TeachersFirst's Game-Based Learning Resources
This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst provides the editors’ choices of the TOP tools for game-based learning. Game-based learning is popular in today’s classrooms. Explore tools in various subject and topic areas. Differentiate for all students using games! Find games to help your students learn and review.
Explore all of the resources tagged game-based learning.

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Learning Game Generator - Yourway Learning
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), assessment (146), Formative Assessment (73), game based learning (206), gamification (86), Teacher Utilities (202)
In the Classroom
Use the game generator to create activities for use during station rotations, whole-class games, or as a homework activity. Use the features included on this site to request changes until you identify a game that meets your needs and your class's. Be specific with your requests; for example, ask for a Jeopardy-style game that includes all of the answers to use in your game. If your class enjoys games that require a lot of movement or use puzzles, include that type of information in your prompt. Use this site to create questions for online game-maker tools such as Classroom Jeopardy, reviewed here and those found on TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Gamification Resources, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Teach Your Monster - The Usborne Foundation
Grades
K to 2tag(s): game based learning (206), literacy (121), phonics (52)
In the Classroom
Assign each student a notebook where they write down new words they encounter in the game. They could also make a digital notebook using WriteReader reviewed here. Create a small reading corner or station where partners can practice blending sounds and decoding words. Pair students and have them take turns reading words or sentences aloud that they learn through the game.Topmarks - TopMarks Online Ltd.
Grades
K to 2This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (206), literacy (121), phonics (52), preK (289)
In the Classroom
After playing a phonics game on the website, create a classroom race where students identify words with specific sounds (ex., "sh" or "ch") on flashcards around the room. Students collect cards with correct sounds and earn points for their team. Use the sentence-building game from Topmarks as inspiration. Provide students with word cards (nouns, verbs, adjectives) to construct sentences in small groups. Challenge them to make their sentences longer or add descriptive words for extra points. After playing word-recognition games, set up a classroom scavenger hunt where students find objects or pictures that match words from the games. Set up classroom literacy stations that include Topmarks games on tablets or computers, a phonics-based board game, and a reading corner with decodable books. Rotate students through stations in small groups.Groovelit - Harvard Innovation Labs
Grades
K to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (187), creative writing (126), persuasive writing (58), vocabulary development (95), writing (325)
In the Classroom
Be sure to visit Groovelit's blog to find many ideas for classroom use, such as bell ringers, quick writes, and creative writing prompts. In addition, the blog shares several certificate templates to recognize student achievements, such as inclusion in the "Spicy Vocabulary Word Hall of Fame" and "Greek Roots Mastery Tracker." Use these ideas and others to create your certificates for students to share using the certificate creator found at Tools for Educators, reviewed here. Groovelit can also engage reluctant writers by generating short yet interesting prompts that reward students with points through short writing activities. Differentiate writing activities as needed based on students' needs. For example, quickly generate writing prompts for different topics of interest for your students or assign activities based on students' writing or vocabulary skills.The Big Fib Podcast - Benjamin Strouse, Chris Tarry & David Kreizman
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (206), media literacy (113), podcasts (116)
In the Classroom
Share this podcast as a flipped learning experience or include it as part of a listening center during station rotation activities on evaluating information shared by different sources. Take advantage of free teaching materials such as the Listening Guide to provide students with focus while listening and as a resource for documenting their evaluation process. After listening to and evaluating several episodes of the podcast, encourage students to write and produce a podcast in a similar style. After creating storyboards and writing their script, use a podcast creation tool such as Castbox Creator Studio, reviewed here to record and share your podcasts.Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Twinkl
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): comics and cartoons (56), creative writing (126), game based learning (206), interactive stories (22), writing (325), writing prompts (60)
In the Classroom
Engage students by introducing your Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen tasks with the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse official trailer at the bottom of the page. Discover activities for learners aged 5-16 years. Fuel your student's interest with these entertaining, curriculum-aligned, Spider-Man activities! Use one of the writing prompts for a creative warm-up activity. Play interactive games on computers as a part of daily station rotations. Free downloadable activities include occupational therapy, fine motor skills, writing prompts, reading comprehension passages, interactive games, and math activities.K20 Games - University of Oklahoma K20 Center
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bias (28), business (54), careers (182), data (150), evolution (88), financial literacy (95), functions (52), game based learning (206), media literacy (113), organizational skills (88), psychology (65), statistics (121), weather (160)
In the Classroom
