Introduction: Has School Become Too Serious?

Ask most children what they think about school today, and a majority will likely reply with words like “boring,” “stressful,” or “too long.” For many, school feels more like an obligation than an opportunity. The structured schedules, frequent assessments, and increasingly rigid curricula have drained the joy out of learning for students across the globe.

Online learning, while offering flexibility and accessibility, has further complicated the relationship students have with school. With fewer opportunities for spontaneous interactions and physical activity, many learners find themselves feeling isolated and unengaged. But the solution doesn’t lie in abandoning the online format, it lies in how we design it. We need to make school fun again.

This blog explores 10 powerful, practical, and research-backed ways to make online and hybrid learning environments enjoyable again. 

1. Turn Learning into a Game (Gamify It)

Children naturally gravitate toward play. Whether it’s board games, video games, or made-up playground challenges, they engage deeply with anything that has goals, rewards, and feedback. Learning, when treated with the same principles, can become equally irresistible.

Why It Works

Gamification works because it introduces immediate feedback and visible progress, two elements that keep learners engaged. According to a University of Colorado study, incorporating game elements into e-learning environments can boost engagement and performance by as much as 89 percent. Dopamine release during gaming motivates repeated effort, turning repetitive tasks into enjoyable ones.

How to Apply It in Online Classrooms

• Point Systems: Reward points for punctuality, participation, completing assignments early, or collaborating well in group projects.
  
• Badges and Levels: Acknowledge milestones like mastering a math topic or reading five books in a month.
  
• Leaderboards: Use these with sensitivity, making them optional or anonymized to avoid discouragement.
  
• Unlockable Content: Structure lessons so that completing one topic unlocks access to the next. This creates a natural sense of progression.

Real School Example

One middle school teacher at K12 Schools designed a “Grammar Quest” for English class. Students solved interactive grammar puzzles that unlocked the next chapter of a short story. Within two weeks, homework submission rates improved by 40 percent, and students were voluntarily staying after class to complete the final level. This helped make school fun for students.

Recommended Tools

• Kahoot and Quizizz: Great for quizzes that feel like competitive games.
  
• Classcraft: A platform that lets students create characters and earn rewards for good behavior and academic success.
  
• Minecraft Education Edition: Useful for collaborative projects in history, science, and architecture.

Gamification doesn’t mean turning every subject into a video game. It means borrowing principles that make games effective: instant feedback, clear objectives, personal progress, and fun.

2. Give Students More Control (Let Them Lead)

A major reason why students feel disengaged is because they often have little say in what or how they learn. The traditional education model is designed around teacher-led instruction, which can feel rigid and uninspiring. Shifting this balance, giving students agency, can turn passive listeners into active participants.

Why It Works

Harvard’s Project Zero found that students are more likely to retain information and develop critical thinking skills when they are allowed to explore their interests and make choices. Autonomy activates intrinsic motivation, the kind that sustains long-term curiosity and effort.

Strategies to Implement Student-Led Learning

• Choice in Presentation Formats: After learning a topic, let students choose how they present their understanding, a blog, video, podcast, slide show, or comic strip.
  
• Peer Teaching: Let students take turns explaining concepts to classmates. Teaching reinforces their own learning and builds confidence.
  
• Discussion Leadership: Rotate leadership in virtual discussion boards or breakout rooms. This improves communication and accountability.
  
• Project-Based Learning: Allow students to select their own research topics related to curriculum goals. Provide a structure, but give them freedom within it.

Real School Example

In a virtual science class, students at a K12 schools were asked to submit final projects on any topic connected to the environment. One student built a working model of a water filtration system using household items. Another created a podcast interviewing her grandparents about the changes in local biodiversity. These creative responses exceeded expectations and brought real-world learning to life.

Guidelines for Teachers

• Set clear expectations and rubrics, so freedom doesn’t turn into chaos.
  
• Offer scaffolding and check-ins to ensure students are on track.
  
• Encourage reflection at the end, what worked, what they’d change, and what they learned.

When students feel they have control, learning becomes something they’re doing for themselves, not just for a grade.

