Game shows are fun to watch and even more fun to be a part of. There are lots of ways to bring game show style learning to your classroom. Here are 14 ideas plus tools and templates to get started.

The music, the lights, the energy, the excitement of winning and the agony of defeat. Game shows are engaging and fun. It’s no wonder that our students love to be a part of game show style learning in our classrooms.

So how can we help students feel the thrill of winning? Or the agony of defeat? And what apps or tools are already out there to help turn your classroom into your very own “game show”?

During the weekly #DitchBook Twitter chat, educators tackled these questions and more. They shared links to resources, examples, ideas for putting a creative spin on familiar games, plus FREE templates for making your own.

Check out all 14 of the ideas and resources below along with a link to a bonus listicle created by Ryan O’Donnell. In it he shares 6 game show templates in Google Slides including Frazzle, Double Trouble, Change That Card, Family Feud, Let’s Make a Deal and The Price Is Right! You can also visit this Wakelet collection to see the entire chat.

14 ways to turn your classroom into a game show

1. Play the part!  Bring the music and your best game show host voice to really get the class involved.

A3: The host of the game show is what really makes a show.We can all name a game show we don’t like and usually it has to do with the host.Make sure you’re invested, over the top and excited to be hosting the game in your classroom and the Ss will pick up on your vibe. #ditchbook

— Nicole Nowlin (@nicole_nowlin) October 25, 2019

2. Add Family Feud style fun to your class or PD with a survey from your own community of learners. Use this Family Feud game template to get started.

A2 – I did a PD where we played family feud and teachers tried to guess the top 100 answers from their students… #ditchbook

— Sarah Warren (@wizardwarren) October 25, 2019

3. Quizizz is a fun, way to engage students in review and assessment at school or at home. And best of all, it’s free. Pair it with the Fast and Curious EduProtocol and you can really level up the fun!

A2. Love me some @quizizz
. Level it up with some #FastandCurious @eduprotocols
. Turns it into instruction and the motivation is insane. #ditchbook

— Corey Mathias (@EdTechAntics) October 25, 2019

4. Quizlet and Quizlet Live turn learning vocabulary into a fun and exciting game. New to Quizlet? Check out our post if you aren’t sure how to get started with Quizlet Live. You can play Quizlet Live in lots of different ways to keep it fresh and engaging.

A2: @quizlet @quizizz @GetKahoot @gimkit and many more! I still remember having a classroom next to the dean’s office and having both deans visit my room the first few times my classes played Kahoot! They eventually realized what was going on… #ditchbook https://t.co/tP3YMgg5ie

— Kyle Anderson (@AndersonEdTech) October 25, 2019

5. Flippity.net allows you to turn a Google Spreadsheet into a game. Try the scavenger hunt, BINGO, hangman, matching games and more!

A2: @flippitynet also has some great tools for game-based learning like Jeopardy-themed quiz game generator #DitchBook

— Tom Sweeney (@trsweeney44) October 25, 2019

6. An arcade game generator, Fakebook profile, random name picker, image reveal. Those are just a few of the fantastic tools available for FREE on classtools.net.

A2 this site is pretty amazing for putting some cool stuff out there, even for those that may be scared of tech. https://t.co/zPubEAImjk #DitchBook

— Dr. Lance McClard (@drmcclard) October 25, 2019

7. There is a reason why Jeopardy has been on the air for so long. Kids and adults love to play it! Check out #5 in this post for a template to make your own Jeopardy game in Powerpoint or Google Slides.

A2: I” />using Powerpoint for Jeopardy. Animations, Linked slides, dim lights, the Jeopardy theme song, I go all out. All Ss write Qs on 1 side of a white board paddle & keep track of $ totals on the other side. The Ss love the think theme 𝅘𝅥𝅮 during final Jeopardy. #ditchbook

— Vicki (@33heupel) October 25, 2019

8. Wheel decide is a fun way to bring a little game show fun even if you only have a few minutes. You can add your own choices in or check out their premade wheels for a quick time-filler.

