Learning Games for K-2 Teachers

How teachers use Bright Minds Club in class

Centers

Each game practices one skill. Set up a center around whatever you're teaching this week. Try Make Ten Ladybugs (K-1) for making 10, Coin Sorter (K) for coin names, or Blend Builders (K-2) for consonant blends. There are no ads or chat in the club. Nothing inside the games costs real money.

Whole group on a projector or display

To use a game with the whole class, open it in a web browser on the computer connected to your projector or display. Read the question aloud and let the class agree on the answer before you click it. Games with a clear question on every screen work well here:

• Gobble Greater Than (1st-2nd grade): pick >, < or =
• Sentence Sparkle (K-2): pick the end mark
• Pumpkin Patch Graphs (1st-2nd grade): "Which has the most?"

Small groups

Use the grade tags and skills below to match games to what each group needs. For a group still working on letters, try Letter Twins (K-1, uppercase and lowercase) or Vowel Valley (K-2, short vowels). For a group ready for place value, try Base Ten Builders (1st-2nd grade). Almost every game gives a hint when an answer is off. A hint might count along or point to the tens digit. Kids can keep going while you work with someone else.

Early finishers

Keep a few games ready for kids who finish early. The 5 free games need no account:

• Piggy Bank Coin Counting (K-1)
• Which Is Worth More? (K-2)
• Shape Safari (K-2)
• Word Builder (K-1)
• Tick Tock Time (1st-2nd grade)

Once they've been opened, the free games also work offline.

Games by grade

Every game is tagged by grade. Many fit more than one grade.

• Kindergarten: 80 games. Counting and making 10, comparing numbers, coin names, 2D and 3D shapes, letter sounds, rhyming, and early science like the five senses and sink or float. See kindergarten games
• 1st grade: 101 games. Adding and subtracting, tens and ones, skip counting, counting coins, telling time, halves and fourths, blends, digraphs, short vowels and silent e. See 1st grade games
• 2nd grade: 75 games. Making change and running a cash register, place value to the hundreds, telling time, graphs, arrays, contractions and spelling. See 2nd grade games

Games by subject and skill

• Math (60 games):
  • Numbers, counting and addition (23)
  • Money and coins (13)
  • Telling time (7)
  • Shapes (6)
  • Measuring, fractions and sorting (5)
  • Graphs, tally marks and patterns (5)

Math games · Money games · Telling time games · Shape games

• Reading (31 games):
  • Phonics, rhyming and spelling (16)
  • Words and vocabulary (8)
  • Sentences, grammar and stories (7)

Reading and phonics games

• Discover (18 games): science and nature, community, maps and kindness, and music and art. Science games · Community and kindness games

Seasonal sets: Halloween learning games · Thanksgiving learning games

Common Core codes on the game pages

60 of the 109 game pages list Common Core codes. Each one says the game's listing notes align it to those standards. The other games don't list standards, so check the game page before you plan around one. A few examples:

Browse all 109 games by skill and grade

Devices: Chromebook, iPad and laptop

Bright Minds Club runs in the web browser on Chromebooks, iPads and laptops. There's nothing to download or install. You can sign in to one account on several classroom devices at the same time. Tip: give each group or center its own child profile. Once a game has loaded, it keeps working if the wifi drops mid-game. You need a connection to start a game, and stars earned offline save once you're back online. The 5 free games work fully offline once they've been opened.

Try it free

• 14-day free trial, no card needed. Try all 109 games. If you don't add a card, the trial just ends.
• 5 games free, no account: Piggy Bank Coin Counting, Which Is Worth More?, Shape Safari, Word Builder and Tick Tock Time.

Printables from Teacher Games

Want something on paper to go with the games? My Teacher Games store on Teachers Pay Teachers has my K-2 classroom resources. Visit Teacher Games on TpT

Questions teachers ask

Can I use Bright Minds Club in my classroom?

Yes. Teachers can use Bright Minds Club in their classrooms for centers, small groups, early finishers and whole-group review. Start with the 14-day free trial, no card needed, or the 5 free games, which need no account.

What grades is Bright Minds Club for?

Kindergarten through 2nd grade. 80 games are tagged for kindergarten, 101 for 1st grade and 75 for 2nd grade, and many games fit more than one grade.

What subjects and skills do the games cover?

There are 60 math, 31 reading and 18 Discover games. Math covers counting, addition and subtraction, place value, money, telling time, shapes, measuring, fractions, graphs and patterns. Reading covers phonics, rhyming, spelling, vocabulary and grammar. Discover covers science, maps, community, kindness, music and art.

Are the games aligned to Common Core?

60 of the 109 game pages list the Common Core standards the game's listing notes align it to, like K.CC.B.5 for Turkey Feather Count or 2.MD.C.8 for Turkey Market Money. The other games don't list standards, so check each game's page.

Does it work on Chromebooks and iPads?

Yes. It runs in the web browser on Chromebooks, iPads and laptops, with nothing to install.

Is it free for teachers?

5 games are free for anyone, with no account: Piggy Bank Coin Counting, Which Is Worth More?, Shape Safari, Word Builder and Tick Tock Time. All 109 games come with a 14-day free trial, no card needed.

Are there ads or chat?

No. There are no ads and no chat, and nothing inside the games costs real money. Stars are earned by finishing game levels, never bought.

Where can I get printables?

Nathan's Teacher Games store on Teachers Pay Teachers has K-2 classroom resources: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/teacher-games

More pages

Kindergarten games · 1st grade games · 2nd grade games · Math games · Reading games · All 109 games · Parent guides · About