Kids Game Arcade Classroom Pack · Design a game · Ages 6 to 8 (Grades 1 to 3)
Design, play, improve
Goal
Students design a game with a goal, obstacles and rewards, test it on a partner and improve one thing.
Vocabulary
- goal
- obstacle
- reward
- rule
- test
- improve
Materials
- Game design sheet: hero, goal, obstacles, rewards, how it moves, how to win
- Devices with a web browser (one per student or pair), or paper and dice
Warm-up (5 minutes)
Ask: "What's your favourite game? What makes it hard? What do you collect?" List goals, obstacles and rewards on the board.
Activity
- Students fill in the design sheet.
- Build it: in the free Basic builder (three steps: hero, world, how it plays) or as a paper board game.
- Play-test: a partner plays while the designer watches silently and notes where they get stuck or bored.
- Ask the tester: "Most fun part? Most confusing part? Too hard or too easy?"
- Change one thing and test again.
Talk about it
- What did you change after testing, and why?
- How do real game designers know if a game is fun?
Check for understanding
The design sheet is complete, and the student can explain one change they made after testing.
No devices?
Use a paper board, a die and counters instead of devices.
Going further
Optional: the teacher sends the best games to the arcade (no student accounts; a person reviews every game before it goes live).
Safety: students never type names, schools or other personal details into any tool. kidsgamearcade.com/schools · © 2026 SOEngineered LLC. Free to print and share for teaching; not for resale.