When review time rolls around, it’s easy to fall into the trap of sending home a study guide and hoping students actually use it. But with a little creativity, study guide games can turn review into something students actually look forward to.
Whether you’re preparing for a unit test or SOL testing, these ideas will help you transform traditional study guides into interactive, meaningful learning experiences.
Why Use Study Guides for Review?
Before jumping into the games, let’s talk about why study guides are worth using in the first place. For students, study guides can:
- Build confidence before assessments
- Reinforce important skills and concepts
- Encourage independent review (in the classroom and at home)
- Reduce test anxiety by making expectations clear
When paired with engaging activities, study guides become more than just review— they become a powerful learning tool.
I also have another blog post that provides step-by-step instructions for teaching students the best practices for using study guides. You can find that post HERE.
Three Types of Study Guides
When I create study guides for elementary students, I always make three types.
- Completed version– The Completed Study Guide is completely filled out. Just print and give to students.
- Partially completed version– The Partially Completed Study Guide is similar to the Completed Study Guide but is missing some terms and includes short-response questions for students to answer.
- Digital Study Guide– The Digital Study Guide includes both the Completed Study Guide and the Partially Completed Study Guide in Google Slides format.
All of my science, Virginia Studies, US History, and 3rd Grade Social Studies study guides include these three versions.
I want to make sure you are familiar with this terminology before we dive into the activities, because I’ll be discussing the different types of study guides throughout this post.
1. Student-Created Questions
Particularly at the end of the school year, my brain is fried, and I struggle to think creatively. So, rather than trying to create a bunch of review games and questions myself, I put students in charge.
Students use a completed study guide to create questions on index cards. Then, I collect all of the index cards and use them for a variety of study guide games and activities, such as:
- Jeopardy game board– Write a point value on the back of each index card and tape the index cards to the whiteboard to create a Jeopardy game board. For this game, it can be helpful to group the questions into categories before organizing them on the board.
- Board game questions– Students must answer a question correctly to take a turn in a board game. If they answer incorrectly, their turn is skipped.
- Tic-Tac-Toe– Similar to the board game questions, except students must answer a question correctly to write “X” or “O” on the board.
- Task Cards– Set up stations around the classroom or outside, with a question at each station. Students can rotate through the questions the same way they do with task cards during a SCOOT game.
You can differentiate this assignment by instructing students to create different types of questions.
- Multiple choice
- Multiple select
- True/false
- Complete the sentence
- Open-ended
- Labeling a map or diagram
- Ordering events
Why it works:
Students must think deeply about the content to create meaningful questions, which strengthens understanding.
2. Partner Work
Sometimes, simple is best. Pair students together. Have them quiz each other using a completed study guide. Encourage discussion and explanation (not just answers).
Why it works:
Students learn by talking through ideas and correcting misunderstandings together.
3. Fun Study Guides
“I love reading study guides,” said NO student ever! Every now and then, swap out traditional study guides for interactive formats to change things up and make review more engaging.
The most popular interactive study guides I use are color-by-number. Even my upper elementary students love coloring, and coloring has been shown to reduce stress.
Color-by-number review worksheets are available in my store for science, math, Virginia Studies, US History, and 3rd-grade Social Studies.
Other fun interactive study guides include crossword puzzles, word searches, and matching games.
Crossword puzzle review worksheets for Virginia Studies, US History, and 3rd-grade social studies are available in my store.
Why it works:
These “fun” worksheets still reinforce content but feel more like a game than an assignment.
4. Timed Study Guides
Add a little urgency and excitement to create a simple study guide game. Give each student a partially completed study guide. Set a timer. Challenge students to complete it accurately as quickly as possible.
Tip:
Focus on accuracy over speed by checking and discussing answers as a class afterward.
Why it works:
Friendly competition always keeps students engaged and makes review memorable.
5. Students Teach the Class
This next activity is not really a study guide game, but it is a very meaningful way to review. Divide students into groups and assign each group a section of the completed study guide. Students must learn the content and teach it to the class.
You can deepen learning even more by having students create a visual aid to teach their lesson. Visual aids could include:
- Anchor chart
- Slideshow
- Short video
Why it works:
Teaching others is one of the most effective ways to deepen understanding.
6. Practice Assessments
Having students create practice assessments is a good way to get them thinking about the types of questions they may see on an upcoming assessment as they review information.
For this activity, students use the completed study guide to create a quiz or test. Encourage them to include questions they think might appear on the real assessment. Have students swap and complete each other’s assessments.
You can also use the assessment questions in a variety of study guide games, such as those listed under #1 (Student-Created Questions).
Why it works:
Creating assessments builds critical thinking and helps students anticipate what they may see on a test, which can also help relieve test anxiety.
7. Student-Created Study Guides
Instead of handing out a study guide and creating study guide games with the information, have students take ownership of the entire process.
Provide guidelines, such as:
- Key topics and vocabulary to include
- Required number of questions to complement the study guide
- Length of the study guide
Students can swap study guides to review, or you can use any of the study guide games listed in this blog post with the student-created study guides.
Why it works:
Students actively process and organize information, which leads to stronger retention.
Final Thoughts
I am a big believer that your review activities should not be boring for students or overly complicated for teachers to create. Study guide games take something you are likely already using in your classroom and make them more interactive and engaging by adding a few little twists. The activities listed here give students more ownership over their review as they reflect on the information in meaningful ways.
The best part? These study guide games work across subjects and grade levels, making them easy to reuse all year long.
When students are engaged, they don’t just complete a study guide— they actually learn from it!
Looking for pre-made study guides to use in your classroom. The following are now available in my store.
- 3rd Grade Math
- 4th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Math
- 3rd Grade Science
- 4th Grade Science
- 5th Grade Science
- 3rd Grade Social Studies
- Virginia Studies
- US History
Looking for more no-prep ways to use resources you already have in your classroom? There are posts on my blog that show 7 easy ways to use each of the following for test prep.