A2: https://t.co/HJbpHnashQ is a fun one #DitchBook

— Craig Klement (@craigklement) October 25, 2019

9. Gimkit is quickly becoming a favorite among teachers and students. It’s like Quizlet but with power-ups. Gimkit has tons of engaging themes too like Thanos mode or zombies vs. humans. Check out our post Game show classroom: Comparing Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, and Gimkit to learn more.

A2: @gimkit has a great team vs team option. This month the theme is zombies vs. humans. Powerpoint Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire have been staples in my classroom for years to review for tests #ditchbook

— Derick Talty (@TaltyEdu) October 25, 2019

10. Head Bands with index cards is the perfect, tech-free, game show style option for vocabulary review.

A4: a great one for vocabulary is Head Bands, although I just used index cards #ditchbook pic.twitter.com/3hZaMMjM9Y

— Craig Klement (@craigklement) October 25, 2019

11. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire can be played using questions from any subject. Check out #4 in this post for a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire game template in Google Slides.

A4: I have used a “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” template and inserted my own questions. Every time I would ask a question, we turned the lights off and played the dramatic music ” /> #Ditchbook

— Megan Maxwell Naglik (@MeganNaglik) October 25, 2019

12. The chance that ANY of audience members could be called to play makes The Price Is Right even more exciting to watch. Check out this Price is Right Estimation game created by Jen Walter that turns math into a game show by asking students to “come on down!”

A4: The Price is Right #ditchbook ! Ss practice metric measurements and estimation with little dollar store prizes! It’s always a big hit!! pic.twitter.com/eU1vllhqqs

— Jen Walter (@JWalterTeach) October 25, 2019

13. Create your own Google Slides class baseball review game for any subject. Alice Keeler has provided everything you need to get started including directions and a template!

A4: @alicekeeler has a fun baseball activity that brings gaming and competition into the classroom https://t.co/y88pcVQ53u #DitchBook

— Craig Klement (@craigklement) October 25, 2019

14. Kahoot! is always a student favorite. The music alone turns up the engagement level (and the noise level) in any classroom. There are lots of different variations for playing. Try a blind Kahoot!, ghost mode, team play, or even a connected Kahoot!

A3: I think the feeling of success can be felt by any student. Especially if you play multiple rounds. @GetKahoot has Ghost Mode, so you can play against yourself to track improvement. Let all Ss feel the thrill of victory! #ditchbook https://t.co/0XsiXsXMtM

— Evan Mosier (@emosier3) October 25, 2019

BONUS! Game show templates in Google Slides

Ryan O’Donnell shared this amazing listicle with us that includes links to more learning games and tools. Plus he shares 6 game show templates in Google Slides including Frazzle, Double Trouble, Change That Card, Family Feud, Let’s Make a Deal and The Price Is Right.

Sure! here is a listicle I made last year with links to some of my game shows and to other sites where you can make them as wellhttps://t.co/zzFL0ufE16#ditchbook pic.twitter.com/lkkhaxUBMP

— Ryan O’Donnell (@creativeedtech) October 25, 2019

Want to get in on the next #DitchBook Twitter chat?

• They happen every Thursday at 7 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. Mountain / 9 p.m. Central / 10 p.m. Eastern.
• They often run for 30 minutes. Many times, moderators will offer bonus questions for those that want to continue chatting.
• Check out what’s happening on the #DitchBook Twitter chat by clicking here. (Even if you don’t have a Twitter account!)
• New to Twitter? Want to know the basics? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Twitter for Educators free ebook.
• Want to sign up for Twitter? Here are the directions.

Having trouble? Still unclear on how a Twitter chat works? Feel free to tweet to these #DitchBook ambassadors and they’ll help — Karly Moura @karlymoura, Sean Fahey @seanjfahey, Sandy Otto @sandyrotto, Rachel Marker @rachelmarker, Evan Mosier @emosier3, Mandi Tolen @TTmomTT, Craig Klement @craigklement, Tara Martin @taramartinedu, Krista Harmsworth @zonie71, Anne Kamper @annekamper, Rayna Freedman @rlfreedm, Lance McClard @drmcclard, Stephanie DeMichele @sdemichele or David Platt @herrplatt!