Gimkit has revolutionized the way educators conduct quizzes and reviews, transforming simple questions into a fast-paced, high-energy game show experience. If you’re ready to ditch the boring review sheet and become a Gimkit guru, this comprehensive Gimkit host guide walks you through every step—from creating your first Kit to mastering the art of the game-mode customizer. Hosting a successful Gimkit game is a blend of preparation, setting the right rules, and choosing the perfect mode to meet your learning goals.
The Foundation: Building Your Gimkit "Kit"
The first and most crucial step is building your content, known as a Kit. This is the question set that powers every game you host. A well-built Kit is clear, focused, and directly aligned with your learning objectives.
Starting a New Kit and Adding Questions
Log In and Navigate: Log into your Gimkit account and look for the "New Kit" button on your main dashboard.
Add the Essentials: A prompt will appear asking for key details:
Kit Name: Choose a clear, descriptive title (e.g., "The Water Cycle Review").
Language & Subject: Select the appropriate options for filtering and organization.
Cover Image (Optional): Upload an image or select one from Unsplash to make your Kit visually appealing and easy to find later.
Populating Your Kit: Gimkit offers three efficient ways to populate your question set:
Manual Entry: Click “Add a Question” and manually input your question, the correct answer, and at least three incorrect answer choices. For added engagement, you can include images or audio with your questions.
Import from Flashcards: This is a major time-saver. You can directly import questions from an existing Quizlet set, a Google Sheet, or a simple comma-separated text list. Gimkit’s system will automatically parse and format the questions and answers, though you should always check the imported content for accuracy.
Question Bank: Use Gimkit’s pre-made Question Bank to search and add questions from other Kits created by the community. This is excellent for quickly compiling a review set on common, standardized topics.
After you've added all your content, review your questions for accuracy, and then click the "Finish Kit" button. Your new Kit is now saved and ready to be hosted!
Hosting a Live Game: Choosing Your Mode and Settings
With your Kit created, it's time to launch a game. Gimkit’s variety of game modes is one of its greatest strengths, allowing you to tailor the activity to your desired classroom outcome.
Selecting the Perfect Game Mode
The mode you select should align perfectly with your learning objective:
For General Review and Competition: Choose Classic or Team Mode. These are the core Gimkit experiences where students answer questions, earn cash, and buy upgrades to boost their score. Team Mode is ideal for promoting peer-to-peer collaboration.
For Speed and Urgency: Try The Floor Is Lava or Drip Mode. These modes build financial pressure, rewarding quick, accurate answering and keeping students consistently engaged.
For Social Deduction and Fun: Trust No One is a fan favorite. Students must answer questions to gain access to voting, where they work to identify and eliminate "Impostors." This promotes critical thinking and communication alongside content review.
For Low-Stakes Practice: Infinity Mode is an endless, non-competitive option where students simply answer questions for mastery without the pressure of the clock or a leaderboard goal.
Customizing the Game Rules
Once you've chosen a mode, you need to customize the game settings using the host panel to tailor the experience to your class. The settings available change based on the mode selected, but core customizable features typically include:
Game Goal: Set the win condition. For a comprehensive review, using a Cash Goal (e.g., first to $100,000) encourages students to answer more questions. For a quick warm-up, a Time Limit (10-15 minutes) works best.
Starting Cash: The initial money students begin with. Setting this to a small amount can give players a quick start to the in-game shop, while setting it to $0 ensures they must answer questions immediately.
Power-ups & Themes: You can enable or disable the in-game shop features and power-ups. Enable power-ups for maximum fun and strategy, but consider using "Clean Power-ups Only" to prevent disruptive power-ups like freezing or draining opponents.
Joining Late: Always keep this on to accommodate students who might have connectivity issues or arrive late.
The Host’s Playbook: Launching and Analysis
The final steps involve launching the game smoothly and using your host dashboard effectively to draw educational insights.
Gimkit Host Guide: How to Host for Maximum Learning & Fun
Launching the Game and Managing Play
The Game Code: After setting your rules, click “Continue.” Your host screen will display a unique Game Code and the URL: gimkit.com/join. Share this code with your students.
Monitor the Roster: Students navigate to the link and enter the code and their name. Use the on-screen display to monitor the roster and quickly address any issues with inappropriate names before starting.
Start the Fun: Click “Start Game” when everyone is ready. The leaderboard will display on your main screen, and the questions will begin appearing on student devices. As the host, your dashboard provides real-time oversight of the leaderboard and game activity.
Post-Game Analysis and Next Steps
Once the game is over, your work as a host isn't done! Gimkit provides powerful reporting tools that turn the game data into actionable information.
Review the Report: Click “View Report” to see detailed analytics. You can examine:
Individual Performance: See how each student performed overall.
Question Breakdown: Crucially, identify the questions the class struggled with the most (lowest accuracy). These are your immediate areas for review.
Inform Instruction: Use the low-accuracy questions as teaching opportunities—these are the topics that need immediate re-teaching or clarification before a test.
Assignments (Homework): If you can't play live, you can assign your Kit as a self-paced Assignment for asynchronous review. Students work on it independently until they reach a set cash goal or deadline.
By following this guide, you can confidently create and host engaging Gimkit sessions that maximize student participation and deliver meaningful data back to you.
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