Modifying Games for Educational Benefit

Quiet classroom games are great ways to reinforce learned concepts. While you can find many educational games at local toy stores or online, teachers sometimes fail to realize that they are their own best resource. With a bit of ingenuity, your classroom can have games and activities that are fully customized to units being studied.

BINGO can be a highly versatile game. Game cards are easily made with computer clipart or graphics, clue cards come straight from preplanned lessons and classroom materials, and simple game markers can be found in math supplies, toy bins, or even the candy aisle of your local grocery store (if you're looking to give your students a treat as well)!
Additionally, if you want to make the game more challenging for older students, you can print off blank game cards and have each student fill in the squares with relevant lesson concepts. This will show you how much they've learned during the unit. Students will then mark off spaces that match clues or definitions read aloud and, as with the traditional game, win a prize (i.e. free homework pass, candy bar, etc.) when they get five in a row.

So many simple games can be tailored to meet your needs all you have to do is think outside the box!

Chasing Cheerios: Winter Nature Bingo