How to play stop the bus.

How To Play Stop The Bus | A Fun Classroom Wor Game

Stop the Bus is a super fun classroom game that is great for building vocabulary, practicing spelling, and encouraging quick thinking. It’s a fast-paced word game where players must come up with words that fit specific categories, all starting with the same letter, before racing to be the first to shout, “Stop the Bus!” This game is particularly effective for English learners, as it reinforces vocabulary, improves spelling accuracy, and boosts fluency in an exciting and competitive way. Below, we’ll explain step-by-step how to play Stop the Bus, share a list of Stop the Bus categories to keep the game fun and challenging, and link to some ready-made worksheets you can use to play this game in your classroom.

How to Play Stop the Bus

Stop the Bus is a simple yet exciting word game that’s easy to set up and play in the classroom. It can be played individually, in pairs, or in teams, making it a flexible and fun activity for students of all ages. Here’s how to play Stop the Bus:

Step 1: Write the Categories on the Board

Before starting the game, write 4-5 Stop the Bus categories on the board. Common categories include animals, food, countries, occupations, adjectives, and verbs, but you can choose any that fit your lesson objectives.

Step 2: Give Each Student a Whiteboard or Paper

Give each student (or team) a small whiteboard or a piece of paper to write their answers on. Ask them to copy the categories onto their whiteboard/paper, leaving space next to each one for their answers.

Step 3: Choose a Letter

Select a letter that all answers must begin with. The teacher can pick a letter, students can take turns choosing, or you can use a spinner or letter dice to make it more random and exciting.

Step 4: Start the Game

Once the letter is chosen, players quickly think of one word for each category that starts with that letter. For example, if the letter is “B” and the categories are animals, food, and countries, possible answers might be bear, banana, and Brazil. Players write their answers down as quickly as possible.

Step 5: Stop the Bus!

The first player (or team) to complete all the categories shouts, “Stop the Bus!”. At this point, everyone must stop writing immediately, even if they haven’t finished.

Step 6: Check the Answers and Score Points

Go through the answers together as a class. Players receive one point for each correct word. If two or more players write the same word, they still get a point, but you can add an extra challenge by awarding bonus points for unique answers. If a word is misspelled or doesn’t fit the category, it doesn’t count.

Step 7: Repeat with Different Letters and Categories

Play multiple rounds with different letters and categories. You can also introduce variations, such as giving extra points for creative or less common words, to make the game more engaging.

Stop the Bus Categories

Choosing the right Stop the Bus categories can make the game even more fun and challenging. The best categories are commonly known and broad enough to allow multiple possible answers. You can adjust the difficulty based on your students’ level by selecting simple or more advanced topics. Here is a list of 50 Stop the Bus categories you can use to keep the game fresh and engaging.

Stop the Bus Worksheets

A Stop The Bus Worksheet.

Although you can play Stop the Bus by simply writing answers on paper, we’ve created a collection of ready-made Stop the Bus worksheets to make the game even easier to use in your classroom. Our worksheets include a blank template you can customize with your own categories, as well as pre-made versions to save you time. Head over to our Stop the Bus Worksheets page to download and start using them in your class today!

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Thanks for reading! I hope your students have lots of fun playing Stop the Bus. Before you go, here are some more fun classroom game ideas you can try in your next lesson:

Classroom Icebreaker Games
How To Play The Categories Game
ESL Classroom Games