Explore 13 Checks & Balances in Practice review games designed by a teacher to engage students and reinforce curriculum. Give students a break from worksheets and bring Social Studies review to life with a classroom game.

• TRASHKETBALL™ gets teams racing to answer correctly, then rewards them with shots at the trash can to score points.
• Turn review into a team battle with BUMP, where correct answers earn shots and students can bump their opponents off the platform for extra points.
• With SCOOT, students move around the room answering task cards, turning curriculum review into an active classroom game.
• FRAZZLED keeps students guessing as correct answers reveal surprise points, wrong answers can reward the other team, and bombs can wipe out a score.
• The TERRIBLE Game adds strategy to review as correct answers uncover positive or negative points that can help your team or hurt your opponents.
• Turn review into an unpredictable whole-class competition with The BIG TERRIBLE Game, where every answer can send a team’s score in the right or wrong direction.
• GRUDGEBALL combines question review with a battle for survival as teams fire cannons, sink opposing ships, and fight to be the last one afloat.

Turning review into a game is one of my favorite ways to get students participating without making practice feel like more work. Once the game starts, students start talking, thinking, and working together, with hands shooting up and everyone waiting to see what happens next. When games become a regular part of review, students quickly learn that knowing the material gives them an advantage, and they start showing up ready to compete.

The excitement is great, but the research is even better—educational games have been linked to stronger achievement, retention, and motivation. See the research.