A Fake Artist Goes to New York
How to Play: Get together a group of 5-10 players to play this fun bluffing game! Start by assigning one person to be the first Question Master (every player will take turns playing this role). The Question Master must choose and announce a category to the group (e.g., domestic pets). Then, they’ll choose a word that fits that category (e.g., bird), write that word on several slips of paper, and give those papers to the players (who will not say the word aloud). However, one of the players will receive a slip of paper that only has an “X” written on it, which designates them as the fake artist! Next, players go around the table, and each one draws one contiguous stroke on their drawing paper to begin drawing the item named by the Question Master. Repeat this for another rotation around the table. Then, players can begin to guess who the fake artist is. If the fake artist isn’t caught, both the Question Master and the fake artist receive a point. If the fake artist is caught and can’t guess what the word is, each artist earns a point.
Boggle
How to Play: Draw a 4x4 grid onto a large whiteboard and write one random letter in each box. Instruct players to make a list of as many words as they can by connecting the adjoining letters on the Boggle board. Whoever is able to make the most words in a specified amount of time (could be anywhere between 1 minute and 30 minutes!) is the winner of that round. For example, let’s say your Boggle grid looks like this: E | S | TB | A | NP | R | W In this case, some potential words would include “seat,” “sat,” “news,” “nets,” “pants,” and “paws.” However, a word like “pest” would not work because the “p” is not adjacent to the “e,” “s,” or “t.” You could, however, write down the word “best”! Here’s a digital and printable example of a Boggle round. You can use this template for your game or as inspiration for your own Boggle grid.
Blindfold Game
How to Play: Draw a large flower on a whiteboard and draw a bee onto the center of the flower. On each player’s turn, blindfold them and challenge them to find the bee without using their sight (sort of like Pin the Tail on the Donkey!). As an alternative, you can write a word on the board with one letter missing and challenge the player to write the missing letter in the correct spot (while blindfolded).
Celebrity Heads
How to Play: Choose three players and sit them in front of a large whiteboard. Write the name of a different well-known celebrity above each player’s head. Then, have the “celebrity-headed” players take turns asking yes-or-no questions to the rest of the players in order to guess which celebrity they are. Players can only answer with “yes,” “no,” “sometimes,” and “I don’t know.” Here are some good questions to start with: “Is my celebrity a man?” “Is my celebrity an actor?” “Is my celebrity American?” “Is my celebrity older than 35?”
Crocodile
How to Play: Draw a 6x6 grid on a large whiteboard. In your head (or on a secret piece of paper), assign each square of the grid to a question or a “crocodile.” Have players take turns naming the coordinates on the grid to select a square. If the square they choose is matched to a question, they must answer the question—and they get points for answering correctly or truthfully. If the square they choose is hiding a crocodile, however, they lose all of their points to the hungry reptile.
Family Feud
How to Play: Prepare a list of categories with 5-10 words in each category. The words in that category should be the most popular or common items in that list. For instance, a “chip flavors” category might include “plain,” “barbecue,” “cheddar and sour cream,” “sour cream and onion,” “salt and vinegar,” etc. Once you’re ready to play, divide your players into pairs or small groups. Write the category on the board, alongside the number of items you’ve secretly listed in that category (e.g., “Chip Flavors (5)”). Set a timer for 2-3 minutes. Once this time is up, write your list of words on the board. For each item you wrote that a team also had on their list, they get a point. Play the game for several rounds, then count up each team’s total points. Whichever team has the most points at the end is the Family Feud champion! Here are some examples of Family Feud categories and answers.
Hangman
How to Play: Select a puzzle giver and have them silently choose a word, phrase, or sentence. The puzzle giver should then draw an upside-down “L” (aka the Hangman’s gallows) and a row of dashes across the whiteboard, with each dash representing a letter in their chosen word. Then, have the other players take turns guessing letters. If a guessed letter is in the secret word, the puzzle giver must write it on the dashes corresponding to where it appears in the word. Players can guess the complete word at any time. If a guessed letter is not in the secret word, the puzzle giver writes it to the side of the board so that players can keep track of which letters have been guessed already. Then, they add a body part to the “hangman” stick figure on the board. Typically, each incorrectly guessed letter will add one of these body parts to the board, roughly in this order: head, body, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg. The game ends whenever the first of these two things happens: the complete word is guessed by a player or the hangman stick figure is completed. If the correct word is guessed, the player that guessed it is the winner! If you’re playing Hangman in a school environment, it may be better to play the “Snowman” variation and add “body parts” to a doodled snowman (e.g., bottom ball, middle ball, top ball, carrot nose, smile, eyes, top hat, and scarf).
