Is Clue A Good Game To Use In The Classroom?

Are you a teacher who likes using board games in the classroom? Well, I’m also a teacher who likes using board games in the classroom! But is Clue a good game to use in the classroom too?

Clue could be a good game to use in the classroom with the right level of creativity and structure. It has some hurdles to overcome though with length, limited player count, and potential losing components. But if those can be overcome, then Clue could definitely work for the classroom.

Enjoy Clue And Want More?

I imagine you like Clue to some degree, but did you know there are over 100 versions of it? My personal favorite is the Simpsons Clue 2nd Edition, but you might find a different version to like!

What Are My Credentials For This Post?

So, I teach middle school. I’ve taught grades 6, 7, and 8, and I’ve been doing it for five years. To say I love it in spite of its many, many difficulties is an understatement.

As a result, I’m often looking for games I can use in the classroom. I’ve used The Game Of THINGS…, Codenames, Scattergories, Choose Your Own Adventure: House Of Danger, and more.

Now, to be clear, a classroom is for educating kids and helping them to grow academically and in life. But having a good set of board games on backup is essential to my mind as a teacher. They’re good for days around the holidays or toward the end of the year, and they’re a fun way to spice up learning or reward students for good behavior.

In short, I love board games and I love using them in the classroom when I can.

What Classroom Do I Mean?

While I teach middle school, and I do think that’s a great time to use board games in the classroom, I think it’s possible to use them at any grade level. There are some exceptions, of course, such as the really young grades like kindergarten and preschool. And it may be difficult to get the later high school grades to buy into them as well, but you never know.

Those are just grades though. There are other things to consider such as whether or not the school is a private school or public school, whether the school is serving a poorer area or a richer area, and so on.

For my money, I say it doesn’t really matter. Sure, these are things to keep in mind, but, as a teacher, once you get to know your students and the area you’re teaching in, you’ll know if you can try a game with them.

Is Clue A Good Game To Start With In The Classroom?

What I mean by “start with” is before you’ve introduced other games to the classroom. I could see an argument being made for this, but, in my experience, it’s better to start with something even more simple.

I’m talking like a deck of cards with an easy-to-play game or the aforementioned Game Of Things… Clue is simple, but there are pieces to keep track of and it’s limited to six players, which is definitely not how many will be in the classroom. Even if you put students in pairs, that still only gives you 12 people who can play at most.

So, Clue would not be a game I recommend starting within the classroom unless you’re doing a game day and students can choose their own games to play. Even then, the fewer games with components to keep track of, the better.

Students. Will. Lose. Them. Haha.

So, Is Clue A Good Game To Use In The Classroom At All?

I could see someone making a good argument for this, but unless it’s a game day where students can play their own games in smaller groups, I wouldn’t recommend Clue for the classroom.

Firstly, it would take a little too long. Secondly, I could see components getting lost. Thirdly, it doesn’t play enough players to be good for a whole-class game.

Again, I think it could work given some creativity and the right structure, but, as far as I’m concerned, I’m going to stick with other games for the classroom.

Did You Know?

(Each time you refresh the page you will get a new “Did You Know” fact!)

Did you know that Pachisi/Parcheesi/Ludo inspired more games too? As it turns out, both Sorry and Trouble are variants of the originals. Really cool!

Conclusion: Is Clue A Good Game To Use In The Classroom?

So, unfortunately, I don’t think Clue is a good game to use in the classroom. I would love to have my mind changed on this though.

So, if you have another take on Clue in the classroom, let me know in the comments below!

And, as always, keep on gaming, fellow board gamers.