Are you struggling to keep your students’ attention during review sessions? As a gimkit host, I’ve discovered how this interactive platform transforms ordinary lessons into exciting game-show experiences where students are always engaged, thinking, and responding.
Creating and hosting a gimkit game isn’t just about quizzing students – it’s about crafting an experience that boosts participation and retention. When you host a gimkit, you’re leveraging a unique in-game currency system where students earn virtual money for correct answers. Not only does this gamified approach drive engagement through points, power-ups, and leaderboards, but it also encourages collaboration when students work in teams or pairs.
We’ve all seen the difference between passive learning and active participation. That’s why in this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about becoming an effective gimkit host – from setting up your account and creating customized games to running live sessions and implementing strategies that keep students genuinely excited about learning. Whether you’re new to educational technology or looking to enhance your existing teaching toolkit, these simple tips will help you transform your classroom activities into memorable learning experiences.
Also Read: Best Gimkit Codes 2025: Unstoppable Success!
Setting Up Your Gimkit Host Account
Getting started with Gimkit requires setting up an account first, which unlocks all the tools you need to create engaging classroom activities. The platform makes this process straightforward for educators looking to enhance their teaching approach.
Create a free or pro account
Initially, visit gimkit.com/signup to create your educator account. You can sign up using your Google account or email address. Once you select “Educator” as your account type, you’ll need to find your school by entering your country and area code.
The best part? Creating and maintaining a Gimkit account is completely free. All new educator accounts automatically start with a 14-day trial of Gimkit Pro, giving you access to premium features. Once your trial concludes, your Gimkit account will transition to the Basic version, free of charge indefinitely.
Furthermore, the free version offers substantial functionality:
- Host featured game modes with unlimited students
- Create and manage question sets
- Set up class rostering
- Access performance reports
Explore the dashboard and its key sections
After logging in, you’ll immediately access your dashboard—the control center for all your Gimkit activities. The dashboard consists of four primary sections:
- My Kits: This is where you build and organize all your question sets
- Live Games: For starting and monitoring real-time sessions
- Assignments: Allows for self-paced student participation
- Classes: Helps organize students into manageable groups
Throughout the dashboard, you’ll find quick access to game reports, allowing you to track student performance and progress over time.
Clarifying Kits, Classes, and Assignments
Kits are essentially your question sets—the building blocks of all Gimkit activities. You can create these from scratch, import questions from Quizlet, or upload via CSV.
Classes serve several important purposes:
- Ensure appropriate student names in live games
- Track assignment completion progress
- Store results for multiple assignment attempts
- Save student progress across sessions
Assignments allow students to complete activities independently on their own time. However, this feature is exclusively available with Gimkit Pro.
Setting up classes is particularly valuable as it enables “Instant Join”—students can enter your games automatically without typing game codes each time.
Creating and Customizing Your First Game
After setting up your account, it’s time to dive into creating your first Gimkit game. Well-crafted quiz sets are, in my experience as a Gimkit facilitator, absolutely crucial for captivating student engagement.
How to make your own Gimkit Kit
Creating a kit from scratch is straightforward. Start by clicking the “New Kit” button on your dashboard. Next, fill in essential information such as your kit’s name, its language, and the subject matter. Afterwards, select a cover image—you can choose from Unsplash photos or use any image link from the web.
Once your kit basics are set up, you’ll add questions. To build content from scratch, select “Add a Question.” For each question, input the question text, correct answer(s), and incorrect options. You can designate multiple correct answers by clicking the “Check” next to each option. Once finished, click “Add” to save your question and “All Done” when your kit is complete.
Importing questions from Quizlet or other tools
To save time, import existing content directly into Gimkit. For Quizlet sets, navigate to your Quizlet account, find the set you want to export, click the three dots menu, select “Export,” then “Copy Text.” Return to Gimkit, choose “Create with Flashcards – New” followed by “Import Flashcards,” paste your copied text, and click “Create.”
Plus, Gimkit’s Question Bank lets you find and add questions from any public kit. Just click “Add from Question Bank” in the kit editor to see what’s available.
Using images, audio, and equations in questions
Enhance your questions with multimedia elements. To insert an image, simply click “Add Photo” in the question editor, then pick your source. Note that image uploads are exclusively available for paid subscribers.
Additionally, you can incorporate equations by clicking the equation icon or “Add Math” button in the kit editor. This feature is especially valuable for STEM subjects where mathematical notation is essential.
Choosing the right game mode for your class
Gimkit offers various game modes designed for different educational objectives. Use the Mode Picker to browse options—each mode includes descriptive labels to help match your classroom needs.
For instance, if you need a calming yet strategic collaborative activity, filter modes with those specific labels. Some popular options include Classic Mode for traditional quiz formats, Team Mode for collaborative learning, and specialized modes like Trust No One or The Floor is Lava for increased engagement.
Select the mode that best aligns with your learning goals, then click “Continue” to configure game settings before launching your activity.