Hot Seat
How to Play: Place a chair in front of a large whiteboard and position it so that anyone sitting in the chair will be facing away from the board. Ask a player to sit in the chair, then write a word on the whiteboard behind them. The rest of the players then try to describe the word to the player in the chair without actually telling them what the word is. Once the player in the chair is able to answer correctly, another player replaces them and a new word is written on the board. Spelling the word, using gestures, or offering a rhyming word are not allowed. Players have to describe the word in some way that gets the guessing player to figure out what it is! For instance, if the word is “phone,” players might say, “You make calls on this, and it fits in your pocket.” They would not be able to say, “It’s spelled P-H-O-N-E” and “It rhymes with ‘clone’” or make a gesture of holding a phone to their ear.
Jeopardy
How to Play: Ahead of time, prepare a list of five categories and five trivia questions for each category (here are some example Jeopardy categories and questions!). In each category, make each question more difficult than the last—starting with the easiest question and ending with a challenging one. Assign a dollar value to each question: $100 for the easiest question, $200 for the next question, and so on until you reach $500 for the most difficult question. Once you have your list of questions, draw a 5x6 grid on your whiteboard. Write your category names in each square across the top row, “$100” in each square in the second row, “$200” in the third row, “$300” in the fourth row, “$400” in the fifth row, and “$500” in the sixth row. Now, you’re finally ready for gameplay! Split your group into teams, or have 3-4 individual players go head to head. On each turn, have one team or player select a category and dollar value from the board. Read the question associated with that category and money amount. At that point, any team or player can raise their hand, slap the table, or hit a buzzer to indicate that they know the answer to the question. If they answer the question correctly, they receive the dollar amount in points (not actual cash!). If they answer the question incorrectly, that dollar amount gets deducted from their point total (even if they go into the negatives) and another player can answer. Play continues until all questions have been asked and answered.
Last Letter First
How to Play: Divide the players into groups of at least four people each. Have each group of players stand together in a line, with every player facing the whiteboard. Give a dry-erase marker to the first player in line for each group. Then, shout out a topic or category (e.g., reptiles, countries, vegetables, car models, etc.). The first players in line for each team run to the board and write a word from that category. As soon as they finish their word, the player returns to their team and gives the marker to the next person in line. This second player must rush to the board and write a word that starts with the last letter of the previous written word. If the category is “chemistry terms,” for example, and the first player on a team wrote “atom,” then the second player must write a word that starts with “m.” Play continues like this until every player in each team has taken their turn. Whichever team gets through their line first and has correct words on the board is the winner!
Missing Object
How to Play: Have 2-5 players stand directly in front of a large whiteboard, facing the board. Write a series of words on the board (e.g., coffee, tea, juice, milk, soda, water, smoothie). You can choose for the words to follow a specific theme or category, or they can be completely random! Then, ask the players to turn around so that they can no longer see the board. Erase one of the words, then say “Go!” When you say “go,” players must turn around and attempt to name the missing word. Whoever names the correct missing word first is the winner!
Mixed-Up Sentences
How to Play: Split your group into teams of 3-4, or have players play individually. Give a mini-whiteboard to each team or individual player. Then, write or project a scrambled sentence that has its words in the wrong order: e.g., “is green glove the” instead of “The glove is green.” Have players race to write the correctly-ordered sentence on their board. Whoever is the fastest (and correct) earns a point, and then you can move on to the next mixed-up sentence.
Pictionary
How to Play: Split your group into small teams of 3-4 players. Then, ask one player from any team to choose a word from a bowl full of pre-written clues or a Pictionary word generator. Once the player selects a word, give them a whiteboard marker and ask them to begin drawing their word. Their goal is to get the other players to guess what they’re drawing—the first team to guess the word earns a point! Keep in mind that the drawing player cannot use verbal or physical communication, and they can’t write any words or numbers on the whiteboard.
