6 Online Games like Kahoot and How to Use Them in Class
Most TEFL/ESL teachers have probably heard of Kahoot and used it in class before, but Kahoot isn’t the only online game in town, so read on to discover 6 other online games perfect for online or in-person English class.
Kahoot (How can I use it?)
If you’ve never played Kahoot in class, you absolutely should. Your students will need access to a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to play, and the teacher will need a projector or large screen. As the teacher, you’ll need to sign up or log in. When you first sign up, Kahoot will ask if you want to upgrade your account. Scroll down and look for the “Continue with Basic” button. Now you can use Kahoot for free!
After you sign up, you can “Create” and make your own Kahoot by adding questions and answers to a game, or you can “Search public Kahoots” and choose a Kahoot that someone has already made, which is useful if you’re teaching something common, like present perfect or clothing vocabulary.
After you’ve chosen a Kahoot, save the link and click “Play” when you’re in class. Project the start page for the students. Students can use the code or the QR code to join the game. Wait till everyone has joined and click start. The questions and answers will appear on the teacher’s screen and the students have to answer using their devices.
What other online games are there?
1. Blooket
Blooket is a completely free resource that allows your students to play games as they write answers. Just sign up and choose the free option. It works much the same as Kahoot. The teacher signs up and can either “Discover” a game from the public resource or “Create” a game themselves. If you make one yourself, just input the questions and answers that are relevant to your class. Students will need a tablet, phone, or computer to play, but a projector isn’t strictly necessary as students can just type the code and they won’t need to see your screen to play.
The difference from Kahoot is that Blooket feeds students questions independently. I find that it’s a good game to play in groups, allowing two or three students to use one device to work together on choosing answers. If they choose the answers correctly they can play a mini-game, which students love.
I find that some teachers are nervous to play Kahoot because they don’t understand how to play the mini-games. Don’t worry about it. The games are pretty self-explanatory and the students always seem to understand how to play within a few seconds. If you’re still concerned, some of the easiest games for new players to understand are “Fishing Frenzy” and “Deceptive Dinos.”
Avoid “Tower Defense”’ if your students have never played Blooket before because it’s the most complicated game.
2. Wordwall
I love Wordwall! This resource has multiple types of games, some of which are best played independently on students’ separate digital devices and some which are best played together as a class using a projector or smart board.
The tricky thing about Wordwall is that the free version is limited. Without a subscription you will only be able to create 5 games on Wordwall.
But!
If you choose your 5 free games wisely, you can edit them as much as you want, which means that you can change the questions for each new unit in your class, and your students will get a “new game” each time.
If you don’t plan on signing up for a subscription, then these are the 5 free games I recommend you create in your free account, so that you can create them one time and edit them over and over. (Be sure to create 5 separate games. The first time I signed up for Wordwall, I created 5 of the same type of game and wasted my free games opportunity.)
- Gameshow quiz – This is the perfect game to project onto the board. It shows students questions, they must choose answers quickly. There are lifelines and opportunities for bonus points. Students go crazy for this game.
- Anagram – This is a good game for students to play independently. Students must quickly unscramble spelling words.
- Unjumble – This is the same as Anagram, but students must unscramble whole sentences instead of single words.
- Random Wheel – This is a digital spinning wheel. You can make it simple by just adding questions, so you project it and students must spin and answer. Or you can add points or “bombs” that subtract points and make it a team game.
- Matching Pairs – This is good old fashioned concentration. Put pictures for young students to match or put grammar points like “past participle” and “infinitive” for older students to match. They can play as a class on the board or individually with their own devices.
Playing the free version is great and gets the job done, but paying for Wordwall, if you’re going to be using it a lot, is honestly worth it. The games in the paid version, like “Image Quiz” and “Maze Chase” are just so good. We’re not sponsored. We just think Wordwall is a teaching resource worth paying for.
3. Crowdpurr
A relatively new addition to my classroom games, Crowdpurr is an online trivia website and adult students love it. Just go to “Trivia Library” choose a topic relevant to your class or which you think your students would like, and let everyone sign in via the QR code. This game is best played on smartphones, so is a good one for adults to play.
Tell everyone not to click “Continue/Play” until everyone is ready, otherwise some students will see the answers before others.
When everyone’s ready, click “Continue/Play” at the same time and see who knows the most trivia!
4. Jeopardy Labs
The classic teaching game Jeopardy has gotten an upgrade! I love that this game is all automated (no keeping track of points for the teacher), and I really love the “Find a Jeopardy Game” resource. Simply type in a topic and search. This resource is huge. It’s a real time saver when you need a review game, but don’t have time to prepare one. It has loads of ESL grammar games already prepared.
After you’ve chosen or created a game, click “Play,” choose the number of teams, and project the game onto the board. Just like the old classic, students choose a topic and number of points, then answer a question. Easy and fun!
5. Baamboozle
Another great free resource with a huge library of games is Baamboozle. If you sign up for free, you can play Classic Baamboozle (you have to pay if you want to play the alternative games). Go to “My Library,” “Games,” and “+Game” to make your own. Or go to “Games,” “Games,” and “Search for Games” if you want to use one that has already been created.
This website has a huge resource of games, so I guarantee you can find a game for most ESL topics. Choose a game, hit “Free,” and select the free options for “2 teams” and “Classic.”
The game will start automatically with Team 1, so divide the class into two, decide which team will go first, and project the game on the board. Let someone from Team 1 choose a square. If they answer correctly, click “Okay” and it will give Team 1 points. If they were wrong, hit “Oops.”
Baamboozle is simple but fun because the points vary and there are wild boxes that say things like “Steal points from Team 2,” so it really keeps students on their toes.
6. Online Youtube Quizzes
Finally, did you know there are games on Youtube?
Here are some examples of great Youtube games to play with your students.
- Guess the Sound, Weather – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1d1O6E9Gr4 – A great game for children learning about the weather
- Guess The TECHNOLOGY | Emoji Riddles – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BoI6zFDTw – A good game for older students learning technology vocabulary.
- FUN Present Continuous Guessing Game – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXJamxSzwxQ&t=53s – A fun game for students studying present continuous.
Those are just a few examples. To search for your own, just go to Youtube, type in whatever topic you’re teaching and add “game” or “quiz” to the search and see what’s there. I’ve found some really great games on Youtube over the years and I find that students are always super engaged with videos even if they’re simple ones with a question and a timer.
