Classroom Learning Games. Free Games to Teach With

Everything here runs in a browser, needs no account and works on a school Chromebook or an interactive whiteboard. Rounds are short by design, so a game fits a starter, a plenary or the ten minutes after a test when the room still needs something worthwhile to do.

Math

Best after the method is taught, when what is left is the repetition that builds speed. Each of these marks itself, so a whole table can practice at once while you work with one group.

Quick Math Game Solve as many sums as you can in 60 seconds. Number Bonds Game Tap the pairs of numbers that make 10 or 20. Times Tables Game Practice any times table with 10 quick questions. Counting Game Count the objects and tap the right number. Fractions Game See fractions as bars. Name them, compare them and match equal ones. Counting Money Game Count the US coins or build an exact amount, across four levels.

Reading and words

Spelling, vocabulary and letter patterns, in rounds short enough to fit a starter or the last ten minutes before a bell.

Word Guess Game Guess the hidden 5 letter word in 6 tries. Word Unscramble Game Put the mixed up letters in order to spell the word. Missing Vowels Game Fill in the missing vowels to spell the word. Hangman Game Guess the word before the balloons pop. Crossword Puzzles Easy crosswords with six themes. Play here or print a fresh grid. Word Search Games Themed word searches with a brand new grid every play.

Thinking and problem solving

Games that reward planning ahead. These suit a whole-class projection, with the room calling out the next move and reasoning about why.

Chess for Kids Tap a piece and every legal move lights up. Three levels or 2 player. Tower of Hanoi Game Move the stack of discs to the last peg. Sudoku Game Classic number puzzle with easy to expert levels. Tangram Game Slide the seven shapes to fill each puzzle outline. Magic Cube Turn the faces until every side is one color. It shows you the next move. Connect Four Game Line up four in a row. Play a friend or the computer.

Memory and attention

Quick rounds that settle a room after a break, and a straightforward way to show a class that attention is something you can practice.

Memory Match Game Flip the cards and find every matching pair. Pattern Memory Game Watch the squares light up, then tap them back. What's Missing Game Remember the pictures, then spot the missing one. Number Memory Game Remember a number that grows longer each round. Odd One Out Game Spot the picture that is different. Color Sequence Game Watch the colors, then repeat the growing pattern.

Typing

Keyboard skills that pay back across every other subject. Short daily bursts beat one long session, and progress is easy to see week to week.

Typing Speed Test Type the sentence and see your words per minute. Falling Words Game Type each word before it reaches the bottom. Key Hunt Game Find and press the key that lights up. Alphabet Race Game Type A to Z as fast as you can. Picture Type Game See a picture and type its word.

Using these with a whole class

Projected on a board, these work best as a shared activity rather than a race. Ask the room for the next move and why before you tap it, and the game becomes a discussion with a scoreboard attached. A wrong answer from thirty voices is far easier for a child to be part of than a wrong answer alone.

On individual devices, the useful trick is a fixed short block rather than an open one. Ten minutes of practice that every child starts and finishes together keeps the room level and makes the transition out of it painless.

Running the room

For picking names, timing an activity, splitting teams and settling a class, the tools live on the classroom games and tools page. Guides and printable activity sheets are in teacher resources, which also sets out what the site does and does not collect, in case you need to clear it with someone before using it.