Learn more about how to use the K20 game portal by viewing instructional videos provided on the K20 playlist found here. Include financial literacy games in your classroom to engage students in discussing finances, statistics, and decision-making using real-life scenarios. Ask students to compare and contrast their decisions as they play the games, share discussions on Gravity, reviewed here, and encourage students to provide feedback to peers on the consequences and benefits of their game decisions. Ask your tech-savvy students to create tutorials for each game using a screen recording tool such as Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, then share the recordings on your class website for students to use at home and school.Music Games - Crazy Games
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (206), musical instruments (54), rhythm (22), trivia (18)
In the Classroom
Before sharing these games with students or including them on classroom computers, demonstrate how to identify and avoid ads in some games. Then, use the games to engage students in learning about different musical instruments, understanding rhythm and beat, or supplementing current music class instruction. Make it easy for students to find shared games using Symbaloo, reviewed here. Create a Symbaloo mix that links to shared games and add it as a resource on classroom computers. If students have difficulties understanding instructions, ask other students to create tutorials using Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, then share a link to the tutorial on classroom devices and your class website.Logic Games - Crazy Games
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): game based learning (206), logic (160), problem solving (234), puzzles (149)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this game site as a resource for logic and puzzle games to share with your students. Consider adding a puzzle of the week to your computer center activities or as an engaging at-home learning activity. Puzzles are an excellent way to strengthen math conversations in any classroom. After spending time with logic puzzles, ask students to share their thought and learning processes as they play each game. Ask students to create a screen recording demonstrating how to play the game and discussing the process. Use your device's screen recording features or an online tool such as Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to create and share recordings. Use a simple curation tool such as 3X3 Links, reviewed here, to share students' recordings and/or discussions in one easy-to-find location.Science Games - Crazy Games
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): body systems (40), earth (182), game based learning (206), human body (91), mitosis (9), planets (113), solar system (108), space (220)
In the Classroom
Be sure to take some time to explore this site before sharing it with students due to the different kinds of activities available. You may want to share specific games with tech-savvy students first, then let them be the teacher to show classmates how to play. Include games as part of blended learning activities, computer centers, or online lessons. For example, use Canvas LMs, reviewed here, to create a lesson incorporating one or more science games, video tutorials, quizzes, and additional activities. Enhance learning by asking students to work in groups to create science games using Scratch, reviewed here. Many examples and tutorials are available on Scratch to get you started.Art Games - Crazy Games
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): artists (87), colors (63), drawing (62), game based learning (206), gamification (86), trivia (18)
In the Classroom
Before assigning games with students, use your whiteboard or a screen recording to demonstrate how to avoid ads found on the site. It is also helpful to add a short tutorial for some games to get students started, as most games do not include instructions. Select games on this site, and others, as part of an arts center that features music, art, and drama games and activities. Curate your resources into one place to make it easier for students to find and access them using Wakelet, reviewed here, or another curation tool. Instead of sharing several links onto computer devices, share a link to the Wakelet collection that includes all your resources.Math Games - Crazy Games
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (127), coordinates (15), equations (119), game based learning (206), logic (160), multiplication (120), number sense (68), problem solving (234), time (91)
In the Classroom
This site has quite a few advertisements; before sharing with students, demonstrate how to avoid the ads when playing games. Include games from this site as part of a math center or problem-solving homework activity. Ask students to discuss and share their problem-solving strategies after playing. Extend math learning by asking students to create a weekly or monthly math podcast using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Use this podcast for students to compare and contrast strategies for solving the different games and share their understanding of the math concepts featured in the games.iThrive Sim- Digital Simulation Games - ithrive games
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): collaboration (94), flipped learning (9), game based learning (206), Online Learning (36), simulations (23), social and emotional learning (110)
In the Classroom
Teachers can find links to individual games, downloadable curricula for various video games, lesson plans, and teaching resources. These game simulations are designed to build skills in decision-making, understanding bias, compromise, advocacy, and collaboration among students. The games support face-to-face interaction and can also be adapted to the needs of online and hybrid learning environments.Teachers' Guide to Cranky Uncle - John Cook
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (146), digital citizenship (93), evaluating sources (30), game based learning (206), internet safety (116), media literacy (113), social media (50)
In the Classroom
