Stop the Fire.

Give your class a quick-thinking challenge. With one letter and a handful of categories, teams race to find their answers before the fire catches up.

Create a Stop the Fire game

Put the categories on a shared screen and let students write their answers on paper or mini whiteboards.

Stop the Fire category cards and the letter P bursting forward above a fiery countdown
3D illustration based on the real Stop the Fire game.

Let’s play Stop the Fire

Set up a round, compare the answers and see which team found something different.

Set the challenge.Choose your teams, categories and round length. You can reroll the letter before the fire starts, then give everyone the same challenge.
Stop the Fire setup showing teams, difficulty, category choices, timer and a preview of the letter

You can keep the categories broad or make them fit your topic. Once the round starts, everyone works with the same letter and the fire timer begins.

What did everyone find?Read the answers together. Give two points for a unique valid answer, one for a shared answer and zero for an answer that does not fit.
Stop the Fire scoring screen comparing Foxes and Owls answers one category at a time
A little celebration.Keep the scores across rounds, try a new letter and finish with a cheer for your teams. Sometimes the most unexpected answer is the one everyone remembers.
Stop the Fire final team scores with Foxes and Owls on the podium

Make it your own

Pick categories that fit
Use the built-in category bank, write your own list or ask AI to help. Keep it broad, or choose categories linked to the topic you are teaching.
Set a comfortable pace
Choose the number of categories and the round length. Start with fewer categories and more time, then turn up the challenge when everyone has the idea.
Keep the discussion in your hands
You decide whether an answer fits. Stop early to compare, or add time if the class needs another moment to finish their ideas.

Where will you take it?

Wake up a lesson
Start with familiar categories for a lively warm-up. It gives everyone something to contribute before you move into the main lesson.
Make connections across a topic
Try places from geography, living things from science or people and objects from history. Adapt the categories so more than one sensible answer is possible.
Celebrate original thinking
Invite students to explain an unusual answer. Shared answers build confidence; different answers give the class something new to talk about.

What will your class think of?

Choose a few categories, gather your teams and give their ideas a little room to run.

Create a Stop the Fire game