Games are fun. We love playing them, watching them and even creating them. But how can we bring elements of gameplay into our classroom in meaningful ways? Here are 20 ways to gamify your class.
A quick way to start a conversation is by asking someone about their favorite game. Whether it’s the latest video game craze (Fornite takes the cake there), a beloved childhood board game or the local sports team they never miss watching, games are an engaging topic.
As adults we love games. And so do our students.
Adding elements of gameplay in the classroom increases engagement. Throw in opportunities for students to level up, earn badges and points using teamwork in a friendly competition and watch their motivation skyrocket.
Years ago we had a fantastic discussion on this topic during the #DitchBook Twitter chat, where educators shared brilliant ways to use game design to build learning experiences that are different, innovative, creative, and hands-on. Many of the ideas are still relevant today. In this updated post we kept some of the good stuff and added in more tips, tools, and templates to help you get started.
Ready to bring that energy into your classroom? We’ve collected 10 practical ways to gamify your class plus 10 tips for making gamification not only possible but also meaningful in your classroom.
10 ideas for gamifying your classroom
1. Turn tutorials into quests
Turn a boring sit and get professional development or tech tool tutorial into an exciting experience through gamification. This Googleland example from Amanda Sandoval is a fantastic example of a gamified Google Edu PD.
Adapt this template from SlidesMania to create your own.
-Shared by Amy De Friese
2. Create a scavenger hunt to introduce a unit
A fun way to introduce a new unit is by having students explore resources, complete challenges. They can submit photos or answers for points. Use the prompt below to make your own.
Please create a classroom scavenger hunt to introduce our new unit on [UNIT TOPIC].
The purpose of this activity is to get students moving, collaboratively exploring the classroom, and piquing their curiosity about the upcoming material.
Scavenger Hunt Details
Unit/Topic: [UNIT TOPIC]
Grade Level/Target Audience: [GRADE LEVEL/AGE GROUP]
Duration: The hunt should take approximately [TIME DURATION (e.g., 20-30 minutes)].
Goal: The final clue should lead to the "treasure," which is [FINAL REVEAL/ACTIVITY, e.g., the title of a book, a locked box, the unit's main question].
Clue Requirements
Create 5-7 sequential clues (the answer to one clue leads to the next location). Each clue should:
Be a riddle, simple code, or short piece of information related to [UNIT TOPIC] or [CROSS-CURRICULAR SKILL, e.g., problem-solving, reading comprehension].
Require students to find a specific location or item in the classroom.
Each clue must incorporate the following specific locations/items:
- Clue 1 leads to: [LOCATION/ITEM 1, e.g., The world map, the class library, the science corner]
- Clue 2 leads to: [LOCATION/ITEM 2, e.g., The teacher's desk, the periodic table, the main bulletin board]
- Clue 3 leads to: [LOCATION/ITEM 3, e.g., The whiteboard eraser tray, the pencil sharpener, the water fountain sign]
- Clue 4 leads to: [LOCATION/ITEM 4, e.g., A specific quote poster, the recycling bin, under a specific chair]
- Clue 5 leads to: [LOCATION/ITEM 5, e.g., The daily schedule chart, the class pet's area, a poster on the wall]
- Clue 6 (Optional) leads to: [LOCATION/ITEM 6]
- Clue 7 (Final Clue) leads to the Treasure: [FINAL REVEAL/ACTIVITY LOCATION]
Please provide the final output in a clear, easy-to-read list with the clue and the corresponding answer/next location clearly labeled for the teacher. Include a brief introductory sentence to set the scene for the students.
-Shared by Laura Steinbrink
3. Turn a vocabulary list into a crossword puzzle
Using Flippity's crossword generator you can easily turn a spreadsheet full of vocabulary words from any unit into a crossword puzzle. Or better yet have students create crossword puzzles for their classmates by providing their own definitions of the words.
-Shared by Greg Jung
4. Use board games to reinforce concepts
Recreate Scrabble, Trivia, or Connect 4 in Google Slides or PowerPoint to make classic games work for learning goals. Ask students to rewrite the rules and point systems to infuse your content. Don't have a lot of board games laying around? Use digital versions like this Sorry template from Ryan The Game Show Guy. Find tons of tutorials and links to templates on his YouTube Channel.
-Shared by Karly Moura
5. Turn information recall into a Jeopardy game
When you assign point values to certain kinds of remembering, it adds a game element to the activity. Assigning less points to "easier" questions and more points to "harder" questions helps the player see how well he/she is playing the game. This is why classroom versions of Jeopardy! have been so popular. Use this Jeopardy game template to make your own.
