Everything around us is made up of atoms and molecules. From the water you are sipping to the metal you are holding, everything is the combination of different atoms and molecules that results in the formation of the compounds. The combining force that links one atom or molecule from another, is known as chemical bonding.
While there are many ways to teach students the crux of chemical bonding, interactive activities, and online games can provide students a visual clarity in understanding the bonds and how they are combined to form compounds.
In this post, we will cover some of the fun and engaging chemical bond online games that are thoughtfully designed to provide students with a hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the concept.
Engaging chemical bonding online games for kids
Chemical bondings are of two types, that are ionic bonding and covalent bonding. Ionic bonds are formed between ions that have different charges. That is, no two ions with the same charge (either positive or negative) will combine, rather an ion with a positive charge will only combine with an ion of negative charge and vice versa.
On the other hand, covalent bonds are formed when two atoms share electrons to attain stability by fulfilling the stable electronic configuration in the outermost shell of the atom.
Given that, some engaging and fun chemical bonding activities are given below-
1. Interactive Periodic Table
The ‘Interactive Periodic Table’ is a complete package of a game that not only targets ionic bonding between different ions to form a compound but also dives deep into the history of atoms and molecules and educates kids on the complexity of the periodic table.
Instructions:
- In the ‘Group’ section of the game, students have to first go through the written content to get a better idea of the different groups of the periodic table. The groups are divided into multiple sections, such as alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, noble gasses, halogens, carbon family, etc.
- Once the students have an idea of all the groups present in the periodic table, the ionic bonding game begins, where they have to combine ion(s) to form a compound.
- Each correctly built molecule will be awarded with 2 scores, a skipped attempt will result in a reduction of 1 score, and an incorrect attempt will lead to the loss of half a score.
- After each correct answer, a use or application of the formed compound will be shown on the screen.
The complete game also includes other periodic table-related games, such as atomic basics, isotopes, introduction (history), it’s Elementary, what’s in the box, and tests your skills. Each game has study material and then an interactive game for the kids.
2. Matchmaker Ionic Bonding Game
An easy game to understand the concept of valency (how cations and anions combine to form an element) and revise the formulas for different salts.
Instructions:
- On the game screen, students will be asked to form a specific salt to create.
- Cation and anion of the salt will be provided along with other atom ions to create confusion for learners.
- In the bonding arena, students have to drag both cation and anion to form the salt. They can drag the cation or anion as many times as required to form a salt. Ensure that no bond is left incomplete.
- Once students have correctly formed the bond, they will be provided with three formulas for the salt, out of which only one is correct for the formed salt.
- Choose the correct formula to move ahead in the game.
3. Ion Model (Whiteboard)
A fun game that lets students practice forming compounds at their own pace with their level of understanding of cations and anions.
Instruction:
- Students will be provided with a whiteboard, where different cations and anions are present. Cations on the left side of the screen whereas anion on the right side of the screen.
- The middle whiteboard is free to form different compounds by simply dragging the cations and anions.
- Students can form as many compounds as they wish. To free up the space, they can drag back the cations and the anions to their respective positions or simply press the clear button to free up the whole space.
- Additionally, a line marker is available to draw lines or mark something in case of any explanations or doubts.
4. Ionic Bonding by WordWall
An interactive ‘match the following’ type of game that covers different aspects of Ionic bonding in a fun manner.
Instructions:
- Upon beginning the game, the students will be provided with a screen, where multiple options are given at the bottom. Options are of different formats, such as some written options whereas some are drawings of ions.
- One by one the questions will be presented on the screen and students have to select the correct answer from the given options.
- Each correct answer will be awarded a score of one, whereas wrong answers will lead to a reduction in lives. Three wrong answers will result in the end of the game and the student will have to restart the game.
- The game will also record the total time taken by the student to complete the game and finally, students can check their position on the scoreboard, with respect to other students playing the game.
5. Chemthink
A brain-stimulating game that focuses on how ions are formed, why ions (anions and cations) stick together, and how to write an ionic formula.
Instructions:
- Before beginning the game, an interactive and mandatory tutorial has to be covered by every student. The tutorial is not only to watch, rather, students have to simultaneously practice ionic bonding and then they can move forward.
- After the tutorial, the game begins, where students will be presented with certain questions and four options will be provided for each question.
- There can be more than one right answer and students have to identify the right answer to move forward.
- Each right answer will lead to a score of one whereas each wrong answer will reduce your game life. If a student marks three wrong answers, the game will end and students have to restart it to play again.
6. Atomic Structure Ions
A fun and visually appealing game to teach students how different electrons are combined and positioned to form an atom and the position of the electrons in the orbits.
Instructions:
- Students will be provided with an ion on the screen, where the nucleus of the ion is surrounded by electrons in different orbits.
- Students have the option to remove the electron or add an electron to the orbits, to form the given ion.
- Once students have formed the ion, they can check the answer. Each wrong answer will lead to a reduction of 5 marks, whereas the right answer will lead to an addition of 5 marks.
- To move forward in the game, students have to correctly form the ion.
7. Covalent Bonding by Lewis Dot Model
An interactive and visually appealing game that focuses on creating molecules using atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine, through covalent bonding.
Instructions:
- Before beginning the game, optional lessons are given, if students wish to gain an understanding of how to create molecules with single bonds and double bonds. Additionally, a tutorial and guided practice session are also a part of the interface for making students familiar with the game.
- In the main game arena, students are provided with different atoms that they have to combine to form a molecule.
- To change the direction of the atom to combine it with another atom, students simply have to click on the atom.
- Each correctly formed molecule will result in five points. Students are free to form any molecule and can take as many attempts, without any restriction.
8. Covalent Bonding Quiz
A fun quiz type of game that tests students’ knowledge of covalent bonds and its related aspects.
Instructions:
- Students are provided with 20 statements that they have to identify as true or false.
- One statement will be present on the screen at a time and students have to click on either ‘true’ or ‘false’ as seems appropriate.
- The total time taken by the students will be recorded and students can also check their position on the scoreboard with respect to other students playing the game.
9. Covalent Bonds
This is an engaging game by Tine Tap useful to teach students the basics of covalent bonding.
Instructions:
- It is a blend of both tutorial and the game where students will first go through the tutorial and based on that they will play the game
- Students will be provided with the four questions on a screen with a total of four options.
- Students have to identify which option describes which question best. Then, they have to drag the option to the space provided in the question and the right answer will fit in the space, whereas the wrong answer will lead to a ringing of a buzzer.
Concluding thoughts
Chemistry games and manipulatives are a great way to make confusing chemistry concepts easy and gain a better understanding of them. These online chemical bonding games are fun, interactive, and student-friendly and students can practice them at their convenience and master one of the most important concepts of chemistry- chemical bonding. So, go ahead and try your hands on each game and have fun learning!
I am Sehjal Goel, a psychology student, and a writer. I am currently pursuing my Masters’s from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Child psychology has always fascinated me and I have a deep interest in learning about disabilities in children and spreading awareness regarding the same. My other areas of interest are neuropsychology and cognitive psychology. Connect me on Linkedin