Rebus Puzzles
How to Play: Draw ten or more rebus puzzles on a large whiteboard. Split your group into teams and let them work together to solve the puzzles. Whenever a team correctly solves a new puzzle, they earn a point—other teams can still work to solve that puzzle, but they can no longer get a point for it. Check out some rebus puzzle examples at these links: Easy Rebus Puzzles for Kids Rebus Puzzles for Middle Schoolers Rebus Puzzles for High Schoolers Challenging Rebus Puzzles for Adults
Stop the Bus
How to Play: Divide your players into pairs or small groups, then give each team a piece of paper and a pen. On the large whiteboard, write a list of 6-7 general categories—e.g., “Animals,” “Sports Teams,” “Movie Stars,” “Cities,” “World Languages,” “Fruits,” etc. Then, write a random letter on the board and shout “Go!” When you say “go,” the players must work in their teams or pairs to write down one word for each category that begins with the letter you wrote on the board. When a team finishes their list, they shout “Stop the bus!” When this phrase is shouted, all other teams must set down their pens and stop writing. Alternatively, you can set a timer for 2-3 minutes to end the round. Go through the categories one by one and have each team share their answer. The group can challenge answers that don’t fit the category. Each team is awarded one point for each correct answer. Count up each team’s points—whichever group has the most points is the winner of that round! For example, let’s say we’re using the above categories with the letter “B.” Correct answers might include “Bat,” “Boston Red Sox,” “Barbara Streisand,” “Bogotá,” “Balinese,” and “Banana.”
Suction Cup Ball
How to Play: Gather a few suction balls and have your players sit in front of a large whiteboard. Write large-print syllables and letters on the whiteboard. One at a time, each player will take a suction ball and throw it at the board. The player must then come up with a word using the syllable or letter that their ball landed on. You can award points for successful turns or simply play as a collaborative and non-competitive game.
Tic Tac Toe
How to Play: Divide your group into two teams: Team X and Team O. Draw a 3x3 grid on a large whiteboard, then ask players to take turns choosing a square in which to put their team’s symbol: X or O. Alternate turns between the two teams. In order to win, one team has to get three of their symbols in a row—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. To up the challenge level, consider drawing a bigger board: 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, etc. To add an educational angle, add a target vocab word, concept, or equation into each of the boxes. If the student or player wants to place their marker in a box, they must first define the word or concept, use the word in a sentence, or solve the equation. If you’re playing with only two players, you can follow these same instructions with each player representing a “team.”
Word Dash
How to Play: Write pairs of homophones or otherwise easily-confused words all over a large whiteboard—e.g., air/heir, reign/rain, whole/whole, fifteen/fifty, affect/effect, your/you’re, etc. Divide your players into two teams and have them stand in two single-file lines facing the board. Whichever player is first in each line will play the first round. When you want to begin the round, say a sentence that uses one of the words or homophones in a sentence, e.g., “You can get your driving permit at fifteen” or “She’s the heir to the throne.” The first two players must run to the board and circle the correct word. Whoever circles the correct word first wins a point for their team. Play continues like this, with each player in the line taking a turn.
Words Within a Word
How to Play: Write a long word on a whiteboard—aim for at least eight letters in the word. Some good examples include “pedestrian,” “metamorphosis,” “characteristic,” and “tablecloth.” Then, challenge the players to create new words using only the letters from the initial word. For example, if the starting word is “aardvark,” possible “words within the word” include “dark,” “rad,” “ark,” and more!
Word Wheels
How to Play: Draw a large circle onto your whiteboard and divide it into eight equal triangular sections (like eight slices of pie). Then, draw a small circle in the center of the circle. Write a letter in the small circle—for an easier game, go for a vowel. Then, write different letters in each of the “slices” of the circle. You’ve just made a word wheel! Once you’re ready to play, show the word wheel to your players. Their goal is to create as many words as possible using the letters in the word wheel. Letters don’t have to be adjacent to each other to be used in the same word, and players can use each letter repeatedly in a single word. However, every word must contain the letter in the small circle. For example, let’s say a word wheel has a center letter E and the other letters are K, P, W, L, A, B, S, and C. Potential words include “sales,” “bleak,” and “well.” However, “slap” doesn’t work because it doesn’t include E, even though all of the other letters are correct.
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