Frequently Asked Questions

That depends on where the game comes from:

• Template Library games are for personal and classroom use only. You may not sell these games or include them in paid products. However, you may share them only if they remain free and include the original “Made by taysteachingtoolkit.com” credit.
• Game Market games may not be posted online (including personal or classroom websites, blogs, or shared drives), resold, redistributed, shared with other teachers, or reproduced in any form (electronic, mechanical, or otherwise). They are for single-classroom use only.
• Games created in The Game Maker’s Starter Course are for students of the course and for educational, non-commercial purposes only. You may use the games you create in the course personally but may not share, post, or sell them to/with other people or websites in any way (excluding the final project game you create from scratch).

Yes, entering your email is required each time you download a game. However, there are two easy ways to save time:

1. Add multiple games to your cart first—then enter your details just once at checkout to download them all together.
2. Create a free account on my website. This lets the system remember your info, so you can skip the form completely for future downloads.

All the games and resources you've downloaded or purchased on this website can be found under your account (including my online course). To go there, click the person icon next to the search icon in the top, right-hand corner of the website, or, click the "My Downloads" button in the top, right-hand corner of the website.

You also should receive an email with your download each time you get a game. If you didn’t receive a download email, check your spam or promotions folder. If it’s not there and doesn’t appear under your account, make sure you typed in the correct email address when downloading.

Use the Search bar at the top of the page or browse through categories in The Game Market. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I probably don’t have a game for that topic yet, but you’re always welcome to suggest it! Also note, my free games in The Template Library are not based around topics. You edit these games with your own content based on your topic.

The Template Library contains free, easily-editable PowerPoint and Google Slides game templates created by me and organized by program, skill, use-case, and runtime. These templates can be modified and used to practice any vocabulary or target expressions of your choosing in any language. 

The Game Market is a curated collection of premium, ready-to-play ESL games for sale created by me and some of my favorite teacher-creators. They're organized by English topic and are available in multiple formats like PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva, and PDF. For these games, you can play them straight away after downloading (no editing needed if you don't want to).

Yes, but it depends on the file type:

• PowerPoint: Works completely offline after downloading.
• PDF: Works offline as soon as it’s saved.
• Google Slides and Canva: Require an internet connection to edit or present.

Yes! Each game page has a review section where you can share feedback or tips for other teachers.

Yes! You can change text, images, and questions to fit your students or lesson topics. Just avoid removing triggers or animations linked to gameplay.

Yes! You can edit all the text to match the language used or taught in your class. Just make sure the fonts support your target language characters.

Games in The Template Library don’t use macros. Some of The Game Market games, however, may include macros for special effects or features. If so, you’ll see a note on the product page or a document in the download file explaining how to safely enable them.

Occasionally, some fonts will cause the PowerPoint to open in a Read-Only version. Usually, you can combat this by doing one of two things:

1. Downloading and installing the linked font(s) on the game's page under the "Variation" section.
2. If it's still uneditable after doing #1 and you see a dialogue box pop up that has a "Remove Restricted Fonts" option, click that button (not "Open Read-Only"). While it may change the design of the PowerPoint slightly, it should now be editable.

If you are still having issues after trying both #1 and #2, feel free to reach out to me via the Contact page.

You'll need to copy the game to your own Google Drive in order to edit it. I have provided a detailed explanation on how to do this on the Google Slides Help page.

Unfortunately due to the current limitations of Google Slides, sound effects I've embedded in the original PowerPoint games are not carried over to their Google Slides versions. In most cases, I've either had to replace the sound effects with simpler versions or remove them completely.

Some games require you to download and install a font in order for it work correctly. If this is the case, I have a put a link to the font file at the end of the game description on its product page. After downloading and installing the font, close and reopen PowerPoint. The rectangles should now be removed.

If you're having issues with a scoring slide in a game such as the slide resetting or animations not working in order, first, make sure you have it opened in PowerPoint. Due to its animations or macros, these types of slides don't work in Google Slides.

Next, make sure you're only using the game's in-game hyperlinks to transition between slides. Sometimes if you use the spacebar or arrow keys to move between slides, the scoring slide resets.