3. Use Humor and Surprise to Boost Engagement

Remember your favorite teacher from school? It’s likely that their sense of humor, or the unexpected ways they delivered lessons, made a lasting impression. Humor builds connection and lowers resistance. It makes the classroom feel less like a task and more like a place of shared experiences.

Why It Works

A study published in the journal Learning and Instruction showed that humor used by instructors can improve knowledge retention and student satisfaction. Surprise and novelty, too, activate attention centers in the brain, helping information stick.

Practical Ways to Incorporate Humor and Surprise

• Open with a Twist: Start class with an unusual fact, a riddle, or a creative analogy related to the day’s topic.
  
• Use Cultural References: Explain scientific concepts using elements from popular shows, books, or celebrities that students relate to.
  
• Silly Examples: Use absurd or unexpected situations in examples. Teaching probability? Use a fictional story involving pirates and pizza.
  
• Humorous Recaps: Encourage students to write summary poems, memes, or comic strips about what they learned.

Real School Example

A teacher introduced the Cold War by comparing it to a dramatic “high school friendship breakup.” Students laughed, but the analogy stuck. A year later, they were still referencing “Team USA vs. Team USSR” scenarios. The result? Higher test scores and better historical analysis in essays.

What to Watch Out For

• Humor should never come at the expense of students’ dignity or be rooted in stereotypes.
  
• Use humor purposefully, it should enhance, not distract from, the lesson.
  
• Balance is key. Too much irrelevance can dilute the subject matter.

Incorporating moments of levity, wonder, and surprise can transform even the most content-heavy lesson into something students look forward to.

4. Make Creativity a Daily Habit, Not an Occasional Bonus

Ask a child to solve a math problem, and they’ll reach for a calculator. Ask them to build a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows, and suddenly they’re fully engaged, collaborating, and laughing. That’s the power of creativity, it activates different brain regions and taps into imagination, emotion, and curiosity.

Why It Works

Creative expression is linked to higher engagement and deeper understanding. According to a report from Adobe and Education Commission of the States, students involved in creative classroom experiences show higher academic performance and better problem-solving skills.

But creativity doesn’t have to be limited to art class. It can be baked into how we teach science, math, language, and even history.

Ideas for Applying Creativity Across the Curriculum

• Digital Storytelling: Ask students to write and record stories or animations based on historical events, scientific processes, or mathematical theories.
  
• Music and Mnemonics: Encourage students to turn lessons into songs, rhymes, or jingles to aid memory.
  
• Visual Thinking: Let students use drawing apps or physical sketchbooks to map out their thinking, whether it’s a mind map of a novel or a sketch of the water cycle.
  
• Design Challenges: Have students build something from materials at home, a catapult for physics, a model ecosystem for biology, or a board game to explain a civics topic.

Real School Example

At K12 Schools, a Grade 6 English teacher introduced a “Book Trailer” project. Instead of traditional book reviews, students created short video trailers promoting their favorite novels. Students learned narrative structure, summarization, and persuasive writing, all while having fun editing music and visuals.

Tip for Teachers

Creativity thrives on constraints. Instead of saying “do anything,” set specific challenges like “explain this topic without using words” or “turn this equation into a dance.”

5. Make It Real: Connect Lessons to the World Beyond the Screen

When students ask, “When will I ever use this in real life?” they’re not being lazy. They’re seeking relevance. And relevance is key to engagement.

Why It Works

Real-world connections help students see purpose in what they’re learning. According to research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), students are more motivated when they understand the utility of knowledge in real-world contexts.

How to Make Learning Real

• Current Events Integration: Link topics to headlines. For example, use inflation data to teach percentages, or climate news to explain geography.
  
• Virtual Field Trips: Use online tools to explore museums, historical sites, or science labs from around the world.
  
• Guest Speakers: Bring in professionals, scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, to show how they apply what students are learning.
  
• Service Learning Projects: Assign projects that have a real social impact, like raising awareness for a cause or conducting local surveys.

