Learning should be fun, especially for kids. If lectures are direct and the classroom is quiet at all times, students won’t be engaged and motivated to learn.
On the other hand, if the students engage in fun activities from time to time, they achieve higher cognition levels and connect better with what they’re taught.
Classroom games are the best ways to introduce fun. Not only will students be more open to learning, but they’ll also learn to be responsible and work as part of a team.
If you’re a teacher, there are several games you can introduce in your classroom to make it more lively.
Here are 25 of the best funny classroom games:
Best Funny Classroom Games
1. Hangman
Hangman helps students learn or revise words. Form two to four teams of students. Create a word on the board by drawing a blank for each letter. Students have to get the word by guessing consonants and buying vowels.
If a team picks a correct consonant, they earn one point. On their next turn, they can either buy a vowel for one point and guess the word, or guess another consonant and save the point.
There are no points for correct vowels. If the word doesn’t contain a consonant, play moves on. Unused points can only be used after successfully guessing a consonant. The team that gets the right word wins.
2. Balancing Beam
Balancing Beam is a simple game but has a lot of advantages. It helps develop balance skills. To play this game, use duct or masking tape to make a straight line on the floor.
The tape is the balance beam. Instead of just sliding their feet along the tape, the kids have to lift one foot and place it in front of the other. Your job is to watch their feet to be sure they get it right.
Kids must have their arms out to the side while walking, forward or backward. If you wish to make it a little difficult, place a book on their head or shoulder. They lose if the book falls.
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3. Pictionary
Pictionary is also about pictures and drawings. All you need is a pen, paper, and the board game Pictionary, which comes with a gaming board, a timer, two dice, and word cards.
The endgame of Pictionary is to guess the word drawn from a deck of cards. A player who gets it right advances to the next stage. This continues until someone reaches the end, and they win.
There are different rules in playing Pictionary. For example, you can draw anything related to the word but you can’t use letters or numbers.
Furthermore, players can break words into different syllables but they can’t use sign language or speak to their teammates.
4. Freeze Dance
The Freeze Dance will help students understand the concept of stopping and planning their next move. You only need to play groovy music.
Tell students to pay attention as they dance because if the music stops, they must freeze in place. As the music pauses, ask them to “Freeze and what?” and they should reply “Freeze and Plan.”
This type of game doesn’t necessarily need a winner. Everyone should dance along and stop when instructed. If some kids still move after you say Freeze, simply correct them and have them continue.
Constantly remind them that when inclined to act fast, they can always freeze and plan.
5. Class Band
A basic music band will consist of a vocalist, guitarist, drummer, keyboardist, and bassist. You can have all of these in your classroom and have fun.
However, you don’t need standard instruments or professionals. Simply make a class band with classroom objects as the instruments.
The kids can tap their pencils and rulers on tables, shake boxes, clap hands, or do any other thing that can generate sound. Others will do the singing and humming.
Here, you want to teach kids how to be creative and how useful even ordinary items can be. Hence, you’ll try to have them come up with a nice matching rhythm; one that they will enjoy.
6. Cup Stack
Cup stack is a very popular game and one that kids find very interesting. All you need are plastic cups and it’s easy to play with. Kids just have to stack up in a tower-like design from bottom to top.
The first row will have eight cups, the next seven, the next six, and so on until they get to the top with one cup. You have to set a timer so kids will work fast to complete their stack tower before they run out of time.
If you want to make it more interesting, you can have them remove cups in a particular column. They should try to do this without collapsing the tower.
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7. Telephone
Also known as Chinese Whispers, the Telephone game requires three or more students to form a line or circle. The first student thinks of a message and whispers it to the second student. The second student tells the third, and so forth.
The last student gets to say the message out loud and the first student also reveals the original word. The goal is to get the original word over without it getting jumbled.
Nevertheless, it usually does especially when there are many players. This is the fun part for the kids as the last student’s statement can be hilarious.
The Telephone game doesn’t have a winner. The objective is that kids will learn how to be more attentive.
8. Lego
It’s hard for kids to have fun in classrooms with Lego bricks. Playing Lego bricks is ideal as you have various options. Also, the bricks come in various sizes and designs.
Just like the Toothpick Tower game, you can ask kids to build the tallest and strongest tower. Conversely, you can give color instructions for each tower block to make the game exciting.