Running a Live Gimkit Host Game
Your Gimkit game is set, now let’s get it live in your classroom. Running an effective live session requires a mix of preparation and real-time management skills to keep students engaged.
How to Host a Gimkit Game During a Session
Launching your game is straightforward. Begin by choosing your desired kit from the dashboard, then click the prominent green “Play Live” button. Subsequently, choose your preferred game mode from the Mode Picker. After setting up your game options (such as time limits and gameplay goals), click “Continue” to generate your game lobby.
Sharing the join code and managing players
Each Gimkit game session is assigned a unique code automatically. Students just need to visit gimkit.com/join and enter this code to participate. As another option, you can hover your cursor over the game code to reveal a QR code for students to scan. For classes with student accounts, enable “Instant Join” so students can enter without typing codes.
While in the lobby, carefully review usernames and remove any inappropriate ones. Gimkit allows up to 500 players in standard games and 60 players in 2D modes. Consider toggling the “Join Late” setting based on your classroom needs.
Using the control panel to monitor progress
The control panel appears in the upper right corner once your game begins. From here, you can:
- Display the leaderboard to showcase student standings
- Manage player access and participation
- Adjust music and sound effect volumes
- Track individual student progress in real-time
- End the game early if needed
Tips for smooth gameplay and avoiding tech issues
Ensure reliable connectivity by confirming your network allows access to *.gimkit.com and *.gimkitconnect.com domains on ports 80 and 443. Ethernet connections generally provide more stability than Wi-Fi for hosting.
If students experience lag, try these solutions:
- Clear browser cache and close unnecessary tabs
- Visit gimkit.com/check to run compatibility tests
- Reduce graphics settings on slower devices
- Check Gimkit’s server status at gimkit.crisp.watch/en/
Ultimately, smooth gameplay requires adequate preparation and quick troubleshooting skills to maintain student engagement throughout the session.
Boosting Student Engagement with Smart Strategies
Beyond basic gameplay, Gimkit offers several advanced features that can dramatically increase student participation. Let’s explore strategies that transform an ordinary quiz into an exciting learning experience.
Use power-ups and upgrades to keep things exciting
Gimkit’s unique economy system allows students to earn virtual cash by answering questions correctly and use it strategically. Power-ups create dynamic motivation as students make decisions about:
- Purchasing multipliers to increase earnings per correct answer
- Investing in streak bonuses to reward consecutive correct responses
- Using strategic advantages like “Insurance” to protect against wrong answers
These features encourage critical thinking alongside content mastery. Students must decide whether to spend immediately or save for higher-value upgrades, adding a layer of strategy to learning.
Switch between team and solo modes for variety
Alternating between game modes resets expectations and reignites interest. Team Mode particularly transforms classroom dynamics by allowing students to share a collective balance while managing individual upgrades. This creates natural conversation as team members coordinate strategy.
Notably, Team Mode supports struggling students who might feel discouraged in solo play. With up to 30 players possible per team, even students who typically fall behind can contribute meaningfully to group success.
Encourage student-created Kits for ownership
The KitCollab feature enables students to write their own questions, creating deeper engagement through ownership. This process requires learners to process material more thoroughly as they formulate challenging questions for peers.
To implement this strategy, simply generate a link, have students submit questions, and approve them before gameplay. This approach transforms passive learners into active content creators.
Use post-game reports to guide future lessons
Once a game ends, Gimkit automatically produces detailed performance reports. These reports reveal:
- Questions that stumped multiple students
- Individual progress metrics
- Class-wide understanding patterns
Consequently, you can identify concepts requiring additional instruction or clarification. Sharing these insights with students empowers them to set improvement goals and take responsibility for their learning journey.
Conclusion
Gimkit certainly stands out as a powerful tool for transforming ordinary classroom activities into captivating learning experiences. Throughout this guide, we’ve explored how this platform creates an environment where students actively engage with content rather than passively consuming information.
First and foremost, setting up your Gimkit host account provides immediate access to a wealth of features even with the free version. Additionally, the straightforward dashboard design makes navigation intuitive for teachers at any tech comfort level.
Creating customized games offers endless possibilities for tailoring content to your specific classroom needs. Because Gimkit supports multimedia elements and various question formats, you can design experiences that address different learning styles and subject matters.
Running live sessions effectively requires some preparation, but the results speak for themselves. Students who previously struggled to maintain focus during reviews now eagerly participate when earning virtual currency and competing on leaderboards.
The most compelling evidence for Gimkit’s effectiveness comes from implementing strategic approaches like power-ups, team modes, and student-created content. These features transform standard quizzing into meaningful learning experiences where students develop content mastery alongside critical thinking skills.
Remember, successful implementation takes practice. Start with simple game formats, then gradually introduce more complex features as both you and your students become comfortable with the platform. Most importantly, use those post-game reports to guide your teaching decisions and celebrate student progress.
Gimkit host tools have dramatically changed how my students approach review sessions. Their enthusiasm when I announce a Gimkit day tells me everything I need to know about its impact.
