Art Starter Game: Stand Up – Sit Down

I used to play ‘Stand Up – Sit Down’ with my students and many of them loved it and would ask to play it again. It’s a fun, fast-paced game used to reinforce knowledge about artists and it makes a great, focused start to a lesson.

I’ve created printable version of this starter/game which you can download for free through my free subscription.

How to Play

Ask students to research facts about the artist you are currently exploring in class the lesson before you want to play. Explain that they need to remember the basic facts about the artist plus some obscure facts would be useful.

At the start of the next lesson, ask everyone to stand up in their places. Pick a person at random to state a fact about the artist. If it is correct, they remain standing and then choose someone else in class to state a fact.

The game ping-pongs around the class with students stating facts that they can remember. They have to sit down if:

• They can’t state a fact.
• The fact is wrong.
• They repeat a fact.

The last person standing is the winner. If you have a particularly clever class (it does happen in some schools), you may give a time limit on the game, and the last few still standing when the timer goes off are the winners.

Students may begin to realise that you can get tactical with this game. Who in the class has the best memory? Pinging back to that student or students is a way to get them out, as they will run out of facts eventually!

I’m probably the only person who calls this ‘Stand Up Sit Down’. Comment below if you know this by another name!

Subscribe to the free subscription to download 3 of my free resources every month. The free subscription ALWAYS remains free. Click the image below to go to a printable version of this game.