Efficiently managing a classroom requires both skill and strategy. To keep students engaged and on task, consider incorporating entertaining classroom management games. These activities leverage students’ competitive instincts while promoting the desired behaviors needed for a productive learning environment.
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Why You Should Try Classroom Management Games
“Classroom management games take the power struggle out of classroom management and give ownership back to your students,” says Ashley Marquez, educator and founder of Teach Create Motivate.
When we give students ownership and let them have a say in the classroom, they have more buy-in and are more likely to follow expectations.
—Ashley Marquez, educator and founder of Teach Create Motivate.
“Instead of repeating directions all day, these games make students WANT to meet expectations because they’re working toward something fun as a team. This builds classroom community while reinforcing the exact behaviors and routines you need, and honestly, it makes management fun for the teacher too!” Ashley promises.
Tips for Using Classroom Management Games
Effectively using these games requires some planning and persistence, but once you find the right fit for your class and teaching style, they simplify classroom management significantly. Here are Ashley’s tips for making these games successful.
1. Make it whole-class
“When the reward is shared, students hold each other accountable in a positive way instead of you doing all the reminding,” Ashley explains. “Plus, it fosters classroom community while they’re all working toward the same goal!”
2. Let the game do the talking
“Instead of constantly reminding about quiet transitions or staying on task, mark progress and add a game piece when you catch students doing the right thing,” suggests Ashley. “They notice this FAST.”
3. Reward progress immediately
Don’t wait until the end of the lesson, day, or week to note the progress you’re seeing—do it right when it happens. As Ashley says, “The closer the recognition is to the desired expectations or choices, the stronger the connection students make.”
4. Keep it fresh
Even the most popular classroom management games need a bit of a twist from time to time. “Switching to a new game, a seasonal theme, or a new target expectation gets student buy-in back just when the novelty starts to wear off,” Ashley says.
As the founder of Teach Create Motivate, Ashley has created a multitude of classroom management games for every purpose, season, and teacher. We asked her to share her favorite one in each of three categories and explain why she loves them. Learn more about each on her Instagram page, and follow her at @teachcreatemotivate.
Games for Teaching Classroom Rules, Routines, and Procedures
Ashley’s Pick: Class Rules Game Show
This game requires some preparation, as you’ll need to create the game-show questions and board beforehand. Develop categories and questions that align with your classroom rules and procedures, such as Work Habits, Expectations, School Rules, and Classroom Rules. Divide the class into teams and watch them engage in friendly competition over their knowledge of routines, rules, and more.
Why Ashley loves it: “This works really well because students are way more invested in expectations they had fun learning about. I love this game for the first week of school, as well as any time routines need a reset, like after a long break.”
Tip: Create your own game board using our free printables, or head to Teach Create Motivate to check out Ashley’s pre-made Class Rules Game.
Rules Charades
Divide your class into small groups and secretly assign each one a rule or procedure to act out. The groups will prepare a short skit and perform their charade, challenging the rest of the class to identify the rule. For added fun, have students act out scenarios where they break the rule instead!
Odd One Out
Create sets of “Which one doesn’t belong?” and see if students can identify the item that doesn’t align with your rules or procedures. For example, for transitions, the set might include “Line up quickly, follow the line leader, walk quietly in the hall, talk to your friends.” Students should choose “talk to your friends” and explain why it doesn’t fit with transition procedures.
Signal Simon Says
If your class uses nonverbal hand signals, this is a great way to practice them! Play Simon Says, asking students to demonstrate the signals you’ve taught. For instance, “Simon says listen,” would prompt students to put their hands behind their ears. Remember to occasionally omit “Simon says” to catch those who signal incorrectly.
This or That? Rules and Routines
Prepare slides with two options: one that aligns with your rules and one that doesn’t. Have students stand for option 1 and sit for option 2. Examples include: “Chew Gum or Throw It in the Trash?,” “Cell Phone Off or Cell Phone in Locker?,” “Raise Hand or Blurt Out?”
Classroom Transitions and Line-Up Games
Ashley’s Pick: Complete the Phrase
This simple game is effective for keeping transitions on track. Choose a phrase like “LINE UP” or “DISMISSAL.” Allow students to vote on a reward, such as 10 extra minutes of recess. Each time the class meets the goal as expected, award them a letter of the phrase. Once the phrase is complete, they receive the reward!
Why Ashley loves it: “This game is perfect for teaching things like lining up at the start of the year or tightening them up midyear. The anticipation of completing the word keeps buy-in HIGH.”
Tip: Use our free printable pencil-themed letters for this game, or try one of Ashley’s Complete the Phrase games from Teach Create Motivate.
