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Family Game Night

Games to play at home with paper, pencils, cards or dice. Nothing to buy. Each game is one printed page a grown-up can follow without knowing the subject: 15 to 20 minutes, two or more players, in English, Español or both.

Kindergarten

Dice Dot Race

Math · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: 1 die, 40 small things like beans, buttons or coins, a cup for each player

More or Less War

Math · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: a deck of cards with the face cards taken out, a timer

Rhyme Time Toss

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: a soft ball or a rolled-up pair of socks

Sound Scavenger Hunt

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a timer, a basket or bag

Push or Pull Hunt

Science · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, crayons, things around the house like doors, drawers and toy cars

Needs or Wants Sort

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: 10 to 15 things from around the house, like a cup, a toy, a sock, a snack and a book, 2 towels

Grade 1

Make Ten Go Fish

Math · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: a deck of cards, using only aces through 9

Tens and Ones Trade

Math · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: 2 dice, about 60 beans or pennies, 6 small cups for each player

Sound Slap

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: 3 sheets of paper, crayons

Shadow Shape Show

Science · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: a flashlight or lamp, a blank wall, small toys or household objects

Sound Shaker Match

Science · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: 6 small containers with lids, rice, beans and coins

Corner Store

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: 10 household things to sell, like a spoon, a book and a ball, 20 pennies, paper, crayons

Map My Room Treasure Hunt

Social Studies · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, crayons, a coin or small toy to hide

Grade 2

Odd or Even Race

Math · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: 2 dice, 20 beans or buttons, paper, a pencil

Race to a Dollar

Math · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: 1 die, coins: pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters

Silent E Magic

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into small cards, a pencil, a timer

What's the Lesson?

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, a pencil

Mystery Material Bag

Science · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: a pillowcase or bag, 8 to 10 household things, like a spoon, a sponge, a rock, a sock and a plastic cup

Save or Spend

Social Studies · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: 1 die, 30 pennies, a cup for each player, paper, a pencil

Grade 3

Array Capture

Math · 2 players · 20 minutes

You need: 2 dice, graph paper or paper with a hand-drawn 20 by 20 grid, 2 crayons of different colors

Fraction War

Math · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: a deck of cards, aces through 8 only, paper, a pencil, a timer

Silly Sentence Mixer

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into small slips, pencils, 3 cups or bowls

Simile Showdown

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer

Life Cycle Scramble

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 16 cards, pencils or crayons, a timer

Magnet Sort Hunt

Science · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: a fridge magnet, 12 small household objects, like a paper clip, a coin, a spoon, a key, foil, a button and a pencil, paper, a pencil

Assembly Line Race

Social Studies · 2-6 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, crayons, a timer

Treasure Map Directions

Social Studies · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, a pencil, a ruler, a coin or small toy as treasure

Grade 4

Decimal Showdown

Math · 2-3 players · 15 minutes

You need: a deck of cards, aces through 9 only, paper, a pencil

Factor Claim

Math · 2 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, 2 pencils of different colors

Root Detectives

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into 12 cards, pencils, a timer

Six-Word Summary

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils

Layer Detective

Science · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: 6 towels, shirts or sheets of paper of different colors, 3 small objects to be "fossils," like a coin, a button and a toy

Ramp Rollers

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a hardcover book, a stack of 4 more books, a ball or round can, a ruler or tape measure, paper, a pencil

Regions Twenty Questions

Social Studies · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, a pencil, a US map from a book or a hand-drawn one (optional)

Resource Trading Post

Social Studies · 2-5 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 30 cards, pencils, a timer

Grade 5

Grid Hide and Seek

Math · 2 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a ruler, a book to hide your paper behind

Target Number

Math · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: 4 dice (or roll 1 die four times), paper, pencils, a timer

Evidence Court

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer, things around the house to use as evidence

Idiom Sketch

English Language Arts · 2-6 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer

Food Web Chain Reaction

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 12 cards, pencils, string or yarn (optional)

Mixture Detectives

Science · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: salt, pepper, rice, water, 3 cups, a spoon, a paper towel

Bill of Rights Match

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 12 cards, pencils

Grade 6

Integer Tug of War

Math · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: a deck of cards with face cards removed, paper, a pencil, a coin as the marker

Recipe Remix

Math · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a recipe from a box, a book or a family card, paper, pencils, a die

Argument Ping-Pong

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, a pencil, a timer

Connotation Ladder

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer

Moon Phase Flashlight

Science · 2-3 players · 15 minutes

You need: a lamp without its shade or a flashlight, a ball or an orange, paper, a pencil

Water Drop Journey

Science · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: a die, 6 sheets of paper as stations, a pencil for each player

Five Themes Hunt

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer, a map or a phone map app (optional)

Grade 7

Rational Number Showdown

Math · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: a deck of cards with face cards removed, paper, a pencil

Counterclaim Showdown

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 8 cards, pencils, a timer

Fiction or History?