You can also have them play the Duplo Ring Toss. Simply build four or five Lego towers, ideally of equal length, and place them at a distance. Then, kids can take turns trying to toss their rings over the Duplo towers.
Other games you can play include Lego cards, Young’s tower, and Lego board games.
9. Pitching Pennies
Pitching Pennies or Penny Pitching is a really fun game. A player throws a penny and the opposing player tries to hit it with their own penny. You can play this game using the classroom wall.
Keep six-foot-long boundaries away from a wall and mark the playing area. You can draw boundaries and mark the playing area using chalk or any other classroom object.
The first player tosses a penny against the wall to start the game. The second player tosses their penny against the wall, hoping to hit the others.
If successful, the second player gets both pennies and starts the next round. The game continues until one student has all the pennies. It doesn’t have to be actual coins; you can use beads or small rocks too.
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10. Jenga
Jenga is a board game and to play, you need the game’s apparatus. This includes 54 hardwood blocks and a loading tray. Students are expected to remove one block from the tower and then stack it on top.
The winner of the game is the player that successfully stacks all blocks without collapsing the tower. It’s very easy to play.
Jenga rules allow players to remove and stack blocks with just one hand. To make things more interesting, you can set a timer for players.
The tower will be up to 18 stories for standard Jenga. However, if your classroom has very small kids, you can reduce the height to make things a lot easier.
11. Toothpick Tower
This is a common game you’ll see in most kid’s parties and there’s no harm bringing it into your classroom. You’ll need toothpicks and mini marshmallows. This game requires adult supervision so you must keep your eyes on the kids.
You can share players into teams or have them play individually depending on available supplies. Each team or individual can get 15 to 20 toothpicks and marshmallows. The goal is to create a tall toothpick tower or a very strong one.
Timing is important here and five minutes is recommended. Each tower should stand on its own without falling for at least a minute. The game teaches kids how to work together and also work with time.
12. Bowling
There are different types of bowling games you can have kids play in your classroom. However, the most ideal is the team bowling game. Team bowling fosters cooperation.
You should split the kids in class into two teams of five. A pin keeper and four rovers make up each team. Each team will try to use a ball to knock down bowling pins put up at opposing ends of the floor.
The work of the pin keeper is to guard the pin while the rovers block ball throws from opponents and also make throws for their team.
An opponent’s pins can be knocked down by any one of the five team members. Each team aims to protect their pin from getting hit.
13. Riddles
Riddles and answers can make smart students. Playing riddle games can help increase a child’s critical thinking, logical, and problem-solving skills.
Hence, it’s one of the best classroom games and there’s always room to make it funny. There are a lot of funny riddles out there you can ask your students.
You should ask funny riddles that you’re sure they can answer. It won’t be much fun if the students can’t get any riddle right.
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14. Objects
This is a simple game where you just have to place some objects in front of your students. You can place 10 to 20 objects. It’s not ideal to use too many or very few objects.
Let your students look at the objects and identify them; you can help them with the names if necessary. After some minutes, remove the objects or cover them.
Ask each student to mention any of the objects they remember. The winner is the student that mentions the most objects.
You can simply write the names of objects on the board as an alternative to having actual objects. After having the kids recite it for a few minutes, clean the board and have them remember.
15. Cards
A deck of cards can bring fun anywhere. There are many simple card games you can get kids in a classroom to play. They can play Go Fish, Snap, Memory, Crazy Eights, or Sequence to name a few.
Go Fish is one of the best. You just share the cards among players with each person getting up to five or seven cards. Then, one player has to request a particular card, that they have, from a different player.
If the player has the game, the first player takes all. They get to request again if they get more than one card. The player that successfully collects all cards from an opponent wins.
16. Puzzles
It’s common to have puzzles in kids’ classrooms. Playing puzzle games is fun and it also helps the kids develop better cognitive skills. Furthermore, there are endless options to choose from.
You can go with wood puzzles, floor puzzles, number puzzles, alphabet puzzles, color and shape puzzles, or animal puzzles. The aim is to find something that the kids will have fun doing.
The age of kids in the classroom should determine how difficult the puzzles should be. You don’t want something very difficult, else you’ll bore the kids. On the other hand, a very simple puzzle game won’t be much fun.
Furthermore, you can either go with traditional puzzles so let the kids play via apps.
17. Alphabet Game
If you want to teach kids how to read alphabets, playing alphabet games is one of the best fun ways. A good example is the mystery bag alphabet game.
