “The police department does not condone or support cited objectives in this game. The State of Illinois has increasing numbers of individuals who possess a Concealed Carry License; an ability to carry a concealed firearm in public for self-defense. We are alerting residents that this spring time game has begun.”

In addition to seeing participants suspiciously hiding around town, the use of water guns can produce deadly consequences if bystanders suspect the weapon is real.

“The Police Department has received calls regarding associated activity. One such call resulted in a significant police response based on a homeowner reporting a ‘man with a gun’ running through their residential yard. Please do not assume any similar suspicious activity observed is related to this game. Any unusual activity should be reported immediately by calling 9-1-1,” the Arlington Heights Police Department wrote.

It added: “We encourage parents to talk to their children about safety concerns linked to openly carrying a squirt gun that resembles a look-alike firearm and being on private property without permission. Consider the perception an uninformed resident who sees a person rapidly displaying a replica firearm in a populated common area. That action could be viewed as ‘Alarming and Disturbing’ which are elements of a criminal offense and/or local ordinance violation – Disorderly Conduct. The Police Department understands there is excitement and anticipation as the school year comes to a conclusion. We request all students to please be mindful of their actions.”

Other towns and police departments across Illinois are similarly sounding the alarm.

“Yesterday, a group of high school students from a neighboring community entered a local restaurant wearing ski masks and displaying water guns resembling firearms. They were targeting other students who were dining in the restaurant and attempting to spray them with water. An adult, who was a concealed carry holder, in the restaurant mistook the situation for a genuine threat, and the situation could have escalated quickly,” the Gurnee Police Department wrote on Facebook.

It added: “The gravity of the situation cannot be emphasized enough; it had the potential to lead to serious consequences.”

And, “The Gurnee Police Department would like to emphasize that the depiction of firearms, whether real or imitation, in any public setting, is a matter of concern and may instill fear among the public. We urge community members to reconsider their participation in such activities and recognize the seriousness of their actions.”

The department urged residents to remain vigilant and reminded them of the anecdote: “See Something, Say Something.”

The Village of Bartlett warned the water gun game will start on Sunday, April 14.

“Although the game has strict rules that prohibit trespassing or any other illegal activities, other police departments, including the St. Charles Police Department have responded to 9-1-1 calls made by residents who have seen suspicious vehicles or individuals wearing masks or hoodies lurking around their neighbor’s homes,” it wrote.

“Some of these reports also involved participants driving on lawns or brandishing what looked like realistic-looking handguns (as shown in the pictures), which has caused concern for the responding officers since they were unable to tell whether the participating students were committing actual crimes or simply playing a game,” the Village of Bartlett continued.

Any suspicious activities should be reported to the appropriate authorities and players are advised to play responsibly.

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Murrumbidgee Regional High School - Wade

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• Murrumbidgee Regional High School - School Plan 2019
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Open Boys AFL Win Three Of Four Games at Gala Day

10 Apr 2024

Our Wade Open Boys AFL team had a great run at the gala day yesterday, only to be stopped from progressing through to the next round by their age-old nemesis St Francis De Sales Regional College.

Murrumbidgee won a clear victory against Marian in their first match of the day, before then being convincingly beaten by St Francis. Wade narrowly beat West Wyalong by a single point kicked into strong crosswinds and then ended on a high with another thorough victory against Temora.

Willem Vaessan, Owen Robinson and Christian Callcut were the standout players on the team. Vaessan’s strong leadership saw him direct play across the field. His and Robinson’s presence in the middle was a huge asset to Wade.

Robinson’s ability to get the ball and deliver it to the forwards further bolstered the team’s performance. This, coupled Callcut’s speed and ability to break away from tackles, added a number of points Wade’s tally.

“We had 44 kids try out for the team but I could only take 22 so it’s great to see a strong AFL culture at the school,” exclaims AFL coach Travis Payne, “While our team unfortunately doesn’t get to move to the next round, there will be more opportunities for the younger kids in Term 2.”

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address 1-39 Poole Street Griffith NSW 2680

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We would like to pay our respects and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land and also pay respect to Elders both past and present.

