How to Play the Leaping Lizards Review Game in Your Classroom

Let’s be honest. Reviewing important concepts and preparing for tests can be really boring. You can give your students a worksheet with practice problems or have them study pages of notes. Get rid of these boring ways to review and start using the leaping lizards review game in your classroom!

 

What Is the Leaping Lizards Review Game?

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Leaping Lizards is a fun way to review any important information your students need to practice or remember for a test. It gets them out of their seats and moving around while reviewing important concepts. 

Your students will answer questions about the unit they’re studying. When they get the answers correct, they will get a chance to make a lizard leap (by throwing it) onto the wall or whiteboard. They will earn points when their lizards land on the point cards.

How Do I Set Up the Leaping Lizards Review Game?

Setting up for Leaping Lizards is really easy! Just follow these steps.

1. Get some stretchy lizards that stick to surfaces, like walls or whiteboards. These Stretchy Lizards from UpBrands are my favorites! They stick really well when you throw them against the wall. Added bonus: If they get dirty, you can just rinse them under water, let them dry, and they will be like new. 
2. Put point values on the wall or on the whiteboard. If you’re using a whiteboard, you can just write the point values using dry erase markers and draw circles around the numbers. If you’re using the wall, write the point values on different size pieces of paper. Use larger sizes for the lower point values (like 1 point or 5 points) and smaller pieces of paper for higher point values (like 10 points or 20 points) so it’s more difficult to hit them.
3. Gather review questions your students will need to know for a quiz or test. Write the questions on a piece of paper or on index cards. 
4. Decide how you will play the game – as a whole class, in small groups, or with partners. If you choose small groups or partners, each group of students will need a set of questions. 
5. Have the students or groups take turns choosing a question to answer. If they get the answer correct, they get to make a lizard leap by throwing it at the wall or blackboard. The goal is to make it land on one of the point cards.

6. If the lizard lands on a point card, the student earns that many points for himself or his team. Keep track of how many points each student or team earns. The winner is the player or team with the most points.

What Can I Use the Leaping Lizards Game to Review?

You can really use this game to review any important skills your students need to practice.

Here are some ideas:

• Math Concepts – Write math problems on the cards, and have your students take turns solving them. You could even use flashcards and have the students practice their basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts with the Leaping Lizards game.

Get these no-prep Leaping Lizards Games! Each one has 3 levels of differentiation.

Addition Leaping Lizards

Subtraction Leaping Lizards

Multiplication Leaping Lizards

• Spelling Words – Review for a spelling test by giving each student a word to spell. If the students are playing with partners or small groups, another player should pick the card so the student can’t see how to spell it.
• Science or Social Studies Concepts – If you have a science or social studies test coming up, you can have the students answer questions related to the material you’ve covered. 

Other Ideas for Using the Leaping Lizards Review Game

There are so many fun ways to use this game with your class. After they play once, they will beg to continue playing it.

Here are some ways to add it to your lessons:

• Use it as a whole class review game before a test. You can put your class in teams to answer the questions or they can work independently. Check everyone’s understanding by having them write their answers on paper or on small whiteboards. Then, allow the teams or students who got the correct answer to throw their lizards. 
• Use it during small groups. If you use guided math groups or reading centers, Leaping Lizards is a fun way for your students to practiced skills they’ve learned. Put it at a review center with questions they should be able to answer, and let them play while you meet with other small groups. You can even put the point cards on the ground so the rest of your class isn’t distracted by the game.
• Have parent volunteers play it with your students. It can be hard to figure out what to have parent volunteers do with your students. This game is a perfect solution. Set it up in the hallway, and have the parent volunteer ask the students questions.

Ready to Try It in Your Classroom?

Get your sticky lizards, and watch as your students master important concepts!

What Do You Think?

What is your favorite way to review for a test?

Let me know in the comments below.

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