Games for Years 7 to 9
These games practise the basics that GCSE builds on, such as particles, food webs and forces. Every game has a harder start for when the first questions feel easy.
Teachers can find ideas for lessons on the page for teachers. There is also a list of all our games.
Choose a game for the topic you are teaching
Atom Detective asks pupils to read a formula or particle description and sort it as an element, compound or mixture. Choose it after introducing those terms. Ask pupils to explain what makes each example belong in its group before moving to another question.
Solid, Liquid, Gas uses particle diagrams to practise states and changes of state. It suits a lesson where pupils can name melting or freezing but need help explaining what the particles do. Follow a round with a labelled particle drawing on paper.
Force Sort asks whether forces in everyday scenes are balanced or unbalanced, then names forces such as friction and gravity. Use it when pupils confuse the force acting with its effect. Ask them to describe the scene before choosing an answer.
Light and Sound covers wave questions, comparing sound traces and finding an angle of reflection. Pick it for the skill your class has just met. Draw a normal line, the line at right angles to the mirror, before checking reflection angles.
Food Web Builder links living things to the animals that eat them. Pupils then remove one and see which animals run out of food. Choose it to discuss how a change affects the web. Ask pupils to predict the effect before trying it.
Use a game as a lesson starter
Choose one game that revisits the previous lesson. Put a related question on the board first and give pupils a minute to answer alone. Compare their reasons in pairs, then play a no-timer round of ten so they have time to discuss each choice.
With Force Sort, ask pupils to name a force and explain whether the forces balance. One partner answers while the other explains; swap roles during the round. Use a harder start when pupils can justify the first answers, or select Class teams mode on the start screen.
Finish with a fresh example on paper and ask for a reason as well as an answer. Use the responses to decide what needs teaching next. For other ways to combine games with course revision, read the science revision games guide.