Finding yourself with a bored classroom or a bit more time on your hands before the bell rings for the afternoon? Well, you’re in luck. We’ve got 20 awesome no prep classroom games that will have your students having fun in no time. And best of all, as mentioned, you don’t need to prepare anything beforehand. Most of these games don’t require any materials, and for others, you can find materials online. So, without further ado, here are the 20 best no prep classroom games, including those for younger students and those for older students.
10 NO PREP CLASSROOM GAMES FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS
Sometimes your younger students just need to burn off a little energy… or simply focus that energy into something fun. These games require zero prep and can be played right away.
1. 20 QUESTIONS
20 Questions is the classic guessing game kids always love. Think of a word (it can be an object in the classroom, an animal, or anything else that is age-appropriate). Then, students take turns asking yes-or-no questions to figure out what it is. The catch? They only get 20 questions total to guess the word. If they get it, they win. If not, you win!
2. SIMON SAYS
Simon Says is another all-time favorite that never gets old, that you can play in any setting, including a classroom and a birthday party. To play, stand at the front of the class and give commands starting with “Simon says.” For example:
- Simon says touch your nose
- Simon says jump three times
If you give a command without saying “Simon says” first, and a student does it anyway, they’re out. The last student standing is the winner.
3. I SPY
I Spy is a classic indoor game for kids that everyone loves to play. To play I Spy, pick an object in the classroom and give a clue like, “I spy with my little eye something red.” Students take turns guessing what it is until someone gets it right. That student gets to be the next spy. This game is simple but a lifesaver when you need a quick activity to pass the time.
4. ANIMAL CHARADES
Kids love acting silly, so this one’s always a hit. Whisper an animal to a student (or show them a quick picture if you’d like), and they have to act it out without using words. No sound effects allowed either! The rest of the class then guesses what the animal is. Rotate turns until everyone’s had a chance to test out their acting skills.
5. RHYME TIME
If your students are starting to learn to rhyme, this is a great no-prep game to play in the classroom. Pick a starter word, like “cat,” and go around the class as each student has to come up with a rhyming word. If someone repeats a word or can’t think of one, they’re out. Keep going until only one student is left!
6. SHAPE HUNT
This is a fun, no-prep classroom game that will get everyone on their feet moving around and burning some energy. To play, call out a shape (like circle, square, or triangle), and students have to quickly find something in the classroom with that shape. The first student to point it out wins the round. Keep going with different shapes until everyone’s had a chance to shine.
7. COLOR HUNT
This game works just like Shape Hunt, but with colors. Say, “Find something blue!” and let students scramble to point at objects around the room!
8. HOT POTATO
One of our favorite back-to-school games that requires zero prep is Hot Potato. All you need here is a small object, like a ball or even a crumpled piece of paper. Then, start some music and have students pass the “potato” around the circle as fast as they can. When the music stops, the person holding it is out. Keep playing until you have a winner.
9. STORY BUILDER
Want your students to use their imagination for a fun game? This is the perfect game to play! Create a class story together, one piece at a time. The first student starts with a sentence like, “Once upon a time, there was a dragon.” Then each student adds a word, phrase, or full sentence to keep it going. The story usually ends up silly and hilarious! So, expect belly laughter in no time!
10. FREEZE DANCE
Freeze Dance is one of our favorite no-prep classroom games that you can easily play outside on a lovely day, too. To play, put on some music and let the kids dance their hearts out. When you pause the music, everyone has to freeze in place. Anyone caught moving is out. It’s simple and guaranteed to get the kids giggling.
10 NO PREP CLASSROOM GAMES FOR OLDER STUDENTS
What about no prep classroom games for older students? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered with games that will sufficiently challenge pre-teens and teenagers while still having fun.
11. WORDLE
You’re probably already familiar with Wordle. Wordle is a word puzzle from the New York Times that comes out daily. While many play this by themselves, you can turn this into a classroom game by using a whiteboard. The students together must think of a five-letter word to start. Write it down on the board and mark which letters are correct, just like the online game. Make sure you have different colored markers for incorrect letters, correct letters in incorrect spaces, and correct letters in the correct spaces. Play until they find the word!
12. TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Two Truths and a Lie is a great ice breaker game, especially for the beginning of the year when all the students are starting to get to know each other. Each student takes a turn sharing three statements about themselves: two truths and one lie. The rest of the class has to guess which one is the lie. It’s a fun way for students to learn more about each other (and for you to learn more about them, too)!
13. WOULD YOU RATHER
One of our favorite party games for teens, Would You Rather is a fun way to pass the time and get to know everyone’s preferences. To start, pose a “Would you rather” question, like:
- Would you rather never eat chocolate again or never watch TV again?
- Would you rather have to yell every text message out loud or every Google search?
- Would you rather have horns or a tail?
Students pick their choice and explain why. Or you can simply have the students walk over to one side of the classroom for choice A, and the other side for choice B. You can go lighthearted or serious depending on the mood. Bonus points if you turn this game into a mini debate.
14. HOT SEAT
Hot Seat is a great game for large groups like entire classrooms! Choose one student to sit in the “hot seat” facing the class, with a word written on the board behind them that they can’t see. The rest of the students give clues (but not the word itself) to help them guess. To make this game harder, add an element of Taboo to this game by also adding some related words that students cannot use to describe the word.
For example, if the word is “elephant,” the taboo words can be “trunk,” “nose,” “safari,” and “big.”
15. CATEGORIES
In Categories, pick a broad category to start. Examples include:
- Countries
- Animals
- Movie titles
Then, go around the class with each student naming something in that category. If a student repeats an answer or takes too long to respond, they’re out. The last student standing wins!
16. DEBATE CLUB
Give the class a silly debate topic, like:
- Pizza vs. Burgers
- Dogs vs. Cats
And split them into two sides. Each side has to make their case quickly. Keep it light and fast-moving for maximum fun!
17. HUMAN BINGO
Human Bingo is another fun game perfect for the beginning of the year. Okay, okay… we’re cheating a little here. This one will require a little bit of prep, but won’t take you longer than a few minutes to create bingo cards and copy them. Create quick bingo cards with fun facts, like:
- Has a pet
- Can whistle
- Loves pizza
Students go around the room asking classmates if the square applies to them. If it does, they can cross out the square and write the student’s name underneath for some fact-checking later. The first student to get a full line yells “Bingo!”
18. PICTIONARY
Did you know Pictionary can be a very good no prep classroom game? To play, split the class into two teams. One student from a team comes up to the board and gets a word whispered to them. They have to draw it without writing letters or numbers while their team guesses. Make sure to set a timer!
19. BOGGLE
One of our favorite classroom games for high school is Boggle. Yes, Boggle, the word game! Draw a 4×4 grid on the whiteboard and write random letters. You can use an online Boggle generator to help you here. Then, set a timer for 3 minutes and have students find as many words as possible using connecting letters on the grid. The longer the word, the more points you get!
20. ALPHABET CHALLENGE
Pick a category, such as countries, foods, or animals, and challenge the students to go through the alphabet in order, one by one. For example, if the category is foods, it could go something like:
- A = Apple
- B = Banana
- C = Cherry
- D = Dal
The game keeps going until someone can’t think of an answer for their letter.
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