How to play Grudgeball
- Split the class into 4–6 teams. Draw a column on the board for each team and put 10 X's in every column. Tape a close 2-point line and a farther 3-point line on the floor in front of a trash can.
- Ask team 1 a question. The team talks it over for 20–30 seconds, then a spokesperson gives one answer. Rotate the spokesperson every turn.
- If the answer is right, the team erases 2 X's from any other team (or 1 X each from two teams). If it is wrong, nothing happens and the next team gets a new question.
- After a correct answer, the team may send one shooter. A basket from the 2-point line erases 2 more X's; from the 3-point line it erases 3 more. A miss costs nothing.
- Teams may never erase their own X's. A team at zero is not out: on its next correct answer it adds 2 X's back to its own column instead of erasing.
- Keep rotating through the teams. When time is up, the team with the most X's left wins.
Variations
- Everyone answers: all teams write each answer on a whiteboard. Every team that is right erases 1 X from someone else, and one random correct team gets the shot.
- Math version: every student solves the problem on paper first, then the random name picker chooses which team member must explain the answer.
- Friendly version for younger classes: correct answers let a team add X's to its own column instead of erasing other teams' X's, so nobody can gang up on one group.
💡 Teacher tips
- Grudges are part of the fun, but add a rule that no team can be targeted two turns in a row, and step in if a group gets picked on.
- Choose the shooter with the random name picker so the same athletic student does not take every shot.
- Show a visible timer for thinking time so one slow team does not stall the game.