Silent Line-Up
Transform line-up time into a cooperative activity! Instruct students to line up by height, in alphabetical order, or by classroom number—without speaking. While it may not speed up the process, it encourages teamwork and brings a few moments of calm to the classroom.
Check out more brilliant lining-up strategies here!
Race Against the Clock
Set a countdown timer and challenge students to complete the transition or procedure before it runs out. You might give them 45 seconds to put away their desk work and line up for lunch or 30 seconds to move from the story-time rug back to their seats. Remind them they need to both beat the clock AND follow all the correct procedures to win. Alternatively, use a stopwatch to track their time and see if they can beat their record next time.
Follow-the-Leader
This classic classroom management game allows the line leader to choose fun actions for everyone to perform while walking from one place to another. Establish ground rules to ensure students remain quiet and in line, but allow creative movements like hopping, marching, or holding their arms out. Just remember to follow the leader!
Mystery Walker
When students line up to move from one room to another, choose a “Mystery Walker.” If that student follows all the right procedures, the entire class earns a small reward. This keeps everyone on their toes, as they won’t know who the Mystery Walker is.
Behavior Management Games
Ashley’s Pick: Classroom Management Bingo
In this engaging game, the class works together to earn squares on a bingo board. Post it in a place where everyone can see it. Then, each time you catch the whole class meeting a behavior expectation, award them a piece to add to the classroom bingo board. Once they make five in a row, the class earns a reward they voted on.
Why Ashley loves it: “This is one of my favorite go-to resources because it’s so versatile and students absolutely love it. It works because students stop relying on ME to manage behavior. They remind each other, because everyone wants that next bingo piece.”
Tip: Check out our free printable Halloween Bingo board for this game, or head to Teach Create Motivate to check out Ashley’s versions of Classroom Bingo!
Mystery Student
This game is similar to Mystery Walker but spans the entire day rather than just a transition. Select one person to be the day’s “Mystery Student,” but don’t reveal their identity. Observe their behavior throughout the day, and if it meets expectations, announce their name at the end, commend them, and offer a small reward. (Tip: Avoid shaming Mystery Students who misbehave—simply inform the class that no one won the prize that day, and give that student another chance in the future.)
Beat the Teacher
Create a tally on the board, pitting the class against the teacher. Each time the class completes a transition, procedure, or task well, they earn a point. However, if they break the rules, the teacher earns a point. At the end of the day, see who has the most points!
Caught Being Kind
Encourage kindness among students with this classroom management game! Collaborate with your class to create a list of kind acts they can perform for one another. Prepare Kindness Tickets to reward students when they’re “caught being kind,” and distribute them as needed. (Encourage students to recognize acts of kindness too!) Students write their name on each ticket received and drop it into a container. At the end of the week or month, draw a name and award a prize.
Noise Monster
Think of this as a variation of Hangman. Reserve a portion of your whiteboard for the “Noise Monster.” Whenever the class is too noisy, draw a new part of the monster’s body (e.g., arms, legs, horns, eyes, mouth). If the class reaches the end of the day or week without completing the Noise Monster, they earn a small reward.
More Classroom Management Games
Silent Ball
This simple game also serves as a great brain break. Students stand and toss a soft ball around the room. If someone misses or makes noise, they’re out and must sit down. Continue until one person remains standing, and congratulate the winner. You’ll have a quiet, seated class ready to resume work!
Learn more: Is Silent Ball the Best Classroom Management Tool You Never Knew Existed?
Compliment Chain
Prepare strips of paper to make a paper chain, and keep them in a basket along with a marker and glue stick. Whenever your class or a student receives a compliment from an external source (e.g., another teacher praises their behavior during a fire drill, or the principal commends their quiet work), write the compliment on a strip and add it to the chain. Set a goal for a certain number of links, and reward the class upon reaching it.
Mystery Trash
At the end of the day, secretly choose a piece of trash, but don’t reveal it to the students. As they bring their trash to the garbage can, observe who has what. Once all the trash is collected and students are seated, announce the “Mystery Trash” piece and reward the student who disposed of it!
Try it: Keep Your Classroom Clean With This “Mystery Trash” Hack
Secret Goal
Set a secret goal for your class and keep it hidden until the end of the day. If the class meets the goal, they earn a prize. This can apply to any behavior or classroom management goal: quiet transitions, everyone turns in their homework on time, no one yells in the classroom, etc. It’s incredibly versatile!
Boss Battle
Choose a “Boss” for your class to battle against. Give them fun names like “The Distractinator,” “The Mess Monster,” or “Captain Chaos.” Each boss starts out with five life hearts (just like a video game), and so does the class. When the class performs the specific behavior well, the boss loses a heart. But when they don’t, the class loses one instead. Can they defeat the boss before the boss beats them?
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