Use this game to practice math skills. Divide your class into two separate teams and have each team stand in a line on either side of a desk that has a bell placed on top of it; the first student on his team's line plays first. State a grade appropriate math question; in kindergarten, the question may be "What number comes after 20," while in third grade, the question may be, "What does 12x5 equal?" The first player to ring the bell and answer the question correctly earns a point for his team; if neither player knows the answer, they step to the back of the line and the next two players answer a new question. Continue playing until all students have had a chance to go. The team that is awarded the most points wins.
Challenge students to a spelling relay race. Break your class into groups of three or four students and provide each group with a piece of paper and a pencil. Upon stating a spelling word, the first student in each group writes the first letter of the word and passes the paper to the next student. Subsequent players are allowed to make one change to the spelling word: they may either add the next letter or fix an incorrect letter and then pass the paper on to the next player. Once the word is spelled, groups hand in their papers. (You may want to set a time limit.) A point is awarded to each group who correctly spells the word. This game may not be suitable for kindergarten.
This non-competitive game is played just like "Pin the Tail on the Donkey," minus the donkey and the tail. Write up a list of sight words or newly learned vocabulary words on a piece of chart paper and hang it on a wall. Blindfold a student, spin her around three times, and point her in the direction of the paper. The student holds out her finger and places it on the paper. Remove the blindfold and she must read the word her finger landed on; if she is incorrect, classmates may help.
Promote reading comprehension with this game. Print out pictures that are associated with a story or several stories that have been recently read. Break your class into groups of three or four students and provide each group with the pictures. On your mark, each team must try to arrange the pictures in the sequence they occurred in the story. When teams are finished arranging their cards, they raise their hands. The first team to raise their hands and to have correctly ordered the cards wins the game.