Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

18 Games to Play in the Classroom for Learning and Fun

By Larry Ferlazzo — October 29, 2023 2 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

I asked teachers on social media to share their favorite classroom learning games that are not online and received many responses. This post lists just a few of them.

If you’re not familiar with the names of some of the recommendations, a quick internet search will lead you to rules, descriptions, and resources.

Though the games listed in this post can be played in all kinds of classrooms, you might also be interested in The Best Ideas for Using Games in the ESL/EFL/ELL Classroom, as well as The Best Online Learning Games to Play During Distance Learning and The Best Online Games Students Can Play in Private Virtual “Rooms.”

Two Kagan strategies—Fan and Pick; Quiz-Quiz-Trade.
2 truths and a lie, Guess Who...
Word Wall Game! Pick a word from any set that SS can see and give 3 clues. They make a guess after each clue
Rowco integer card game, and greedy pig.
I like numbering Jenga pieces and having a corresponding sheet of questions/topic-related commands. If a student successfully pulls a piece, they get to choose anybody and ask the question/tell classmate what to do or solve
Brain spin
20 Questions- curiosity, nouns, community building, logic and reason. Let them figure out how to ask better and better questions.
24 For math fluency and strategy. Mancala for strategy and counting fluency, and a vintage Ring-a-Round for math fact fluency and strategy.

Thanks to everyone who contributed their suggestions!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 11 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below.

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column.

Related Tags:

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Grow Leaders, Keep Teachers: Leadership Development as a Staffing Strategy
Find out how to turn leadership development into a staffing strategy and grow your next generation of school leaders from within.
Content provided by Frontline Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Closing the Practice Gap: Essential Insights for Leaders
Three instructional experts will share strategies for making students’ reading and math practice more engaging and impactful this year.
Content provided by Renaissance
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching This Teacher Is Using Jimothy, the Viral Raccoon, to Teach Kids Inclusivity
A teacher will incorporate the viral raccoon into her classroom to spark conversations about inclusivity.
2 min read
Fans wave signs for "Jimothy," a raccoon in a viral video from Seattle, during a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds, Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Fans wave signs for "Jimothy," a raccoon in a viral video from Seattle, during a baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Cincinnati Reds, on July 21, 2026, in Seattle. The internet-famous raccoon can teach kids about kindness and wildlife, according to a teacher in Seattle.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
Teaching Opinion How to Lighten the Mental Load of Teaching: 4 Teacher-Tested Steps
A veteran teacher offers efficient approaches to make the new school year less stressful.
Katherine Efremkin
5 min read
0726 Opinion MentalLoad
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week
Teaching Q&A How the World Cup Can Build Students' Sense of Belonging
A pair of healthcare researchers say simple activities tied to the mega-competition can support mental health.
8 min read
Morocco's Achraf Hakimi (2) and France's Kylian Mbappe (10) hug after the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, on July 9, 2026.
Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, in the red jersey, embraces France's Kylian Mbappe after the World Cup quarterfinal between France and Morocco on July 9, 2026. Mental health experts see creative options for engaging students through the competition.
Steven Senne/AP
Teaching Opinion Teach For America's New CEO: 'We're Working to Reinspire Belief' in Public Education
The new TFA chief explains what’s behind a 43% uptick in its incoming class.
6 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week