-Shared by Matt Miller
6. Turn a worksheet into a video game
Ever wondered what to do with those worksheets or end of chapter questions? Some of them are probably pretty good! Turn them into exciting and fun gaming sessions with Blooket!
Don’t have any questions on hand. Well AI can help with that! Take a tool like QuestionWell or Diffit.me and turn any resource into multiple choice questions that you can turn into a Blooket!
7. Memorize facts with trivia games
Wayground (formerly Quizizz) lets you turn almost anything into an interactive game. You can generate a full quiz from a variety of sources by uploading a document (PDF, PPT, DOC), pasting a webpage or YouTube video link, or simply typing in a text prompt. Take those facts or dates and turn them into a fun interactive quiz game.
8. Bring back classic game shows.
Use Google Slides or PowerPoint to recreate games like “The Price Is Right” or “Family Feud” for test review or new unit introductions. Check out these tutorials from Ryan The Game Show Guy to help you get started using these games in your class.
-Shared by Jen Walter
9. Track progress and rewards with badges
Badges are like online stickers that serve as tangible proof of your achievements. Use a badge and leader board template like the one's created by Alice Keeler’s to track student growth visually. Note: You'll need to allow access to the scripts to make the template work properly.
-Shared by Matt Miller
10. Incorporate clues, puzzles, and locks with escape rooms
Use Google forms to combine logic puzzles, riddles, and hidden hints to review content in an engaging way. With this tutorial and template you can make your own game or have your students use the content to create an escape room for their classmates.
Check out our Digital Escape Rooms page for ready-to-use escape rooms to inspire their creativity.
10 tips for successful classroom gamification
We gathered some of the advice from the panelist at a recent Genially + FriEdTech Gamification Roundtable, who shared their tips for moving beyond simple points and badges.
Below are 10 essential takeaways from the roundtable discussion, covering everything from dispelling common myths to designing for assessment and accessibility, that you can use to immediately level up your lesson plans.
You can watch the full webinar here or skip to the tips using the timestamps below.
1. Start simple (12:34):
A big myth is that gamification must be intense and time-consuming, requiring many tools and tech. The reality is you can start simply, even with just gamification language (e.g., "level up," giving "stars").
2. Avoid "chocolate covered broccoli" gamification (14:04):
Simply adding points, badges, or leaderboards (PBL) without a meaningful quantifiable outcome or utility is just "aesthetics" and won't truly motivate learners.
3. Incorporate onboarding and scaffolding from game design (17:35):
Good lesson design should mirror good game design (like the first level of Mario), making it easy to enter and progressively introducing challenges. Lessons should offer opportunities to fail and learn from mistakes.
4. Leverage storytelling and quests for engagement (21:09):
Storytelling mechanics—like a "zero to hero" journey or quest—are highly effective because learners are already biased towards these narratives, easing cognitive load and allowing them to focus on learning.
5. Assessment requires checkpoints and reflection (23:45):
Instead of just looking at completion rates, evidence of learning should be collected through performance-based assessments and frequent reflection snippets at different checkpoints, not just at the end.
6. Motivation is found in collaboration and real-world application (29:05):
Cooperative team experiences and having lessons connected to a real-world application motivate learners significantly. Students are motivated by seeing progress and having choice/control over their learning.
7. Value progress, autonomy, and mastery (34:15):
Motivation is driven by Ryan and Deci's self-determination theory principles: seeing progress (mastery), having choice and control (autonomy), and a sense of shared success (relatedness).
8. Design for accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (36:05):
Incorporate features like audio input for text/directions and offer students choice in difficulty level or method of presenting information.
9. Low-prep gamification can be achieved by adapting existing games (40:30):
You don't need to invent a new game. Take a commercial game's mechanics (like Uno or Exploding Kittens) and substitute the content with your learning concepts to create a fast, low-prep game.
10. Use templates to jumpstart creation (44:22):
Tools like Genially offer a variety of templates (e.g., "Dragon's Dungeon," matching games, escape rooms) that can be easily customized with your content to create a gamified activity quickly.
For notifications of new Ditch That Textbook content and helpful links:
Are you looking for quality, meaningful professional learning that both equips and inspires teachers?
Matt provides in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops and breakout sessions that equip, inspire and encourage teachers to create change in their classrooms. Teachers leave with loads of resources. They participate. They laugh. They see tech use and teaching in a new light. Click the link below to contact us and learn how you can bring Matt to your school or district!
Is Matt presenting near you soon? Check out his upcoming live events!
