Is Gimkit free to join? [2024]

Is Gimkit free to join? Gimkit is a free online learning platform that makes learning fun through games. Students can join Gimkit for free and play a variety of games created by teachers to review course material. Here’s a comprehensive overview of what you need to know about joining Gimkit as a student.

What is Gimkit?

Gimkit is an educational technology platform that leverages the power of play to boost student engagement and retention. The platform allows teachers to create multiplayer games for their classes called “kits” that function like customizable quizzes.

Students then join these kits with a unique code provided by their teacher and compete to answer questions correctly and quickly to earn points. The platform turns learning into a game, with opportunities to gain power-ups, sabotage opponents, and race to the top of the leaderboard.

Gimkit was founded by Josh Feinswog while he was still a high school student in 2014. It was initially launched as a free web app in 2015 and has since expanded to be available as iOS and Android apps as well. The startup has raised over $10 million in funding and the platform is currently used by over 6 million students worldwide.

Joining Gimkit as a Student

Gimkit is completely free for students to join and use. As a student, all you need to get started on Gimkit is:

• A device with internet access (computer, phone, tablet, etc.)
• A class code from your teacher

Once you have a class code from your teacher for a particular “kit”:

1. Go to play.gimkit.com or download the Gimkit app
2. Enter your teacher’s class code
3. Enter your name (which will serve as your display name in games)
4. You’re now in the kit!

When joining through the mobile app, you’ll also have the option to sign up with Google or Facebook. Web users can play as a guest without creating an account, although registering for an account allows you to track your performance across all kits you play.

Overall, the sign up process takes less than a minute, so students can quickly jump into playing games. No purchase, credit card, or payment of any kind is required for students to access Gimkit.

Key Features for Students

Gimkit offers students a number of fun features and gameplay mechanics that drive engagement:

• Multiplayer experience – Compete against classmates in real-time during synchronous learning or asynchronously. The platform supports up to 1000 players per kit.
• Power-ups – Strategically earn and deploy power-ups during games like freezing opponents’ screens, forcing opponents to answer questions backwards, and revealing the correct answer.
• Racing mode – Answer quickly to move up the racetrack visualized on screen. This creates exciting head-to-head competitions.
• Avatar customization – Personalize your in-game avatar with different skins and accessories. Show off your style while you play.
• Leaderboards – Standings update in real-time during games so you can see how you rank against other players. Improving your position on the leaderboard is a major motivator.
• Performance tracking – Review your personal question history, accuracy, and response times for each kit to see your progress over time.

These game-like elements boost student engagement and make reviewing course material fun rather than a chore. Students look forward to playing Gimkit kits in class.

Who Uses Gimkit?

While primarily geared towards K-12 classrooms, Gimkit can be used by students of all ages and backgrounds. The kits cover diverse topics spanning STEM, literature, social studies, trivia, pop culture, and more.

Any student whose teacher creates a kit for their class can play for free. Beyond school usage, many families also use Gimkit for educational activities at home.

Here are some of the key groups who use Gimkit:

• K-12 students in public, private, and home schools
• College students reviewing for exams
• Homeschool families
• Youth groups and clubs
• Summer schools and camps
• After-school programs
• Tutoring centers

Adult learners can also benefit from playing Gimkit kits to reinforce their knowledge. The platform brings back the fun of arcade-style games to help all students stay motivated while mastering new skills and information.

Why Students Love Gimkit

Students rave about Gimkit because it transforms boring review sessions into exciting games. Here are some key reasons why students get so addicted to Gimkit Join:

• Makes learning fun – The platform leverages video game elements that appeal widely to young learners and grab their attention in a way traditional homework can’t.
• Friendly competition – Playing against classmates in real-time adds energy. Students are motivated to keep answering correctly to get ahead on the leaderboard.
• Rewards effort – Gimkit recognizes fast responders, not just correct responses. This keeps all ability levels engaged.
• Encourages teamwork – Classmates can collaborate and develop strategies to earn more points collectively.
• Tracks progress – Students can see themselves improving over time which is highly rewarding.
• Breaks up monotony – Gimkit gives students an entertaining study break from lectures and textbooks.
• Works on any device – The web and mobile apps make gaming sessions accessible from anywhere.

Overall, Gimkit succeeds at getting students excited to learn. The platform delivers an educational experience that feels more like playing a video game than studying.

