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Are you looking to make a crossword puzzle game on PowerPoint for students to play? The crossword clues can be related to lesson content, helping students reinforce their knowledge. But you're unsure how to do it? Well, check out the following article to learn how to create a crossword game on PowerPoint quickly and attractively.
Here's a detailed guide on how to create a crossword game on PowerPoint. You can download the sample .pptx file at the end of the article.
Step 1: Open PowerPoint, delete all existing text boxes on the slide, then right-click and choose Format Background.
Locate the Format Background section on the right side to set the background for PowerPoint (if you prefer a white background, no need to set). In the Fill section, choose Apply to All to apply the background to all slides.
Step 2: Add a title to the game: CROSSWORD PUZZLE CHALLENGE
Select Insert -> WordArt for artistic text or choose Insert -> Text Box and draw a textbox frame on the slide.
Next, enter the text CROSSWORD PUZZLE CHALLENGE into the textbox and move the textbox to the top of the slide. Then, select (highlight) the text and apply color and font size adjustments in the Font section of the Home tab.
Next, create effects for the text by selecting the Animation tab and choosing the Underline command (or any effect you prefer in the yellow Emphasis section).
To adjust the text animation to run until the end of the presentation, select Animation Pane on the Animation tab. On the right side of the Animation Pane, click the black arrow next to the textbox name and choose Timing.
A dialog box with the selected effect's name will appear. In the Timing tab, choose With Previous in the Start section, select the appropriate duration in the Duration section, and set Repeat to Until End of Slide. Then, press OK to close.
You can add another Text Box to provide additional information for the title.
Step 3: Insert shapes containing question numbers.
Choose the Insert -> Shapes -> Oval tab.
Press Shift to draw a circle; you can also draw custom shapes for questions and adjust their sizes. Then, in the Format tab, select the shape style in the Shape Styles section, fill the shape with a color in the Shape Fill section, outline the color in the Shape Outline section, and add effects in the Shape Effects section.
Next, right-click on the shape, choose Edit Text, and enter the corresponding content (for example, enter the number 1 for question 1).
Select the text you entered and customize the font, style, and size in the Font section of the Home tab.
Next, choose an effect for the shape by selecting the shape, going to the Animations tab, and choosing an effect in the yellow Emphasis section (Line Color or Fill Color, for example).
Also in the Animations tab, select Animation Pane. The Animation Pane appears on the right side; click the small triangle next to the shape's name and choose Timing.
A Fill Color dialog box appears. In the Timing tab, choose Trigger -> Start effect on click off -> select the shape's name -> OK. This way, you create a clickable button for question number 1.
Step 4: Simply copy and paste additional shapes corresponding to other questions (To copy, right-click and select Copy, then choose Paste). Copy as many shapes as the number of questions and edit the content within the shapes.
Step 5: Choose Insert -> Table -> select the corresponding number of cells for the answer to question 1 (for example, if the answer to question 1 is Game, select 4 columns and 1 row to create a table).
Select all cells and adjust the border color in Pen Color, the border size in the upper part of the cell. Then, choose Borders -> All Borders to outline all cells. Adjust the background color in the Shading section.
Next, in the Layout section, adjust the Height and Width for all cells and align the text position in the Alignment section.
Afterward, enter the letters in each cell for the answers and customize the font in the Font section of the Home tab.
Step 6: Copy the answer cells, input the corresponding answers, and arrange them accordingly. If there are extra cells, delete them; if there are missing ones, add cells by choosing the corresponding commands in the Layout tab, similar to when working with a Table.
Step 7: Create another Table with the number of cells equal to the number of answer cells for question 1. Select all cells and align them similarly as you did in step 5.
Next, choose the effect for when clicked to disappear by selecting the table and choosing Animations -> select effect in the red section (Exit).
Next, select Animation Pane on the Animations tab. In the Animation Pane on the right side, click the black triangle next to the table name -> Timing.
A dialog box with the effect name appears; choose Triggers -> Start Effect on click of, select the correct table name, and press OK to close the dialog.
Drag all cells of the table and overlay them on the table containing the answer for question 1.
Step 8: Copy the table created in step 7 and overlay it on subsequent questions. If there are extra cells, delete them. If there are missing ones, insert additional cells. You will end up with the following:
Step 9: Create a new Slide; on this new Slide, insert a Textbox containing question 1, similar to the image below (question 1 content is just a demo, replace it with corresponding content).
Similarly, create additional new Slides, each containing a corresponding question.
Step 10: Insert an action that, when clicking on image number 1, will transition to the slide containing question number 1.
Select image number 1 and choose Insert -> Action.
A Action Settings dialog box will appear; choose Hyperlink to -> select the triangle icon -> Slides.
In the Hyperlink to Slide dialog, click on the slide containing question number 1 and press OK.
Repeat the process for the following question images, for example, for image number 2, choose question number 2.
Step 11: Attach the command to return to the main interface.
Select the Slide containing question number 1, you need to insert a back button by choosing Insert -> Shapes -> select the desired shape.
Draw it on the interface at your desired position, then customize the color for the shape, and Edit Text if you want to add text.
Next, assign a command to this button by choosing Insert -> Action.
Action Settings will appear, choose Hyperlink to -> select the small triangle icon -> Slides.
In the Hyperlink to Slide dialog, choose the first Slide (this is the main interface), and press OK.
Then, copy this button to the Slides containing questions 2, 3, etc., using the combination Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V.
Thus, you have completed creating the crossword game in a simple and attractive manner. You can download the sample PowerPoint crossword game file here:
crossword-game-powerpoint-tutorial.sample.pptx
This article only demonstrates the content; if you decide to implement it, you need to provide detailed content for the questions on each Slide. I hope that through this article, you'll be able to create various engaging games using PowerPoint. Wishing you all success!
