As we return to school, finding ways to keep students engaged is key. I’ve tried many fun games with my class and while casual subbing. These games bring laughter, teamwork, and make learning fun. They’re perfect for brightening up your classroom and can even work for Zoom activities!
I’ve collected these games from colleagues, books, online, and even from students. Here are some of my top picks:
1. Quick Change Artist
One child is “on”. The class must look at their appearance before they go into the bathroom and change one thing about how they look, e.g. untucking a shirt, taking down their hair etc.! The class then guess what the change was!
2. Confusion
This is a great one for creativity! The children must pick a random object and describe it as something entirely different. For example, a red pencil could be described as a grey elephant. It is so much fun and brilliant to see their imaginations at play! Extend it for older classes by turning it into a sales pitch for the object.
3. Snowball
A great maths game from first class up, which can be adapted to suit any topic. I’ll keep it simple here with basic addition!
Have the class silent and give one child a quick fire sum, for example, 8 + 3. They must answer as fast as possible and when they say 11 you point to another child and say (for example) – add 6! They must then say 17 and the goal is to get to 100 without saying any wrong! Throw in subtraction/ multiplication etc. to change it up a little! It’s great fun.. and frustration to get to 100 It’s so easy to differentiate for various students to!
4. Yes and No Must Go!
One child is on. Have the class ask them questions such as “Do you like sport?”. The child must answer any way at all, apart from saying yes or no! It’s loads of fun to see them get creative, and with the temptation to say yes or no being so great, it ends up being brilliant fun for the whole class!
5. Just a Minute
One child is on. Set a timer for one minute and give the child a topic, such as animals. They must ( name as many animals as possible in one minute! The class absolutely love this as it’s a lot harder than it sounds! They then set the score which other children take turns to beat. It might take you a week of transitions to give your whole class a go, but it’s great fun!
6. One Word at a Time
One child starts by saying one word that might start a story such as “the”. The child beside them then adds another word such as “man” and then the child beside them adds another word such as “is”. This continues until you have a really wild and wacky story!! It’s so much fun and the quicker you go the better it gets!
7. Sausages
An old favourite of mine! One child is on, the other children ask them basic questions like “what are your ears made out of? What is the teacher’s name? X What do you brush your teeth with?”. The child must answer. only with “sausages”. The catch is if the child laughs, they are out! It has never failed me from infants to sixth.
8. Count to 20
Another favourite of mine, unbelievably frustrating for the class! Make it easier by aiming for 10. The class must be totally silent, and try to count to 20, one child at a time. The catch is that they don’t know who is going to shout out the next number. So one person starts by shouting “one”. The next person must shout “two” and so on. If 2 or more people shout the next number together, they must start at one again! It drives them mad, but in a good way it’s fantastic for building on teamwork and patience, just be wary of cunning plans they come up with in the yard.
9. Emotions
A lovely one to introduce a lesson on emotions. Child A says to child B “I’m sorry for..” and chooses a random sentence such as “bursting your ball, eating your sweets, stepping on your dog’s toe” etc! Child B then responds with “that makes me feel hungry/sad etc. Practice in pairs before letting the whole class play from child to child!
10. Desert Island
The teacher writes one word on the whiteboard & says I’m going to a desert island and I’m bringing this item. Students have to guess the category and ask if they can also come to the desert island. If their word fits within the mystery category, then the teacher says ‘yes, you can come to the desert island and records the word on the whiteboard or says ‘no, you cannot come if it doesn’t fit into the category.
11. Four Corners
The teacher numbers the four corners in the classroom and then picks one volunteer to stand in the middle of front of the classroom with their eyes closed. After a ten second countdown, the person in the middle(with their eyes closed) picks a corner and if you’re standing in that corner, you’re out! Play multiple rounds.
12. Password
Call one student up to the front with their back facing the whiteboard. The Teacher or a student Writes a mystery word Or ‘password’ on the whiteboard and the class have to give clues To that one student so they guess the word.
13. Rock, Paper, Scissors War
All students go around and play one round of rock paper scissors with a classmate. If they win, they’re still in but if they lose, they have to sit down. Keep going until The last person is left.
14. Eleven
Have all your students stand Or sit in a circle. Explain that in order to play this game, all you need to do is be able to count to ii. Each student is allowed to say up to 3 numbers at a time and sequence must go in numerical order. When it comes to your turn and if you have to say the number ii, then you are eliminated and the next person starts back at I. Play until it’s the last player standing.
Why These Games Work
These games are simple yet effective for:
✅ Transitioning between lessons smoothly
✅ Encouraging teamwork and cooperation
✅ Strengthening observation and listening skills
✅ Promoting creativity and quick thinking
✅ Reducing classroom stress and increasing engagement
Adapting for Virtual Learning
Many of these games work well on Zoom! For example:
- Quick Change Artist – Students can turn their cameras off, make a change, and classmates guess.
- Confusion – Students describe an object in their house using a different identity.
- Snowball – Use the chat function for quickfire math questions.
- Yes and No Must Go! – Virtual Q&A sessions with students responding in creative ways.
Bringing laughter and excitement into the classroom doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re looking for a quick transition activity, a fun Friday game, or an interactive Zoom break, these ideas will bring energy and joy to your students.
Which games will you try first? Have any favorites of your own? Share in the comments below!
