End of the Year Review Games for Kindergarten

As the school year winds down, reviewing key skills from the year is at the top of your teacher to-do list. Of course, keeping students actively engaged and on task throughout the spring months is also high on the list as well! Make reviewing skills at the end of the year fun with these fun, easy-to-prep review games for kindergarten.

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What Are The Benefits of Using Review Games?

What’s not to love about playing games, right? Using review games for kindergarten, especially at the end of the year, is a fun way to practice and review important skills learned throughout the year.

Review games keep students engaged and actively learning. At the end of the year, students tend to be a bit more wiggly. Playing games is a great way to channel their energy into something productive.

Another benefit of using review games for kindergarten is that you can work on multiple skills, such as math and literacy. As students play, teachers can easily assess their students informally to see what skills they still need to work on. This is a less stressful way for students to show what they know.

Using review games in kindergarten helps students foster independence as they play, learn, and problem-solve. They also build collaborative learning skills as they work together and bond with their classmates. This is especially important before summer break, as students tend to miss their classmates and socializing at school over the summer.

End of the year review games do not have to be complicated or hard to prepare. They can be simple and easy to add to your lesson plans at any time of day.

When you’re short on time, have a few extra minutes, or sense that your students need to get moving, work some of these quick time filler games into your day.

Using Materials Already In Your Classroom

When you hear the word games, you might think about all of the materials you may need. However, there are many games for kindergarten that you can play using basic materials you already have in your classroom.

Here are some of the best, most versatile manipulatives to use for your review games:

Spin and Cover CVC Word Families Game

A fun CVC word family review game for kindergarten uses only two basic manipulatives, spinners, and mini erasers (or another type of game marker).

Spin and Cover is perfect for practicing, recognizing, and reading CVC words and word families. This game is great for small group review, partner games, independent learning, and can even be used as an early finisher review game.

Each player gets their own CVC word mat. They spin, identify the picture, and cover the word that matches. The first player to cover all of their words is the winner.

When playing in partners or small groups, students will learn how to play together, take turns, and be good sports. Anytime you can work those important social skills into your day, the better!

Kindergarten Summer-Themed Review

What better way to get students excited about summer (and prepared for first grade) than with a summer-themed review?

This Kindergarten Summer Review Packet uses simple and fun games to help students review essential literacy and math concepts from the year.

Students will play games like Roll the Dice and Color by Code to review CVC words, rhyming, writing, measurement, addition, and more.

These are great low-prep activities for morning work, centers, time fillers, and even a take-home summer packet to help beat the summer slide.

Hands-On Math Review Games

Keep students' math skills feeling fresh and fun with these review games for Kindergarten. The best part about these math games is that you only need a few materials!

Starts things off with the Roll and Race Numbers to 50, 100, and 120 games. Students will roll a dice and color or cover that many numbers on their gameboard. Students can play with a partner and race to complete their game mat. This makes for a really fun and collaborative activity!

Keep the good times rolling with the Addition and Subtraction Activity Bundle. You’ll have tons of Solve and Cover, Mystery Math, Color by Number games, and more to review addition and subtraction with students. Plus, these activities cover equations and word problems, so students get a well-rounded review.

DIY Review Games for Kindergarten

You can get creative with your review games by making up your own DIY games. These games make great whole group or small group review!

Beach Ball Review

This review game will most definitely get students in the mood for summer! Write different skills and questions on a beach ball. You can write sight words, CVC words, color words, number words, math facts, teen numbers, etc.

Students will stand in a circle and toss the beach ball gently. You can play music while students toss. When the music stops (or when the teacher says “stop”), the student who last caught the ball will answer the question/read the word that their right thumb lands on. Hurray for a little extra left and right practice!

To give students an extra challenge, you can have them solve the question that BOTH of their thumbs land on. You can review various subjects and skills with this beach ball review game. If you wanted, you could have multiple beach balls and have one be filled with all math review questions and the other be filled with all literacy review questions.

Trashket Ball

You’ll want to add this one to your games for kindergarten toolkit! Trashkit ball is a fun and simple classroom game that you can use to review any skill. There are different versions of this game as well, so you can mix it up.

One way to play is by printing out several worksheets, task cards, or slips of paper. Students will complete the question or problem on the paper and then check their answers with you. If they are correct, they get a chance to wad up their paper and shoot it into the trashcan (or recycling bin) like they are playing basketball!

For another version that requires less paper, display a problem on the board. Have students write their answers on a worksheet or whiteboard. Then, select a few students with the correct answers to shoot a ball into an empty trash bin.

Sparkle

If you need quick and easy games for kindergarten, try playing Sparkle! You can play this game when you have extra time or use it as a dedicated time to review. Sparkle is great or reviewing sight words, counting, or spelling.

Here’s how you play. Have students sit or stand in a circle. Then, give students a prompt like, “Spell the word cat” or “Count to 10”. Then, students will go around the circle giving a single number or letter.

After the last letter or number is said, the next person has to say sparkle! The person who says sparkle is then out for the round. The game continues until there is one student left.

Students love this game! You can play a few rounds to give everyone a chance to participate.

FREE Editable Summer Stand and Sit Review Game

End of the year review freebie for kindergarten

If you’re looking for a fun, versatile summer review game for kindergarten that gets students up and moving, you’re going to love this!

This Editable Summer Stand and Sit Review Game FREEBIE is the perfect way to review any skill while keeping students active.

Simply type in the words, letters, numbers, or questions you’d like students to review, print the suns and recording sheet, and you’re set!

You can grab your free download by filling out the form below, and it will be delivered straight to your inbox.

I hope you enjoyed these end of the year review games for kindergarten. For more activities and strategies for end of the year review, click here!