Real School Example

In a virtual economics class, students were asked to create a budget for a family of four during an economic downturn. They had to research rent prices, utility bills, grocery costs, and more. It was one of the most popular assignments that semester, not because it was easy, but because it felt real.

Pro Tip

Add a reflection component. After every real-world project, ask: “What did you learn that surprised you?” or “How might this change what you do in the future?”

6. Incorporate Movement and Physical Activity

Online learning is often sedentary by design. Students sit, click, type, repeat. But the human brain wasn’t made to learn in a chair all day. Movement is not a distraction, it’s a necessity.

Why It Works

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and boosts memory, focus, and mood. Even short physical activities can reset attention spans. A study by the CDC found that students who engage in physical activity have better grades and cognitive performance.

Ways to Integrate Movement into Online Learning

• Movement Breaks: Use 5-minute dance breaks, stretches, or scavenger hunts to refresh attention.
  
• Learning with Movement: Teach concepts through movement. For example, act out plant photosynthesis with arm gestures or use yoga poses to represent vocabulary words.
  
• Stand-and-Share: During discussions, ask students to stand when they agree or show their answer with a movement.
  
• Offline Physical Challenges: Assign challenges like building a model, creating sidewalk chalk art, or performing a science experiment outside.

Real School Example

A biology teacher had students demonstrate animal locomotion through movement. One student crab-walked to mimic crustaceans, another leaped like a frog. The lesson was not only hilarious, but students retained more information about animal anatomy than in previous lessons.

Tools You Can Use

• GoNoodle or Cosmic Kids Yoga for guided movement sessions
  
• Padlet or Flipgrid to record and share movement-based learning

The goal is to break the monotony and let the body support the brain.

7. Foster Social Connections in the Virtual Space

When asked what they miss most about in-person school, students rarely mention desks or tests. They miss their friends. They miss lunchtime chats and group projects. Learning is inherently social, and online school must make room for peer-to-peer connection.

Why It Works

Belonging is a core driver of motivation. A student who feels seen, heard, and valued is more likely to participate and enjoy school. Research from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) shows that positive peer relationships improve both academic outcomes and emotional well-being.

How to Foster Peer Interaction Online

• Virtual Lunchrooms: Create unstructured times for students to socialize informally, like lunchtime Zoom rooms or group chats.
  
• Buddy Systems: Pair students for accountability, collaborative projects, or even just weekly check-ins.
  
• Small Group Breakouts: Use breakout rooms for deeper discussions or cooperative tasks. Rotate groups to expand social circles.
  
• Student-Led Clubs: Let students start interest-based clubs or host virtual talent shows.

Real School Example

At K12 Schools, the “Pen Pal” program matched students from different cities and countries. Through letters and voice messages, they not only practiced language skills but also built friendships that extended beyond the classroom.

Tips for Success

• Set ground rules to keep online interactions safe and inclusive.
  
• Recognize and celebrate kindness and collaboration in addition to academic achievement.

8. Let Students Take the Wheel: Choice Drives Engagement

One of the fastest ways to make school fun again is to give students more control over how, when, and what they learn. Autonomy fuels motivation. When learners have agency, they’re not just doing the task, they’re owning the experience.

Why It Works

Research from the American Psychological Association shows that autonomy-supportive environments (those that offer choice) enhance student engagement, creativity, and achievement. Choice taps into intrinsic motivation, doing something because it’s meaningful, not just required.

How to Offer Choice in Online Classrooms

• Project Formats: Let students choose how to present what they’ve learned, a podcast, infographic, comic strip, video, or written essay.
  
• Pathways: Offer different “learning paths” for a unit, e.g., explore through storytelling, data analysis, or experimentation.
  
• Pacing: Provide a range of deadlines (e.g., finish in 5, 7, or 10 days) and allow students to set their learning schedules within those limits.
  
• Topics: Give learners a say in what books they read, what historical figures they study, or which real-world problem they want to tackle in a science class.

Real Classroom Example

In an online geography unit at K12 Schools, students chose any country in the world and designed a “digital tourism brochure” using Canva. Some highlighted landscapes, others focused on culture or cuisine. The result? Higher-quality work, deeper research, and enthusiastic presentations.