It’s one of the easiest alphabet games for kids. You just have to fill a bag with items like pens and pencils then ask the kids to guess the letter the object stays with and say its sound.
You can also play sound cups. For this game, you need about 26 cups and objects. Next, you write the alphabets, from A to Z, on each cup and object.
The players have to match the correct object with the correct cup. As they do, they should say the letter and letter sound.
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18. Bleep
This is a fun game that will teach kids endurance and also sharpen their memory. To play bleep, select 10 students to form a queue at the front of the classroom. The first student in line must count from one and the next call out the following number, and so on.
However, every fourth number must be changed to “beep”. For example -1, 2, 3, beep; the next student continues from 5, and it changes to beep again when it gets to 8. Players who hesitate or make mistakes in the number count get disqualified. The last standing student wins.
It doesn’t have to always be numbers, although numbers make it easy for kids. You can use alphabets, food, or animals.
19. Quiz
Classroom quizzes benefit students in various ways. There are not many ways to make learning interesting other than introducing interactive quizzes. It’s similar to riddles and you can always ask students funny questions.
You simply just need to draw a few questions on a particular subject. The subject should be one that kids will find interesting. Some good examples are countries, cars, pets, etc.
You should inform the kids’ forehands so they prepare and build up excitement. There are some platforms you can use if you wish to go digital. Kahoot and Quizzer are some good examples.
You must keep the quizzes short and simple. Furthermore, there should be enough time for students to give answers.
20. Dice Games
Dice games can be fun for both students and teachers. Take Dice War for instance; it’s a simple dice game that can improve a student’s math skills. You only need dice and counters.
The first player will roll two dice and add the number on both. The next player does the same and the player with the higher amount snatches a counter from the other. The game proceeds until one player has all the counters.
Roll to six is another fun dice game. It’s simple; a player rolls to get one and when they succeed, they roll to get two, and so on until they get to six. The player who gets to six first wins.
21. Charades
Here is another funny classroom game that students like playing. The game helps kids improve their vocabulary, listening, and reading skills. You’ll need a stack of index cards, each with a word or phrase on each card.
The words or phrases should be easy for the students to demonstrate without saying anything. It’s ideal to use verbs and verb phrases as they are easier to guess.
Form two teams of the class. Invite a Team A student to the front and show them one of the cards. They now have to demonstrate the word or phrase on the card.
Their team members will try to guess the word or phrase. You can set the time limit to a minute or 30 seconds. If they don’t get it right, the next team can go. Any team that gets the word right earns a point.
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22. Twenty Questions
The goal of the 20 questions game is to guess the name of a person, location, or thing in not more than 20 questions or less. Simply pick one student and have them pick any thing, person, or location.
While they can pick anything, it’s ideal that it’s something reasonable so others can guess correctly. It’s also ideal if you tell them what to choose.
The remaining students get to ask the standing student about what they picked. The standing student has to reply with just yes or no. From the answers, the other students can guess what the standing student picked.
If they can’t guess right, the player reveals what they picked and someone else comes to play.
23. Bingo
Bingo is a fun game that helps students practice anything from English vocabulary to arithmetic and history knowledge. To play, each student receives a huge card with squares containing words or pictures.
The words are the same, but the order varies. Then, you call out a word, and the students mark it on their cards. Any student that succeeds in highlighting five words in a row exclaims Bingo!; they win.
For pictures, you don’t have to say words, just give hints to describe the picture. Students don’t have to play individually, you can put them in groups.
24. Draw Swords
To play Draw Swords, divide your class into small groups and pick a student from each. The selected students should hold a dictionary or textbook.
Next, you say a word or image that the kids must find in their books. The student that finds the word or image first wins for their group. Continue the game until every student takes a turn.
If there are enough textbooks and dictionaries, you can skip groups and have everyone play at the same time.
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25. Chain Spelling
Chain spelling requires that students connect two unrelated words by their spelling. Write a word on the board and as a student to come up with a new word using the last three or four letters.
The next student must do the same with the word of the first student. If a student misspells or fails to compose a word, they get disqualified. The last student standing wins.
Bottom Line
Voila! The best funny classroom games that you should consider.
With the games listed above, the classroom will be more interesting for both teachers and students. They are very simple games that you can start playing right away.
Most of them don’t require any apparatus. In fact, you can easily get the apparatus for those that require them.
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