Add this game to your toolkit of lessons and activities when teaching Internet safety and media literacy skills. The Teachers' Guide already includes many ideas on integrating the game into classroom lessons and includes using technology to enhance and extend learning. Use these ideas as a starting point to build student engagement and help them understand the real-world applications for the information found in the game. For example, use the suggested Padlet, reviewed here, activity to compile quiz questions as suggested in Activity 5. After completing that activity, have students create their own videos, fake social media posts, or news articles that contain misinformation and create quiz questions for their peers to complete. Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here, is an excellent tool for students to use when creating websites, flyers, and infographics. As a final project, and to extend learning, have students share what they learned with others by producing podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here, or digital books for younger students using Book Creator, reviewed here.The Pack - New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): animals (293), ecology (105), ecosystems (85), environment (251), game based learning (206), plants (148)
In the Classroom
Utilize the Teacher-Guide to find ideas for classroom use. Use the table in the guide as a starting point to document and organize student learning. As students play The Pack, use a spreadsheet tool such as Excel or Google Sheets to recreate the table in the guide and add additional areas of documentation. Enhance student learning by having students use a screen recording tool like Screencastify, reviewed here, to share different portions of the game and their chosen actions. As a final activity, and to extend student learning, ask students to create their own environmental learning game using Scratch, reviewed here.Clever Crazes for Kids - Building Healthy Lives Foundation
Grades
K to 8tag(s): game based learning (206), multilingual (78), preK (289), STEM (310)
In the Classroom
Add games found on Clever Crazes for Kids to others shared on classroom computers. Encourage students to participate in games by earning points. Have students document and extend their learning by sharing screenshots of accomplishments and by screen recording student reading sessions to demonstrate progress. Use Seesaw, reviewed here, as a digital portfolio to document progress and share student learning with parents.PBS Kids - PBS
Grades
K to 5tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (146), game based learning (206), literacy (121), preK (289), video (267)
In the Classroom
Discover and share the many free resources available on PBS Kids. Show clips on your interactive whiteboard, or with your projector, then have students complete an accompanying activity. With younger students, use Gravity, reviewed here, as a video response platform for students to share how they would use what they learned by watching the videos or using the interactives. Alternatively, you might try using Acast, reviewed here; Acast is an extremely easy to use tool for creating audio to share as podcasts. PBS Kids is perfect for sharing with parents. Include a link to activities on your class website along with suggestions on how to use activities at home.SplashLearn - StudyPad, Inc
Grades
K to 5tag(s): addition (127), alphabet (52), blended learning (36), decimals (85), division (96), equations (119), fractions (159), game based learning (206), geometric shapes (133), Learning Management Systems (20), measurement (123), multiplication (120), number sense (68), place value (33), preK (289), sight words (23), spelling (98), subtraction (108)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games and activities to provide practice and support with your math and reading curriculums. Differentiate learning based on student ability and confidence. Assign content based on students' learning goals. Share this site with parents to provide practice and support for math and ELA concepts at home. Use SplashLearn's reports and assessment results to guide your lesson planning and make adaptations to adjust to students' learning needs. Share this site with other practice activities using a bookmarking tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here. Share your Symbaloo link with parents and on classroom computers for easy access to all learning tools shared. Use activities found in SplashLearn as part of a blended learning experience using Pear Deck, reviewed here. Include a link to the site along with videos and other learning activities found online or uploaded from your computer.Bad News - Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab and DROG
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): digital citizenship (93), game based learning (206), internet safety (116), media literacy (113), social media (50)
In the Classroom
This game is perfect for use as an introduction to lessons on digital citizenship, media literacy, and social media. Share the site with your students to explore on their own and encourage them to play several different times using the different options provided. Your students won't mind playing over and over; it is easy to get hooked on trying to find the best way to gain as many followers as possible! Once students become familiar with the game and the different options presented for spreading misinformation, ask them to apply their findings to online content. Have them do some online research to find sites or information using tactics such as emotion and the others featured in Bad News. As they research sites and online information, have them add links to the sites they find on a class Padlet. Padlet, reviewed here, offers an option to create columns, use this option then label a column for each badge found in the game and ask students to share a link to their sites in the appropriate column. In addition to adding a link, have students include a comment providing information on why their site belongs in the category. Instead of assessing learning with quizzes or a written report, enhance learning and transform your assessment by having students create infographics to share information learned. Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, provides easy to use templates to create interesting and informative infographics. Extend leaning and ask students to become the teacher using Quizizz, reviewed here. Include videos, quizzes, and other interactive activities as part of your Quizizz lesson. Be sure to share your assessment rubric with students as part of your assignment. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here.Immigration Nation - iCivics
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): game based learning (206), immigration (84), landmarks (21), politics (118)