How to Use Gamification in Lesson Plans

Gamification can really liven up a classroom and increase participation. A decent percentage of students don’t engage in typical lesson plans, but a little bit of fun goes a long way in getting everyone interested and making the information stick. It can be difficult to incorporate so some teachers choose to forgo this helpful learning experience. However, there’s a range of ways to gamify your lesson plans.


This is probably the most commonly used and typically it’s the test prep game. The best part of this game is versatility. It can be easily adapted for use in any class regardless of the subject. Jeopardy is a great way to prove students are ready for their exams. You can divide the room into teams or make it a free-for-all, but ensure that everyone plays. The competition and a well-made interface really help with student engagement.


This requires no modification and many teachers don’t realize how great of a learning tool this classic board game is. It’s a great game for teachers of economics and finance classes. When used as an educational tool, it can assist with personal finance lesson plans. It teaches investment and money management. Referencing the game helps to teach students to be intentional in their decisions instead of believing that the game and life are both just chance.

This is great for teaching young adults the responsibility of money and how the decisions you make today can impact you in the future.


Family Feud

This game can quickly be made electronically or just on a few pieces of poster board if you aren’t the most tech-savvy teacher. It’s best used in literary and history classes. Create questions and assign points to different answers. With the internet, you can even do things like posting to social media forums such as Reddit to see what other teachers would answer to ensure you don’t leave out a good answer. It’s a great way to engage students in what’s currently being read and they are having the details reinforced. They may also learn what other students are understanding that they might be missing. Take time to briefly explain answers and student reading comprehension should increase.


 This is a game where you score points by shooting paper balls across the classroom towards the garbage can. How do you play? It’s ideal in language classes. You have the room divided into rows. Each row is a team and each desk in the row a team number. First desk per row are player 1,2,3,4,5 and so on. Say there are 5 desks per row. Each round will have 5 questions. Each desk has to answer the question that correlates to their seat and then pass the paper down the row till it reaches the player at the front of the row. That player then runs to the teacher to make sure all answers are correct. If you have any incorrect answers then the team must work together to make sure the answers are correct. If you have all the answers correct then you can get in position to shoot. You crumble up your paper into a paper ball and shoot across the room till you make it in the garbage can. At this point it will be competitive as each row will have players trying to score at the same time. Whatever team scores in the garbage can first gets a point. Repeat and switch seats so everyone gets a turn to score a goal. This is a great game for memorization classes like language arts and math. It’s also a great study-guide game. It’s loud, fun, and will make it so students won’t dread the test study guides. The best part is that it takes no set up besides strips of paper.

There are all kinds of games that can be used to benefit the classroom. Think about how you can modify these to match your classroom material. Your students are sure to have an increased understanding of the subject matter and you’ll see increased participation among all students. These three games are a great place to start, but there are so many options to liven up your classroom.

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