Get the Fun Going! Easy Classroom Games You Can Play at School: Recreational Activities for the Whole Class
Here are some games and class recreation activities you can play in an elementary school classroom! There are many options, including simple games for small groups, activities the whole class can enjoy, and team competitions.
Some require equipment, but there are also plenty you can start right away.
“Shiritori” and a “Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament” are easy to set up and really get everyone excited! Use these ideas as a reference and have fun with your friends during recess or at school events.
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Communication-based Class Recreation Game Collection (11–20)
Lip-Sync Telephone Game
The silent lip-reading telephone game.
The first person passes a designated word to the next person using only mouth movements.
Since no one is allowed to make a sound, the receiver has to carefully read the speaker’s lips.
This continues in order, and if the last person can say the correct answer, the team succeeds.
Meanings can change along the way, and unexpected answers often lead to laughter—that’s part of the fun.
This game tests observation and imagination, so it’s sure to be a hit.
Start with simple words and then try longer or more difficult phrases to make it even more entertaining.
It’s easy to play in a classroom, making it a great option for breaks or recreation time.
Magical Banana
Games you can play in short breaks, like during recess, are really popular, aren’t they? If you’re looking for something like that, I recommend “Magical Banana.” The rules are the same as a word association game: you start with “Magical Banana—when you say banana, you think of ___.” You can play it in any situation, so it’s one of those easy, casual games.
Back-writing Telephone Game
Didn’t you play this when you were little? It’s a telephone game where you write a character on someone’s back and pass it along.
Simple characters are easy to convey, but it gets harder as the number of characters increases.
Even if you think, “That game’s easy!”, it’s surprisingly hard to get it right.
It’s obvious, but the trick is to write correctly, carefully, and slowly.
Trump & Card Game
We’d like to introduce card games using playing cards or karuta.
Usually, you play with cards on a desk or on a small space on the floor.
This time, try using a large classroom with desks and chairs pushed aside.
If you’re using playing cards, spread out all the cards to play Concentration; if you’re using karuta, spread out the picture cards around the room.
Because the game takes place in a large space, the children will walk around to look for the cards.
A card game with a wide range of movement is sure to get the kids excited.
Playing in teams is also recommended.
You’ll likely hear teammates calling out hints like, “There’s one over there!”
Whose Voice Quiz
It’s a game where you look only at a stranger’s face and try to guess which voice belongs to them.
The fun is in testing how accurately our imagination—“this is probably what this person sounds like”—matches reality just from seeing their face.
We usually hear voices paired with a person’s face, but here you first look only at the face, then listen only to the voice, and the interesting part is thinking about the two separately.
The ‘Another One Here-Hello Game’
Because you can enjoy it easily without any preparation, this is a game you can start right away at school.
You play with several people and take turns saying a “relatable situation” that you think exactly one other person—besides yourself—will empathize with.
Anyone who relates shouts “Oru oru~!!” in time with the cue.
That’s the only rule, but coming up with those borderline relatable tidbits is surprisingly hard! Sometimes you might end up a little embarrassed because you said something super relatable, yet you were the only one who felt that way…! Including those little mishaps, it’s a simple game everyone can enjoy.
Communication-themed class recreation game collection (21–30)
Telepathy Drawing Game
“Telepathy Drawing Game” is a game where you infer an answer from a few hints and, as a team, try to draw the same thing.
It’s easier if you decide on a category in advance.
For example, set the category to “school,” and use hints like “has four legs,” “square,” and “surprisingly comfortable to sleep on.” The answering team draws what they think the answer is without discussing it, and if everyone’s drawings match, they win.
By the way, the answer is “desk”! You can play with 3–4 people using a blackboard, and even if the answers match, differences in drawing skill alone make it a fun and lively game.