Subjects and Topics Covered

Gimkit is flexible enough to help students review almost any subject or topic. Popular subjects used on the platform include:

Core Subjects

• Math – Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics
• Science – Biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy
• English – Grammar, vocabulary, literature
• History – World history, U.S. history, geography
• Foreign Languages – Spanish, French, German, Latin

Other Subjects

• Computers and Technology
• Business and Finance
• Arts – Visual arts, music, drama
• Pop Culture – Movies, TV shows, video games
• Sports – Baseball, football, soccer, Olympics
• Current Events – News, politics, global issues

Gimkit kits often tie into what students are currently covering in the classroom. But they can also be more broad review games focused on foundational concepts or trivia games to provide a change of pace.

Teachers have created millions of kits on nearly any imaginable topic. So no matter what you’re trying to learn or review, there is likely a relevant game already live that you can join.

Accessibility for Students

Gimkit aims to provide an accessible and inclusive learning experience for all students. Key accessibility features include:

• Mobile app – The iOS and Android apps enable students to play Gimkit on smartphones and tablets. This allows participation for students without access to a computer.
• Immersive Reader – This integrated tool reads kit content aloud with dual highlighting and picture dictionaries. It benefits students with learning disabilities like dyslexia.
• Text size controls – Students can enlarge in-game text for improved readability.
• Translation tools – Kits can be machine translated into over 100 languages to aid English language learners.
• Screen reader support – The web experience supports screen readers for vision impaired students.

Gimkit also does not require fast reflexes or advanced gaming skills to play. The games reward knowledge rather than dexterity. Teachers have complete control to configure quiz settings and timing based on their class needs. This flexibility allows broad participation.

Overall, Gimkit makes learning games equally accessible to all by design. Students with diverse abilities and learning styles can benefit.

Teacher Controls and Oversight

While Gimkit is fun for students, it also provides powerful oversight tools for teachers. Gimkit empowers teachers to use gaming as an educational tool, not just entertainment.

Key teacher controls include:

• Question management – Import questions, create new questions, and edit existing questions within kits.
• Quiz configuration – Control timing, points, lives, power-ups, player names, and more.
• Results monitoring – Review student responses and accuracy in real-time as kids play.
• Review games – Automatically hide correct answers and shuffle question order to create review games.
• Class management – Reset kits, kick players, and delete games as needed.
• Student view – See the kit experience from a student’s perspective to understand their gameplay.

With these management capabilities, teachers can use Gimkit to meet serious learning objectives. The platform is much more than just playing games.

Teachers typically use Gimkit kits to:

• Review for upcoming exams and tests
• Assess student knowledge to identify gaps
• Encourage students to engage with course content
• Make regular drills and quizzes more interactive
• Incorporate educational games in lesson plans
• Support students needing extra practice
• Create fun homework assignments

Gimkit empowers teachers to gamify learning in their classrooms while maintaining complete control over the experience.

Gimkit Membership Pricing

While Gimkit is free for students to use, teachers can purchase a Gimkit Membership subscription to unlock additional features. These premium tools provide further customization and insights for educators.

Here is an overview of the membership pricing:

• Monthly – $9.99 per month, billed monthly
• Yearly – $59.99 per year, billed annually
• School – Bulk pricing available for school-wide licenses

The teacher subscription removes all limits on kit creation, including:

• Unlimited kits
• Up to 1000 questions per kit
• Advanced analytics
• Unique kit templates
• Priority support

A free teacher account is available but limited to 5 kits and 100 questions. The paid membership is therefore recommended for educators who use Gimkit regularly.

Students maintain full access to play any shared kits for free either way. Only teachers managing kit creation need the premium subscription.

Wrapping Up

Gimkit offers students a phenomenally fun way to engage with academic content across diverse subjects. The platform is entirely free for students to join and play games created by their teachers and classmates.

With its game-based learning approach, Gimkit succeeds at making education genuinely enjoyable for kids rather than a chore. Students are motivated to keep playing kits to climb the leaderboards, unlock achievements, and hit new personal bests.

Alongside the entertainment value, teachers maintain oversight over kits to ensure they meet learning goals. Gimkit enables educators to bring purposeful play into their classrooms for all ages and ability levels.

If you get the chance to try out Gimkit in your classes, don’t hesitate to join in on the fun for free! Just enter your teacher’s kit code and start playing an exciting new spin on quizzes and trivia review.

Gimkit has proven enormously popular in classrooms because it succeeds at making learning truly fun for students. While the core functionality is free, Gimkit also offers some premium features that further enhance the experience.