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a history book, encyclopedia or phone for checking

Molecule Build

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: toothpicks, dry beans, cereal pieces or small balls of paper in three colors or kinds, paper, a pencil

Renaissance Who Am I?

Social Studies · 2-6 players · 15 minutes

You need: sticky notes or paper and tape, a pencil

Silk Road Traders

Social Studies · 2-5 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 24 cards, a die, pencils

Grade 8

Slope Race

Math · 2 players · 20 minutes

You need: graph paper or paper with a hand-drawn grid, 2 dice, 2 pencils of different colors

Square Corner Check

Math · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a tape measure or ruler, string, paper, a pencil, household objects with corners, like a table, a book and a door frame

Dramatic Irony Theater

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into slips, pencils

Rebuttal Ring

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer, a coin

Coin-Flip Creatures

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: 2 coins, paper, crayons or pencils

Paper Drop Forces

Science · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: 4 sheets of paper, a book, a coin, a chair to stand next to

The Great Compromise Vote

Social Studies · 2-6 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, 30 dry beans or coins as votes

Two Visions

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into 10 cards, pencils

Grade 9

Double or Add

Math · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, a pencil, a calculator or phone

Equation Builder Race

Math · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a deck of cards with face cards removed, paper, pencils, a timer

Ad Rhetoric Detective

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: magazines, flyers, ads from mail, or a phone with video ads, paper, pencils

Character Hot Seat

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: a chair, paper, pencils

DNA Code Breaker

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer

Predator and Prey Beans

Science · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: 60 dry beans or small paper squares as rabbits, 6 paper plates or 6 cards as foxes, a table, paper, a pencil

Alliance Chain Reaction

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: dominoes or a deck of cards stood on edge, sticky notes or paper and tape, a pencil

Enlightenment Match

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into 12 cards, pencils

Grade 10

Card Probability Lab

Math · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a standard deck of cards, paper, pencils

Transformation Tag

Math · 2 players · 20 minutes

You need: graph paper or paper with a hand-drawn grid, 2 pencils of different colors, a die

Fallacy Hunt

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into 8 cards, pencils, ads, opinion columns or comment sections (optional)

Tone Shift

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into slips, pencils, a timer

Balance with Beans

Science · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: dry beans or buttons in 3 colors or kinds, paper, pencils

Element Twenty Questions

Science · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: a periodic table from a textbook or phone, paper, a pencil

Arms Race Dilemma

Social Studies · 2 players · 15 minutes

You need: 2 playing cards each, one red and one black, paper, a pencil

Label Trail

Social Studies · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: clothing tags, food packages and labels on household things, paper, pencils, a timer, a world map from a book or phone

Grade 11

Power Guess

Math · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a calculator or phone

Sequence Sleuth

Math · 2-4 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper, pencils, a timer

Founding Words Remix

English Language Arts · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: the Declaration of Independence or the Preamble, on paper or a phone, paper, pencils

Satire Headlines

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: a newspaper or news site, paper, pencils, a timer

Coin Collisions

Science · 2-3 players · 15 minutes

You need: coins of two sizes, like pennies and quarters, a smooth table, a ruler, paper, a pencil

Water Glass Xylophone

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: 5 matching glasses or jars, water, a spoon, a measuring cup, paper, a pencil

Buying on Margin

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a die, 30 coins or paper squares as money, paper, a pencil

Trust Buster

Social Studies · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a die, 40 coins or paper squares as money, paper, a pencil

Grade 12

Coin Flip Confidence

Math · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: coins, one per player, paper, pencils, a calculator or phone

Function Charades

Math · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: paper cut into 12 slips, a pencil, a timer

Fictionary

English Language Arts · 2-6 players · 20 minutes

You need: a dictionary or phone, paper slips, pencils

Real or Fake Headline?

English Language Arts · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: a phone or computer with news sites, paper, pencils

Power the Town

Science · 2-4 players · 20 minutes

You need: a die, paper cut into 12 cards, pencils

Resource Squeeze

Science · 2-5 players · 15 minutes

You need: a bowl of 50 dry beans or coins, a cup per player, paper, a pencil

Checks and Balances

Social Studies · 2-3 players · 20 minutes

You need: paper cut into 12 cards, pencils, a coin

Supply and Demand Auction

Social Studies · 2-5 players · 20 minutes

You need: 20 coins or paper money per player, snacks or small household objects to auction, paper, a pencil