4 Easy End-of-Year Games to Boost Joy and Comprehension

A step-by-step guide from my conversation with Dahiana Castro

We’ve all been there, profe… There are moments in our classes when everyone is super tired and distracted. This is the time when we don’t need more stress—we need simple, high-impact ideas that bring life back into our classes.

🎧 In this week’s re-release of Episode 35 of Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast, I talked with my friend Dahiana Castro about 4 games that are perfect for this season. And guess what? They’re low-prep, flexible, and full of language-rich interaction.

Let me walk you through each one step-by-step so you can try them out with confidence (and fun!).

Why Games Work at the End of the Year

Before we jump in, here’s the truth:
Students’ attention spans are short. Even shorter than we think. And instead of fighting it, we can lean into novelty, movement, and fun to still give them meaningful language input.

These games allow us to meet students where they are and still reinforce vocabulary, comprehension, and interaction.

Game #1: Movement-Based Answer Game

A twist on traditional multiple-choice or true/false questions

🎯 Purpose:

Quick checks for understanding + movement to re-energize your class.

🛠 You need:

• A list of questions (can be multiple choice, either/or, or true/false)

   

• Answer options (A, B, C, D) or (true/false)

   

📋 Instructions:

1. Assign a movement to each answer option:

    

   • A = hands up

      

   • B = spin in place

      

   • C = touch your head

      

   • D = dance move (or thumbs up)

      

2. Ask your question aloud or project it.

    

3. Students listen and answer by doing the movement that matches their choice.

    

4. You can check comprehension by asking a few students to explain their choice.

    

💡 Profe tip: You can do this as a whole class or divide them into small groups with a “caller” in each.

Game #2: Photo Scavenger Hunt 📸

A vocabulary-rich movement activity students LOVE

🎯 Purpose:

Review vocabulary, build community, and give students a reason to move and explore their environment.

🛠 You need:

• A list of 20–25 tasks in the target language (see examples below)

   

• Students’ phones or tablets with camera access

   

• A way to collect pictures (Canvas, Google Classroom, Padlet, printed handouts)

   

📋 Instructions:

1. Before class, walk your campus and brainstorm tasks related to vocabulary students have learned (colors, places, emotions, verbs).
   Example tasks:

    

   • “Take a picture of a tree next to a big building.”

      

   • “Take a selfie with a window.”

      

   • “Take a sad selfie in front of a yellow sign next to the cafeteria.”

      

2. Organize students in pairs. Give each group the task list.

    

3. Give them 20–25 minutes to take pictures around school.

    

4. Have them upload their best 12 photos (you choose which ones) with captions in Spanish.

    

   • You can require captions for 3 of their choice to promote writing.

      

💡 Profe tip: No LMS? Use Padlet to collect photos and captions. One column per pair = done!

Game #3: “A la cima” – Race to the Top 

Review game with competition and strategy

🎯 Purpose:

Build excitement and review vocabulary or content through Q&A.

🛠 You need:

• A template. Click here to get the one Dahiana shared with us.

   

• Projector or screen

   

• Magnets or counters to move on the board

   

• A die 🎲

   

📋 Instructions:

1. Divide the class into teams of 3–4.

    

2. Project the tower template with 5–6 towers (one for each team).

    

3. Ask a question in the target language. Give them time to think and answer.  When time is up, each group will show their answers.

    

4. If the team answers correctly, they roll the die:

    

   • They can move up their tower or take another team down that number of spaces.

      

   • The first team to the top wins!

      

✅ Optional twist:
Make them roll the exact number to reach the top. If they roll too high, they go back down the difference.

💡 Profe tip: Let students create questions before the game as a warm-up—double the language use!

Game #4: Trashketball 

A classic with a language twist

🎯 Purpose:

Review questions + kinesthetic engagement.

🛠 You need:

• A small ball (soft, like a foam ball or paper ball)

   

• A trash can or bucket

   

• Tape to mark 1, 2, 3-point lines

   

• A set of review questions

   

📋 Instructions:

1. Divide the class into teams.

    

2. Ask a question to a team.

    

3. If they answer correctly, they get 1 point.

    

4. THEN they shoot the ball into the trash can:

    

   • 1-point line = +1 point

      

   • 2-point line = +2

      

   • 3-point line = +3

      

5. Add it up and keep score. Most points at the end wins!

    

💡 Profe tip: Students can write the questions by re-reading a text, so you also sneak in more input!

Bonus Game: Grudge Ball

This one has a few more rules and works beautifully with upper levels. You can find full directions on the Comprehensible Classroom’s blog here. It’s worth checking out!

Final Thoughts 

The end of the year doesn’t have to feel like a countdown to chaos. These games offer a way to:

✅ Keep students engaged
✅ Maximize input and interaction
✅ Make space for JOY (yes, even in May or June!)

🎧 Want to hear more?
Listen to the full re-release of Episode 35 of Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast.

👉 Click here to listen now

And if you try one of these games, please tag me @growingwithproficiency—I’d LOVE to see your students in action.

Find all episode blogs here.