Games for Teachers
We don't have to tell you that fun classroom games are worth their weight in gold! Encouraging critical thinking, building social skills, and helping engage students with the curriculum? Yes, please. Get ready to bring game-based learning to your classroom with helpful printables, escape rooms, and more educational fun for elementary school students.
With a long list of benefits of learning games on hand, the teachers at Teach Starter have spent hours creating classroom card games, board games, scavenger hunts, and more that can help students build core competencies while having a whole lot of fun!
Game-based learning has gotten a lot of interest in recent years, but what exactly, is it? We know you've got a lot to do in your classroom and not a whole lot of time to do it, so our teacher team has put together a quick guide to gamification in education.
(Know all you need to know? Feel free to jump ahead to our printable and digital learning games!)
What Is Game-Based Learning?
In essence, game-based learning allows you to borrow from the gaming world to allow your students to engage with their lesson material in more dynamic ways. They can help improve student motivation and help students achieve learning objectives.
We like to think of it a bit like the parents who hide the broccoli inside the tasty hamburger. A little bit of gameplay helps the medicine — or core curriculum — go down!
Games aren't just fun, after all. They have failure baked into them, along with repetition, and the chance to accomplish goals along the way. Playing games in a classroom fosters many of those social and emotional learning skills, even when the topic at hand comes from the science curriculum or is focused on an ELA standard.
Why Are Classroom Games Good for Kids?
We hinted at some of the benefits earlier, but let's dig deep into the benefits of playing educational games in your classroom!
- They motivate students.
- Students develop critical thinking skills.
- They're student-centered.
- They build teamwork and leadership skills.
- Games encourage creativity and thinking outside of the box.
- They encourage students to challenge themselves.
- They improve student concentration.
Learning Games Ideas
Good teachers can make just about any lesson fun, but maybe you're looking for learning game ideas to mix things up. We thought you'd never ask!
Check out a few of our teacher team's favorite (and fun) ways to inject gameplay into your students' education:
- Digital escape rooms
- Card games
- Dominoes
- Active games
- Scavenger hunts
- Would you rather? games
- Bingo
- Board games
How to Use Games in the Classroom
Looking for a few fun ways to use games in the classroom? Our teacher team has a few quick ideas for you to try on for size!
- Play active games to help students get their wiggles out.
- Add a board game to your reading center or math center activities.
- Use flashcard-type or trivia games for material review.
- Explore new concepts in fun ways with games like 20 questions.
- Help students get to know one another at the beginning of a school year with teamwork games.
- Explore difficult concepts with skills-based games.
- Free Plan
Roll It, Make It, Expand It! - Place Value Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when learning to write two-digit numbers in expanded form.
- Free Plan
What's Remaining? - Long Division Board Game
A game to play to when learning to solve long division involving remainders.
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4-Digit Place Value Card Game - Flip It!
A fun game for students to play in small groups to consolidate their understanding of place value to the thousands place.
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1–5 Matchup Cards - Transportation
A matchup activity to use in the classroom when working with numbers 1–5.
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1 to 20 Parking Lot Number Match
A parking lot themed number matching activity to use in the classroom when identifying the numbers from 1 to 20 in word and standard form.
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Adverb Grammar Card Game - Flip It!
Reinforce your students understanding of adverbs with this fun card game.
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Adjective Grammar Card Game - Flip It!
A fun game for students to play in small groups to reinforce their understanding of adjectives.
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Word Twist - Word Building Game
Encourage word building in your classroom with this fun Boggle-style game!
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Place Value Bingo Game Numbers 0-10,000
Practice place value knowledge in numbers up to 10,000 with this set of bingo cards.
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Preposition Bingo
Engage students with preposition bingo, a fun game where they listen, identify prepositions in sentences, and cover them on their board.
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Comprehension Keys Board Game
A fun comprehension strategy board game for students to play during literacy rotations.
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Base Ten Block Matching Cards (Random Numbers 100 - 1,000)
Use these base ten block matching cards to help your students practice number recognition and place value skills for numbers through 1,000.
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Angles Bingo
Generate excitement about angles in your classroom by playing this whole-class types of angles bingo game.
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Multiplying with Decimals Bingo Game
Get your students multiplying decimals by whole numbers with this engaging Bingo game.
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Skip Counting by 10s Dominoes
A set of dominoes to use in the classroom when learning to skip count by 10.
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Then and Now - Toy Dominoes
A set of 12 domino playing cards for students to match pictures of toys from the past with the present.
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Doubles Plus One - Grid Game
Practice the doubles plus one addition strategy with this dice game.
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Beginning Blends Interactive PowerPoint Activity
Use this bright and interactive PowerPoint activity where Year 1 students identify beginning blends and type the correct two letters to match each image.
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Doubles Plus 1 - Game Boards
30 game boards to use when practicing the doubles plus one strategy with single and double-digit numbers.
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2-D Shape Bingo
Engage your students while consolidate learning about 2D shapes, their names and properties with 2D Shape Bingo!
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Add to the Scene - Theater Improvisation Game
An active warm-up game that every student can participate in!
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Addition and Subtraction Word Problems Escape Room
Engage students with this addition and subtraction interactive escape room.
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Digital Verb Tenses Quiz
Download this verb tenses quiz to test your students’ ability to identify past, present and future verbs in sentences.
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Verb Types Digital Quiz
Review verb types with your students using this engaging 20-question digital quiz, ideal for lesson warm-ups or informal assessment.
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Continuing Patterns Game Boards
Support hands‑on math learning with this continuing patterns game board activity.
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Compound Sentences Interactive Game
Use this camp-themed simple and compound sentences interactive game to help students practice identifying simple and compound sentences.
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Action & Reaction - Newton’s Third Law Game
Explore examples of Newton’s Third Law of Motion with an engaging Action & Reaction Game for 6th Grade.
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How It Moves - Digital Toy Sorting Game
Explore motion and categorization with an engaging Interactive Toy Sorting Game.
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How Does It Move? Game
Engage your little learners in the study of motion with a self-checking ‘How Does It Move?’ Game.
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Roll, Read and Write – High Frequency Word Game Pack
Practice reading high frequency words with this set of Roll to Read and Roll to Write High Frequency Word Game boards.
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Rhetorical Questions Interactive Activity
Explore rhetorical questions with your students using this digital game perfect for your persuasive writing lessons.
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Pattern Practice Interactive Activity
Support math instruction with pattern practice interactive slides designed to help elementary students recognize, copy, and continue repeating patterns through engaging, low‑prep digital activities.