Premium Features for Students

Gimkit memberships give students access to premium features that level up the gameplay:

• Custom avatars – Upgrade your avatar with premium skins and accessories. Stand out with unique looks.
• Bonus power-ups – Gain access to exclusive power-ups to use during games like “double points” and “extra life”.
• Creating kits – Build your own kits to share with friends. Add themes, images, and videos.
• Private games – Generate invite codes to play kits with friends outside of class.
• Offline play – Download kits for gameplay without an internet connection.
• Content suggestions – Recommend topics you want to see kits created on.

For hardcore Gimkit fans, these expanded options take the experience to the next level. Students can further customize their avatar, boost their strategy with new power-ups, create their own games, and play kits offline.

However, a premium membership is not at all necessary to enjoy Gimkit as a student. All students maintain full access to join and play any public game for free.

Why Teachers Love Gimkit

While students are hooked on the fun gameplay, teachers love Gimkit for entirely different reasons. For educators, the platform solves key challenges in making review engaging, providing actionable data, and saving lesson planning time.

Here are some of the main reasons why teachers rate Gimkit as a must-have educational tool:

Engaging and effective review

• Incentivizes practice through fun competition
• Caters to different learning styles and abilities
• Frequent formative assessment through games
• Quests make review meaningful, not monotonous

Helpful performance analytics

• Real-time answer data during games
• Summary reports afterwards
• Identify student strengths and weaknesses
• Monitor individual and class progress over time

Time-saving convenience

• Quickly create new games or import existing questions
• Easy to differentiate games for individuals
• Assign kits as homework with automatic grading
• Libraries of premade public games to use

Gimkit aligns game elements with measurable learning outcomes. This gives teachers a powerful way to combine engagement and assessment.

The extensive analytics also provide better insights compared to traditional homework and tests. Overall, Gimkit saves teachers time while actually enhancing learning effectiveness.

Subject Review Games on Gimkit

Since Gimkit can cover virtually any academic subject, many teachers have already created high quality games for review. Here are some of the key subjects with thousands of kits available:

Math Kits

Math is one of the most popular categories on Gimkit with games available for all ages and skill levels. Students can practice core skills like:

• Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• Fractions, decimals, percentages
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry
• Probability, statistics
• Calculus

Math kits focus both on reinforcing foundations as well as applying skills to solve complex problems. Games like racing against classmates make drilling math facts fun rather than tedious.

Science Kits

Science encompasses a broad range of disciplines. Some of the main content areas covered includes:

• Biology – Cells, human body, plants, animals
• Chemistry – Atoms, molecules, reactions
• Physics – Motion, energy, electricity, force
• Earth science – Geology, meteorology, astronomy
• General science – Scientific method, famous scientists

The games transform textbook science into engaging interactive learning. Students can explore advanced concepts through compelling formats.

English Kits

From grammar to literature analysis, Gimkit helps students master diverse English skills:

• Grammar – Parts of speech, punctuation, sentence structure
• Vocabulary – Word definitions and meanings
• Reading comprehension – Key facts and details
• Literary elements – Plot, setting, characters, themes
• Genres – Poetry, novels, nonfiction
• Writing and research

English kits combine learning fundamentals with applied critical thinking during gameplay. Students have fun reviewing material that often seems dry on the page.

History Kits

History spans both antiquity up through current events. Some key history topics include:

• US History – Colonial era, American Revolution, Civil War, Westward Expansion, Industrialization, World Wars, Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, modern presidencies.
• World History – Ancient civilizations, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Imperialism, Revolutions. Countries and cultures across the globe.
• Geography – Continents, countries, capitals, flags, physical landscapes
• Social Issues – Civil rights, human rights, democracy, social responsibility
• Current Events – Today’s news, politics, global affairs

Going beyond just memorizing dates, history games allow students to deepen their critical analysis of past and present events shaping the world.

Foreign Language Kits

Gimkit includes kits for major world languages like:

• Spanish
• French
• German
• Latin
• Chinese
• ESL/EFL

The games help students build vocabulary, improve reading comprehension, and practice verb conjugation. Gimkit enables students to reinforce their language skills in a fun context outside of textbooks.

Trivia and Pop Culture Kits

For a change of pace, Gimkit offers trivia and pop culture games on topics like:

• Movies and TV shows
• Music artists
• YouTube celebrities
• Sports
• Video games
• Comics and anime
• Internet memes

These kits provide a fun diversion for students while still developing general knowledge. Some classrooms even compete in school-wide trivia tournaments.

With this immense diversity of kits, Gimkit can enhance learning across virtually any discipline. Students will ask to play games reviewing subjects they used to find boring.

Customizing Kits for Your Class

While premade public kits provide helpful content, many teachers also create customized games tailored to their curriculum and students.