Finally, if you're using an older version of PowerPoint (older than 2013), the animations applied may not be compatible.

If you're having issues with a wheel animation in a game such as it always landing on the same space it might be one of two things:

1. You're using an older version of PowerPoint (older than 2013), so the animations applied aren't compatible.
2. Or, in some versions of PowerPoint the sound effect applied to the wheel affects how the animation works. You can either wait for the sound effect to finish playing before stopping the wheel or remove the sound effect from the wheel before playing the game.

Mainly because while the designs of the games I take full credit for, I do not own the rights to most of the game images, sound effects, and fonts I use in these templates. That's why they are unofficial and designed for personal use only. However, if you enjoy my games, find them helpful for your classes, and would like to show your appreciation, feel free to visit the Say Thanks page for ways you could support this website :)

No, these games are still free. This just means that they include one or more variations which you can choose to download (all of which are free too).

While all of my games are first made in PowerPoint, some of them also include a Google Slides version (these have a yellow Google Slides icon on their cover image). However, PowerPoint is still recommended for the best animation and sound experience in order to play the game as it was originally designed.

The time listed for each game is a minimum estimate, or, the least amount of time you'd typically need to play through the full game or at least a few solid rounds. This estimate is based on an average class of about 24 students and includes time to explain the rules, set up the game (like dividing students into teams), and get everyone started.

Actual game time may vary depending on your class size, how many rounds you play, student engagement, behavior, or how familiar your students are with the format.

That said, you do not need to complete a full game to use it effectively. These games are flexible! You can play just part of a game, pause it when your time runs out, or jump ahead to certain slides. For example, if a game is listed as 40+ minutes but you only have 20, you can still enjoy a quick round or two. Use the estimate as a guideline, not a rule.

While I wasn’t able to automatically import all the past comments and runtime feedback directly into the new site for my free games, you can still view them! Just check the "Teacher Feedback" section found under each game's description and above the “Share Your Feedback” review section.

You’ll find PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva, and PDF games covering a wide range of ESL topics like vocabulary, grammar, parts of speech, functional language, and holidays. All of them (except the game show templates) are ready-to-play as soon as you download them.

Only the games that state they're created by "The Cross-Cultural Classroom" are made by me. The Game Market includes games from many wonderful teacher-creators. However, every game in the market is carefully reviewed by me in order to maintain the same standards and quality you've come to expect from Tay's Teaching Toolkit (but now with even more variety, creativity, and teaching styles to explore).

No, these are premium, ready-to-play games that are for sale.

Each game shows a program tag in the top-left corner of its cover image (e.g., PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva, PDF). This tells you what format the game file is in.

Yes, for most games, at the very least the text is editable, but it depends on the creator.

Some creators update their games with new content, visuals, or features. If a game you purchased is updated, you’ll receive an email update and can download the updated version from your account page.

You’ll learn how to build interactive, animated classroom games step-by-step, from layout and design to triggers, animations, sound effects, and making them playable in class.

The course has 9 modules and a total of 29 lessons: First, I take you through my most-used PowerPoint tools and features when making a game. Then, you'll get a first-hand look at my game design process and follow along with me as we create seven different types of PowerPoint games from start to finish. Finally, you'll put all the knowledge, tools, and newfound confidence you gather throughout the course and make a brand new PowerPoint game that you'll submit to me for feedback in the final lesson.

Yes. It’s designed for educators with little to no design background. Each module offers clear walkthroughs, sample files, and templates so you can learn by doing.

Once you enroll, you have lifetime access. You can revisit any module whenever you’d like and the games you make during the course are yours to use and keep.

You’ll receive full video lessons and tutorials, downloadable editable templates, and access to a community Q&A space where you can ask questions if you run into issues.

Yes, you’ll need Microsoft PowerPoint (the desktop version), A free viewer alone won’t give access to full editing suite you need to make a game.

No, all the assets you need to make the course games will be provided in the lesson including backgrounds, images, sound effects, and fonts. You will only need to find your own content for the game you make in the final project.