Who doesn’t like to have a little fun while learning? It is no secret that students love a great review game! Thinking back on my school days, I was always excited the day before a test because I knew my teacher would have some sort of review game planned. As we have modernized over the years, there are so many more options for review games than ever before.
Why Games are a Good Vehicle for Review
Games are an excellent way to review learned concepts and skills. Student engagement during games is generally at a high level. For those students that have not developed strong study skills, the review game may be the only studying that they participate in. Review games provide students a time to sort of “let loose” and connect with their peers. Students can cheer their teams or each other on. Another great component of a review game is the collaboration between students. This is an important life skill, and students playing review games are given the opportunity to collaborate and learn how to better work in groups and teams.
Test Review Games to Try With Students
Blooket
Blooket is an awesome way to review skills! My class has been LOVING this all year! You can choose from pre-made games, but you can also create your own content-specific games for the class to play. One of the coolest parts of this website is that there are different options for the games you play. For example, there is one called “Gold Quest” where students choose the correct answers, then have to choose a chest that can be filled with gold bars or give them the ability to steal gold from other players. Players can also lose gold or get nothing depending on the chest that they choose. You can choose the time limit you wish to have depending on how long you wish to play for.
Another game featured on Blooket is called Battle Royale. This can be individual or team competitions. Players battle in head-to-head competitions of speed and accuracy. This is not a game that has time limits, but you choose how many times you can lose the battle before you are “out” of the game. This really gets students cheering for one another! There are many other games offered on this site, and exploring this website and all it has to offer will not disappoint you or your class!
Kahoot
Kahoot is a game where not just the accuracy of responses, but the speed of responses are challenged! There are many different packages offered on Kahoot, but the free edition is a great one. Much like Blooket, you can use premade Kahoot games on the website or you can create your own content-specific one. After each round, it shows the correct answer and a bar graph of the number of students that chose each response. It also updates the leader board each round, so it is exciting for students to see the leaders and also those that are on fire (meaning they have a streak of correct answers)!
Quizlet
Quizlet is a great way to review for tests! There are so many options for reviewing on this site. You can make flashcards, play matching games, and even a fun game called “Gravity” (which combines speed and accuracy). A really fun game that puts students in random groups is called Quizlet Live! This is only available when you have a paid edition of Quizlet, but it is well worth the money when you see how engaged and excited your students are when playing it. The best part is that you can play multiple games, and students will be placed into different groups each time, giving them a chance to collaborate with various individuals.
Flippity
Flippity is a site with a ton of different options for review games. From board game styles to Jeopardy-style games to Bingo, there are many different options to create fun learning experiences for the students. This website has the ability to sync with Google Spreadsheets, so it is a nice link to materials you may already have.
Baamboozle
Baamboozle is a great game site with a great free edition. You can create your own games or use premade games, and there is a “study” as well as a “play” option. You can play with up to four teams on the free edition. This is also a great way for students to study at home. Instead of using boring index cards as flashcards, students can study using a fun online game!
In the End!
All of the review games mentioned are a great way to engage students, help them to be better teammates, and increase overall student achievement. Providing students with fun ways to review and study is important at all grade levels. High school students enjoy these games just as much as the elementary students.
As Alfred Mercier stated, “What we learn with pleasure, we never forget.” Students will always remember the fun times and even the content that went along with it. Making learning fun helps students to fall in love with learning and prepares them for a very bright future!