Pro Tip

Even small choices, like the background of a virtual classroom, selecting teammates, or choosing breakout room roles, can boost a student’s sense of ownership.

9. Celebrate the Journey, Not Just the Finish Line

If students only get recognition when they ace a test or win a competition, we’re missing the point of learning. Celebration should be ongoing, visible, and inclusive.

Why It Works

Celebration reinforces progress, not just outcomes. It helps build confidence, community, and positive emotional associations with learning. According to studies in behavioral psychology, frequent positive reinforcement strengthens long-term motivation.

Ways to Celebrate Learning Online

• Shout-outs and Applause: Start class with “celebration minutes” where students recognize each other’s efforts or accomplishments.
  
• Digital Badges: Award badges for creativity, improvement, teamwork, or resilience, not just top scores.
  
• Virtual Hall of Fame: Create an online space where great work is displayed for the entire school community to see.
  
• Surprise Days: Hold random “Fun Fridays” or “Talent Show Tuesdays” where everyone gets to share something non-academic.

Real Classroom Example

One middle school teacher ran a weekly “Star of the Struggle” award, not for the best performance, but for the student who made the biggest effort that week. It reframed failure as part of progress and made every learner feel seen.

Small Wins Matter

Celebrate the shy student who unmuted to answer for the first time. Celebrate the one who helped a classmate without being asked. Create an environment where effort isn’t just noticed, it’s admired.

10. Make Reflection Playful and Purposeful

Reflection is often treated like a final step: “Write what you learned today.” But it can, and should, be a creative, ongoing part of the learning process. Fun reflection activities not only deepen understanding but also help students recognize their growth.

Why It Works

Reflection promotes metacognition, the ability to think about one’s own thinking. This helps learners become more strategic, resilient, and self-aware. When students see how far they’ve come, they feel empowered to keep going.

Creative Ways to Build Reflection into Online Schooling

• Visual Journals: Let students illustrate their feelings about a lesson using memes, doodles, or emojis (in image form only, if emojis aren’t preferred).
  
• Exit Tickets with a Twist: Instead of “What did you learn?”, ask:
  
  • “What confused you today and why?”
    
  • “If this lesson were a movie, what genre would it be?”
    
  • “How would you teach this to a 6-year-old?”
    
• Learning Portfolios: Have students track their best work across the term and write or record reflections after each piece.
  
• Time Capsules: Ask students to write a letter to their future selves at the beginning of a unit, then revisit it at the end.

Real School Example

At K12 Schools, a teacher ran a monthly “Looking Back Party” where students revisited work from the past month and made “growth maps” tracking how their thinking evolved. The visual nature made progress feel concrete, and in totality, helped make school fun again.

Bonus Tip: Ask the Students

You don’t have to guess how to make school fun. Just ask.

Run a poll. Open a class discussion. Let students design one day of lessons each month. When learners feel they have a stake in the environment, they naturally become more engaged, creative, and responsible.

You may be surprised by their suggestions. Some may want to include more storytelling, others might suggest debates or even role-play simulations. When given the space, students can be the most imaginative curriculum designers in the room.

Final Thoughts: Learning That Sparks Joy Lasts Longer

When we say “make school fun again,” we’re not talking about dumbing it down or turning it into a party. We’re talking about re-humanizing education. We’re talking about curiosity over compliance, exploration over memorization, and agency over instruction.

Fun isn’t the opposite of rigorous, it’s the companion of curiosity, which is why it is essential to make school fun again. When students are allowed to laugh, move, create, fail safely, and celebrate their own learning journeys, they don’t just perform better, they enjoy learning. And that joy carries them far beyond school.

Whether you’re a teacher, school leader, or parent navigating the world of online learning, remember:

• A little creativity goes a long way.
  
• A bit of movement energizes minds.
  
• And a dash of joy can make all the difference.

If we want students to stay curious and driven in a digital-first world, we must design learning that respects their brains, bodies, and spirits, we must make school fun again, it is our responsibility.

Let’s make school fun agin, let’s make it a place where students thrive, not just survive.