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5-Minute Activities For Elementary Students: Workbooks, Games, And Art Projects

November 8, 2023 //  by  Nicole Muir

Elementary school students are often energetic and always want to play. Having a few ideas for a couple of 5-minute activities on hand can help you keep them engaged while learning as well. Check out our list of 20 5-minute activities for elementary school students and you will find something for everyone. From creative projects to cooking adventures and analytical tasks, your students will have a blast working through these tasks!

1. Leadership Journal

There might be a few natural leaders in your classroom who are still developing the self-confidence needed to shine and speak up with their ideas. This quick leadership journal could help them work on the leadership skills needed to do so. Quick ideas like this are inexpensive and effective.

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2. Telephone

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3. Mazes For Kids

If your students are looking for something basic, these mazes are fun games that make for excellent 5-minute time fillers. Awesome classroom time fillers like these mazes can make the transition from one task to another a whole lot smoother. A book like this one is filled to the brim with ideas!

4. Word Searches

Fun logic games are a different type of activity your students might be interested in. Word searches are sure to become one of the favorite games your learners wish to complete when they have some extra time. 

5. Kitchen Experiments

Including these fun STEAM kitchen experiments in your lesson plans could get the students really excited about being in the kitchen and doing science as well. These quick activities can even lead to nutrition education lessons. 

6. Show and Tell

Show and Tell is one of those special activities that students love to participate in. Utilize those pesky minutes in transition time to have the students present an item they love from class or home.

Learn More: Quiz Breaker

7. Number Tracing

Many elementary school students are still working on printing numbers correctly. Put these few extra minutes between tasks to good use by asking learners to work through pages like the ones linked below. You can photocopy pages ahead of time to ensure they’re readily on hand when needed. 

8. Word Association Games

Your elementary school classroom might already be full of word work and spelling lessons. Give word association games a try by adding them to your classroom routine.

9. Star Wars Stories

Another 5-minute activity for children is listening to short stories. If your students always talk about these movies or dress up as some of these characters for Halloween, these types of stories might interest them. 

10. Build Your Own Cupcake Sticker Activity Book

This book is fun and adorable. Students get very excited about any book that comes with stickers. They can interact with these pages by decorating their own cupcake with the included stickers and then coloring the page with markers or pencil crayons as well.

11. Timed Tests

Some students thrive on competition and seeing how much work they can do in a given amount of time. Giving them 5 minutes to work through these pages can have them compare how many questions they answered from one day to the next. This is a fabulous learning activity and a wonderful opportunity to develop student improvement.

12. Search & Find

Many students are big fans of the iSpy books and these books are similar. This Big Book of Search & Find items is the perfect activity for kids who are visual learners. 

13. Dot-to-Dot

Who knows what kind of image these dot-to-dot pages will uncover? Younger elementary students can learn about number sequencing with the help of this easy activity. Use the completed pages as a basic assessment to see if students need revision to better understand the concept. 

14. Quick Journal Entry

Challenge students to write a quick journal entry with a topic you give them. First-grade students to fourth-grade students can work with this idea and generate a fantastic piece of writing.

Learn More: Education World

15. Sunday School Activities

Take a look at this activity book if you are a Sunday school teacher or work in a Catholic elementary school. Elementary school-aged children will definitely learn a lot from these reflections and crafts too! 

16. Draw Anime

Anime is a popular genre amongst elementary and middle school kids. If they are interested in drawing and enjoy watching anime, then this book will definitely mesmerize them as they learn how to draw characters themselves.

17. Paint by Sticker

This book is awesome because the results of these designs are amazing. Students absolutely love working with stickers. This type of activity will also teach them about recognizing numbers as they work through creating the images. 

18. Knock Knock Jokes

19. hidden pictures.

Expand visual recognition and oral language skills by having the kids describe what they see and where they see it. 

20. How to Draw Animals

Mix students’ love for animals with their love for being creative. Making a few copies of the pages that look at how to draw their favorite animals will allow students to transition into the next activity after having some time to be creative.