There are plenty of resources out there for younger students, but high school students deserve to have some fun, too. Just listening to a lecture may not be the best experience for these teenage learners, so why not incorporate some games? But don’t worry; these are not your juvenile classroom games you play in elementary school. These are 20 fun classroom games for high school students that are fun and conducive to learning!
WORD CLASSROOM GAMES FOR HIGH SCHOOL
1. HANGMAN
Probably one of the most classic whiteboard games of all time is none other than Hangman. The great thing about this game is that although it is often played with younger students, you can easily adapt it to play with high schoolers by having them guess more difficult words. What about very specific terms and phrases the kids are learning in their curriculum?
To play, draw a line for each letter of the word. Then, have the students yell out letters they think belong on that word. If the letter is in the word, write it down in the correct spot. And if not, start drawing a hanging man, one by one. If the students manage to guess the word before the hangman is complete, they win!
2. BOGGLE
Boggle is another fun whiteboard game for classrooms of all ages and levels. And we especially love it as there is no prep required! But we think it’s way more fun in an older classroom! While Boggle is originally a board game, you can adapt it for a classroom by drawing a 4×4 or 5×5 grid and writing random letters in each one. You can use a Boggle generator online to help. Then, set a timer for 3 minutes during which all the students will write down as many words as they can by connecting letters on the board, making sure not to repeat letters in a single word. When the 3 minutes are up, have the students take turns announcing each word on their list. If anybody else has the same word, they must cross out that word. All unique words are tallied, and the student with the most unique words wins.
If you have a larger classroom, just tally up how many words the students are able to find, as finding unique words could be more difficult in this situation.
3. TABOO
Taboo is one of our favorite word association games. You can play this game with the actual board game, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry; it’s relatively easy to DIY. If you are DIY-ing taboo, write down words that the students need to guess, but also write five related words that students are not allowed to use to describe the word that needs guessing. Then, have the students take turns acting as the clue-giver who must try to get the entire class to guess the word without using the taboo words. This game is a lot harder than it looks and requires a lot of creative thinking.
4. SENTENCE SCRAMBLE
In this relatively simple game, give each student a part of a sentence. Then, when the game starts, the students must go around the classroom, looking to complete their sentence in a grammatically correct and logical way. Even better if all of the sentences add up to a complete story.
5. WORD PYRAMID
Give the students a 2-letter word to start. Then, they must slowly build on the word, one letter at a time. But don’t worry, you can scramble up the letters to create new words if needed. Confused about how to play? Here’s an example play:
It > bit > bite > tribe > rebite
6. WORD ASSOCIATION
If you’re out of ideas and haven’t prepped anything to play beforehand, you should play a good old round (or two) of word association. To play, one student simply says a random word. Then, the next player must say a related word, and so on. However, since these are older students, add some extra rules and parameters. For example, all words must be adjectives or related to a specific subject you’re learning about.
7. ROOT WORD RACE
Write down a Greek or Latin root on the whiteboard. Then, players must race to write down as many words as they can that include that root!
Some examples:
- Bio
- Graph
- Auto
- Struct
- Rupt
- Mort
SUBJECT-BASED CLASSROOM GAMES FOR HIGH SCHOOL
8. MATH RELAY
Want to test your students’ math skills with a fun math game? In this game, divide the classroom into two teams. Then, the first player from each team must run to the board to complete a math question. Once completed, the second player must do the same. And so on. The first team to correctly finish all questions via relay wins!
9. ELEMENT BINGO
To play element bingo, you’ll need to prepare some bingo cards beforehand. Prepare 5×5 bingo cards and write random elements on them, including a free space in the middle. Then, instead of simply yelling out the element name to get the students to cross them out, call out facts! Then, students, if they can correctly identify the element, can cross out that element. The first student to cross out 5 in a row wins.
10. HISTORICAL TIMELINE
This is a super fun classroom game for high school students who are learning history. Give each student an event card. Events can be anything in history, including:
- French Revolution
- Moon landing
- The fall of the Roman Empire
- The start of WWI
- The first wave of the Black Death
The students must then go around the classroom and line up in chronological order. Prepare to discuss and debate!
11. HISTORY TRUE-OR-FALSE LINE-UP
Before you begin the game, divide the classroom into two sides: one side of the room for “True,” and the other side of the room for “False.” Then, read a history statement out loud to the class. Have all the students move to the side of the room depending on whether they think the statement is true or false. This can be a fun classroom game for high school students that work well as a teaching moment. Feel free to switch up this game for any subject, including science and geography.
12. FOREIGN LANGUAGE TELEPHONE
This game is just like standard telephone, in which a phrase gets passed down the class whispered down the line from student to student. However, instead of passing down a phrase in English, up the ante a bit by having the students whisper a sentence or phrase in a foreign language that they’re learning! This is going to add a whole new dimension to this childhood classic classroom game.
13. DEBATE CLUB
Debate club is the perfect game to have students learn to argue their points, no matter what they are, encouraging both critical thinking and public speaking. This game works best with a small group of students divided into two smaller teams. Give the students a random topic and 30 seconds to prepare; one team defending the topic, and the other team opposing it. After the preparation time, have the students defend or oppose the topic for 1 minute.
GENERAL CLASSROOM GAMES FOR HIGH SCHOOL
14. CHARADES
Charades is a classic game you can play in any setting, including a classroom for high school students. However, instead of opening up the game to literally anything, have students play charades for a specific topic you are learning about, even if it’s something abstract! That way, students will have to be super creative in miming the phrase or word for their teammates.
15. KAHOOT!
Of course, no list of the best indoor classroom games for high school students is complete without a mention of Kahoot! This interactive quiz-based game is ideal for reviewing material in a way that gets students competitive and excited. You can easily create your own custom quiz or search for a pre-made one that matches your lesson. Students can play individually or in teams using their phones or laptops. Who said learning can’t be fun?
16. PICTIONARY
Pictionary is the perfect classroom game for visual learners. Split your class into teams and have students take turns drawing a word on a whiteboard with a marker. Prepare some vocabulary words from your subject area to give this classic board game an educational twist. One student draws while their team guesses. Set a timer, keep score, and get ready for some hilariously off-track interpretations!
17. JEOPARDY
Turn your classroom into a game show with a round of Jeopardy! Create categories based on what you’re currently studying, whether that’s “Cell Biology,” “Shakespeare,” “World War II,” or even “Final Exam Review.” Assign point values and let students pick questions as teams. Students must answer in the form of a question, just like the classic show. You can DIY a board using PowerPoint or even make a physical board if you’re so inclined. It’s a fun way to review for tests or liven up the classroom while still learning and reviewing.
18. WHO AM I?
This game is great for everything from historical figures to vocabulary words. Write down names or terms on sticky notes or cards and stick them on each student’s forehead (or hold them up behind them). Students must ask yes-or-no questions to figure out who or what they are. This is another excellent game for review. Plus, since all the students will be figuring out who they are at the same time, it makes for a great social game. Try to make it competitive and see who can guess who or what they are first!
19. FOUR CORNERS
Label the four corners of the room as Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. Then, read out a thought-provoking statement related to your lesson. For example:
- Technology has improved education.
- Macbeth is a sympathetic character.
- The Cold War never really ended.
Students move to the corner that reflects their opinion, then explain why they chose that stance. Then, have some spicy discussions!
20. HOT SEAT
In this fast-paced vocabulary game, one student sits in a chair facing the class with their back to the whiteboard. Write a key term or concept behind them (related to your lesson, of course), and the rest of the class gives clues to help them guess what it is. The student can ask yes-or-no questions or just guess based on the clues. Time them to keep the energy high!
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