Gimkit provides educators robust tools to personalize kits for their classroom needs:

Upload Course Content

• Import existing test/quiz questions as CSV or text
• Add pages from textbooks and documents
• Upload images, gifs, and videos
• Record audio snippets

Customize Game Settings

• Question types like multiple choice, true/false, matching
• Number of points per question
• Time limits and number of tries per question
• Make questions anonymous or identified
• Team modes and resultado
• Allow power-ups or disable

Adjust Difficulty

• Rearrange question order or randomize
• Hide correct answers to make a review game
• Enable hints and explanations for support
• Make questions easier or harder

Monitor Performance

• Review real-time student responses
• Rescore incorrect questions as correct
• Give (or remove) points from players
• See time spent per question

Reuse and Remix Kits

• Duplicate kits to make iterations
• Copy questions between your own kits
• Make templates from kits
• Save kits year to year

With this deep customization, teachers can create kits perfectly aligned to current lessons and learner needs. Tailored games are more educationally effective than generic ones.

Classroom Use Cases

Gimkit is flexible enough to incorporate into diverse teaching workflows. Here are some examples of how teachers commonly use Gimkit kits:

Lesson Warm Ups

• Start class with a 5-10 minute Gimkit review game
• Quickly assess lesson readiness and gaps
• Engage students as soon as they enter the room

Learning Check Ins

• Have students play a kit mid-lesson
• Check for understanding and clear up confusion
• Discuss questions students struggled with

Lesson Follow Ups

• Assign a Gimkit review kit after teaching a lesson
• Solidify new knowledge and correct misconceptions
• Identify areas needing more practice

Interactive Homework

• Create kits for students to play asynchronously at home
• More engaging than worksheets
• Get real-time grading and feedback

Exam Prep

• Intensive review games leading up to big tests
• Analyze class performance on practice questions
• Address weak areas before the high-stakes exam

Group Collaboration

• Pair or group students into teams during games
• Encourage peer tutoring and teamwork
• Build communication and cooperation skills

Individual Practice

• Assign specific kits customized to each student
• Personalized difficulty and question sets
• Target individual knowledge gaps

School-wide Competitions

• Friendly tournaments between classes or grades
• Incentivize students to master content
• Promote collaboration and community

This diversity of applications makes Gimkit one of the most versatile educational tools for teachers. The platform integrates seamlessly into existing lesson plans and workflows.

Getting Started with Gimkit

Ready to bring the power of play into your classroom? Here is a quick step-by-step guide to get started with Gimkit:

1. Create a Teacher Account

• Go to www.gimkit.com and click “Sign Up”
• Select the “Teacher” option when prompted
• Provide your info and create a username and password

2. Explore Public Kits

• Search for kits related to your subject and grade level
• Filter by topic, age range, rating, and difficulty
• Preview kits before using them
• Clone kits to customize them for your class

3. Build Your First Kit

• Click the “+” icon to create a new kit
• Select your template, theme, and settings
• Add questions manually or bulk upload via CSV
• Customize timing, points, question order, and more

4. Launch Your Kit

• Click “Launch” to generate a join code
• Share the code with students
• Monitor gameplay and results in real-time

5. Engage Students

• Project the kit for the whole class to play together
• Make friendly leaderboards for students to climb
• Save kits to replay and track progress over time

Once you create your first kit, the possibilities are endless! Gimkit enables you to gamify your curriculum in whatever way engages your students best.

The platform is remarkably easy to pick up. You’ll quickly become expert at leveraging the features tailored for classroom needs.

If you have any questions along the way, the Gimkit team is available by email and phone to provide teacher support. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Conclusion

At its core, Gimkit solves teachers’ biggest headache – making review enjoyable rather than dull and repetitive. Kids light up when they hear they get to play Gimkit because it delivers an educational experience as captivating as their favorite video games.

Yet behind the entertainment, Gimkit gives teachers the oversight and analytics needed to maintain high learning standards. The platform fuses engagement and accountability in a way rarely achieved by traditional homework.

For learners, Gimkit unlocks content mastery through joy and friendly competition. Review sessions become opportunities to connect and collaborate with classmates in pursuit of collective success. Education ceases to feel like drudgery.

So if you’re a student with access to Gimkit this year, take the opportunity to maximize your learning through gameplay. If you’re a teacher, we hope this guide provided ideas to help you implement Gimkit effectively in your classroom.

Gimkit has already enriched education for millions worldwide. But for many, the journey is just beginning. We look forward to welcoming new teachers and students to our community of active learners playing their way to academic excellence!

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