Top educational games for kids: Combining fun and learning introduction
In the rapidly changing world of education, the integration of games into education has paved a newer way. Children have an engaging platform through which they can acquire knowledge that is both practical as well as enjoyable. It is important to make learning exciting for students. There are plenty of benefits behind such entertaining and involving games. It boosts your memory, attentiveness and the spirit of teamwork. Motivate students by incorporating fun classroom games into your lesson.
Here presenting the top 10 educational games that will provide fun ways to engage your students in academic learning.
01. Charades:
Prepare a list and select a student. Tell him or her to come at the front of the room and act out the word from your list. No speaking should be allowed. When the student is attempting to portray, others should guess what he is trying to say. Other student can shout out their guesses or put their hands up depending on your teaching preferences. The one who guesses correctly can act out the next word. You might like to experiment with playing as a whole class where half competes against the other half or in smaller groups with time limit.
02. Puzzle:
Separate your class into groups or simply use table groupings. For each group, prepare a puzzle to piece together. You may use images, words, calculations or concepts printed or stuck on card or paper and cut into random shapes like puzzle pieces.
03. Pictionary:
Students work in small groups. One student from each group is chosen to start and they must draw the subject related concepts that you state within a given time (30 seconds to 2 minutes). Other should guess what the child is trying to draw. The group who guesses correctly first, wins the game. The game repeats until every student have had a turn or there are no more words on your list.
04. Scattergories:
Put up a simple table on whiteboard with a different category in each column. For example, rivers, fruits, animals or cities. You may alter the categories for difficulty according to your classes level. Randomly select a letter of the alphabet. Now, within a time limit groups or pairs of students must identify one example for category. The group which correctly and firstly does so, wins the game.
05. Whiteboard Bullseye:
Split the class into two teams. Draw a target on the whiteboard, labelling each circular ring with a different point value. Quiz students individually or anything you want. If they answer correctly, they get to throw the ball at the target for points. The winning team gets a prize, a bonus point on the best point on the test, a privilege, etc.
06. The Crazy Ball Game:
Prepare questionnaire for the game based on the topic that you taught recently to the class. Divide the class into two teams and choose a student from one of the teams to answer the first question. Don’t allow the teams to discuss answers among themselves at the sole objective is to test each student understanding of the topic.
A student will get an additional chance only if he or she answered the previous one correctly. Furthermore, he or she can play for additional point benefits for his or her team. Keep the points on a board so that the teams can follow the progress. Continue to play the game between the teams until you have asked all the questions. The team with the maximum number of points wins. Prizes can be a homework pass, free time and so on.
07. Headbanz or Pinoy Henyo:
Here is a fun spin on the classic game of Hedbanz. Instead of using headbands like in Headbanz, use sticky notes to write random words relevant to the grade’s curriculum on them. Do not allow students to look upwards and stick a note over his or head. The student can ask for clues from his peer group and then he has to figure out alone. If the word on the sticky note is flower, then clues can be pollination, spring, petals, colourful etc. in order to help the child to win the game.
08. Paper ball:
Get a piece of paper and write a question on it. Crumple the paper. Get another piece of paper and write another question. By crumpling the second paper and layering it all over on the first one, layer all such papers with different questions. Now, you have a paper ball. Have the students sit in a circle.
The motto of the game is to play, catch or pass the paper ball. When a student catches the ball, he has to answer the question written on the first layer of the paper ball. If he drops the ball, then you get to throw it back at the circle. Continue the game until all the questions have been answered. Simple games like these will not only help you practice lessons with your students in the class but help with glass bond too.
09. Memory Card Game:
Create two cards with a matching concept. This is the first pair. and then make more pairs with the matching idea. Mix up the cards. Lay them in rows, face down. You may pair or group the students and let them for turn over any two cards.
If two cards match, can be kept aside. But if they don’t, then they have to be turned over back to the place. Let the students watch and remember every cards. When all the cards have been matched up, game ends. The group with the most matches, win.
10. Making sentences:
Look up sentences with words that you want your students to learn. You can also add jumble words which are unique and random on the paper sheet. Write all words with clarity and make sure the words are spelled correctly Give your students a pen and blank paper. Students have to form as many sentences as they can in minutes.
In the end, the student with the highest number of meaningful and grammatically correct sentences scores the highest. You may also group the students and let them compete with the other groups.