What Games Can I Play With My Students On Zoom?
1. Guess the Sound
This game has been a great way to either begin or end my Zoom lessons. I simply play the video, then pause it right after the sound is played. The students send me their guesses in chat, and then I press play again to see if they are correct. They love it, and luckily he has several videos like this to choose from!
2. Guess the State
My students always BEG to play this game in the classroom, so I knew I had to play it on Zoom as well. I gave the students printable tiles so they can play at home as I read the clues. I do not show them the cards just like I don't show them in class. You can find my mental math tiles to play on Zoom with Students here.
5. Hangman
This game has been a great way to either begin or end my Zoom lessons. I simply play the video, then pause it right after the sound is played. The students send me their guesses in chat, and then I press play again to see if they are correct. They love it, and luckily he has several videos like this to choose from!
2. Guess the State
I have always done Mystery Skype activities with my students where we met up with another classroom, and we had to guess the state they lived in before they guessed the state we were from. Because of the current situation, we weren't able to do that, BUT, I was able to adapt the game to our Zoom classroom lessons.
The students each had a copy of this map, which I had also uploaded to my PowerPoint lesson. They could ask me yes or no questions in order to guess the mystery state I had chosen. Some sample questions might be:
Is this state bordered by water?
Does this state start with the letter M?
Is this state in the South?
They marked x's on the states that did not fit the criteria based on my answers. They tried to guess using less questions than the day before.
3. Boggle
Boggle is another game that easily translates from the classroom to the Zoom environment. Students can write their answers on paper, send them in chat, or call them out as they see new words.
4. Mental Math
My students always BEG to play this game in the classroom, so I knew I had to play it on Zoom as well. I gave the students printable tiles so they can play at home as I read the clues. I do not show them the cards just like I don't show them in class. You can find my mental math tiles to play on Zoom with Students here.
5. Hangman
You can create your own Hangman games here and share your screen on Zoom to play them with your class. You can use them to review vocabulary or spelling words, or simply to share a fun message with your class!
6. Bingo
Bingo is another game that can be played on Zoom as well. You can find my free math Bingo here. I also have other versions of Bingo here.
7. Trivia
My students love answering trivia questions. You can play this Jeopardy style version or just ask questions from your curriculum.
There are also a ton of fun trivia questions that you can ask your students here.
8. Pictionary
Have your student use the whiteboard feature on Zoom to draw pictures for their classmates to guess what they are. You can use vocabulary words as the clues. Just as much fun as the Pictionary board game!
9. Scavenger Hunt
6. Bingo
7. Trivia
My students love answering trivia questions. You can play this Jeopardy style version or just ask questions from your curriculum.
There are also a ton of fun trivia questions that you can ask your students here.
8. Pictionary
Have your student use the whiteboard feature on Zoom to draw pictures for their classmates to guess what they are. You can use vocabulary words as the clues. Just as much fun as the Pictionary board game!
9. Scavenger Hunt
Send your students on a scavenger hunt to see who can find the most items on your list. You can make it academic by asking them to find things that relate to your content standards. For example, I teach 4th grade, so I might ask them to find examples of right angles, or arrays.
10. How Well Do You Know Your Teacher?
When I saw this post on Betsey Jenning's Instagram, I thought it would make the perfect end of the year game! Make a PowerPoint with questions about yourself to see how well your students know you!
I hope these games give you some ideas for fun things to do with your students during your Zoom classes as we finish up the school year on-line!
Virtual Teaching Must Haves
Here are some ideas for educational resources that could be helpful for elementary teachers or tutors to use during virtual learning on Zoom:
This document camera hooks up right to your computer and allows you to share game pieces, writing, and so much more!
This magnetic tabletop easel is also perfect for displaying game pieces, writing, and so much more
More Classroom Games to Play on Zoom
If you're looking for some more fun games to play with your students on Zoom, you're in luck! This blog post features even more engaging games that will keep your students excited about learning! From word jumbles to memory games and even quiz shows, these activities are perfect for virtual learning or connecting with your students on Zoom for snow days, sick days or guest speakers.