In a world where screens are ubiquitous and dominate children’s attention, concerns about over-exposure are very real among teachers and parents. To combat this, why not introduce fun and learning the old-fashioned way? Our collection of 28 time-tested games is sure to keep curious young minds engaged! So, disconnect those devices and help your students discover the joy of offline play with 28 fun pen-and-paper games!
1. Tic Tac Toe
This timeless classic breathes life into strategy and critical thinking. To play, have two learners battle it out on a three-by-three grid, vying to align three identical symbols first. It’s not only a fun pastime but also an engaging way to teach your students patterns and predictions.
Learn More: YouTube
2. Dots and Boxes
Invite your little learners into this arena of line drawing and territory claiming. Have two players compete against each other, connecting dots to complete boxes, with the ultimate goal of controlling the majority of the board. It’s a remarkable game for encouraging spatial reasoning and strategic planning!
Learn More: YouTube
3. Hangman
Hangman transforms vocabulary learning into a thrilling guessing game. By guessing one letter at a time, players attempt to decipher a mystery word. It’s an excellent tool to enhance your students’ spelling skills and letter recognition.
Learn More: What Do We Do All Day
4. Pictionary
Pictionary is a popular game where artistry meets wordplay, promoting creativity, quick thinking, and teamwork. Group your class into teams and have players draw out a word or phrase while their teammates attempt to guess it.
Learn More: Pinterest
5. Battleship
Enter maritime warfare in Battleship, where your players have to plot their fleet on paper and then deduce where the opponent’s ships lie. Cultivate strategy, prediction, and spatial perception skills in your learners with this game!
Learn More: YouTube
6. MASH (Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House)
Guide your students into the whimsical world of predictive storytelling! This fortune-telling game encourages your pupils’ imaginative sides, fostering creativity and storytelling.
Learn More: It’s Always Autumn
7. Squares
A step up from Dots and Boxes, this is a mind-tickling game that nurtures spatial thinking and tactical play. Have your kiddos strategically craft large squares while impeding their opponents from doing the same.
Learn More: My Baba
8. Consequences
Unleash giggles in your classroom with this collaborative story writing game! Have your students contribute to a story in turns, each blind to previous parts. The end result? A delightful, unpredictable yarn!
Learn More: Twinkl
9. Sim
In this intricate and engaging activity, challenge your learners to connect dots without forming a triangle, bolstering logical reasoning and planning.
Learn More: Sim
10. Sprouts
To play this simple yet strategic two-player game that fosters abstract thinking and forward planning, task your kids with connecting dots on a sheet of paper under certain rules.
Learn More: Word Finder
11. Telestrations
Telestrations is a giggly blend of Pictionary and Telephone where interpretations can lead to hilarious outcomes. Introduce this game in your class to enhance creativity and communication skills in your students.
Learn More: The Board Game Family
12. Word Search
Sharpen your students’ observational skills with this word-hunting challenge. Grouping your students in teams, task players of one team with camouflaging words within a grid of letters, and have their opponents seek the words out.
Learn More: Twinkl
13. Palindrome Race
Inject fun into wordplay with this activity where your players race to generate palindromes – words reading the same backward and forwards. This race game will nurture vocabulary and pattern recognition in your learners.
Learn More: Scary Mommy
14. Crosswords
Have players take turns to craft a crossword grid with clues while their opponent deciphers them. This classic word game will enrich your students’ vocabulary and problem-solving skills.
Learn More: Book Widgets
15. Cipher Code Break
Set your students on a thrilling mission to decipher encoded messages! This activity is a fascinating journey into cryptography that can foster logical reasoning and problem-solving skills in your learners.
Learn More: Gift Of Curiosity
16. Categories
This rapid-fire word game enhances memory and recall. Have your players brainstorm words fitting within a chosen category, and score them based on the words they managed to come up with.
Learn More: Spot
17. 20 Questions
This delightful guessing game hones inquisitive thinking. Instruct your students to ask yes/no questions to figure out a mystery item or person. A simple but popular game, it builds curiosity and creativity in your learners.
Learn More: Games 4 ESL
18. Chain Reaction
For a fast-paced activity that will keep your students on their toes, try chain reaction! To play this game, ask your kiddos to form new words starting with the previous word’s last letter. This race of wits strengthens your learners’ vocabulary and quick thinking.
Learn More: YouTube
19. Capture
If your students enjoy tactical games, try Capture, in which they must draw intersecting lines to enclose territory. Not only is it enjoyable, but the activity also fosters spatial reasoning and strategic planning in your little ones.
Learn More: Math With Bad Drawings
20. Maze Race
Grouping your students, ask them to craft mazes and then swap to complete each other’s challenge. This fun activity encourages spatial thinking and creative problem-solving.
Learn More: Kara Carrero
21. Word Ladder
In this word game, instruct your players to morph one word into another by altering a single letter at each step. Word Ladder provides a fun linguistic challenge, boosting your learners’ vocabulary and problem-solving skills.
Learn More: This Literacy Life
22. Sudoku
To play this numerical puzzle, task your students with filling a 9×9 grid so that each row, column, and 3×3 sub-grid includes all digits from 1-9. Available in various difficulty levels, Sudoku enhances logical reasoning and number skills.
Learn More: Gamesver
23. Jotto
Improve your learners’ vocabulary and deduction skills with this guessing game in which they will try to uncover each other’s secret words based on shared letters.
Learn More: Your Dictionary
24. Gomoku
This is a strategy-based game in which your students must align five of their pieces before their opponent does. Gomoku is not only entertaining; it also encourages thinking ahead and pattern recognition.
Learn More: YouTube
25. Word Scramble
Ask your learners to unravel jumbled words in this mind-boggling game that boosts their vocabulary and spelling skills.
Learn More: Osmo
26. Speed Letters
To play this game, have your learners race against time to write the alphabet from A to Z. It’s an entertaining way to enhance letter recognition and handwriting speed in your students.
Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
27. Checkerboard Math
In this math-driven board game, ask your learners to connect numbers that add, subtract, multiply, or divide to reach a target. It improves their arithmetic skills and strategic thinking.
Learn More: Teach Beside Me
28. Cows and Bulls
This is a simple guessing game: ask one of your students to think of a four-digit number, and other players try to guess it.
Learn More: YouTube
70 Helpful Resources For Teachers