Fun Board Race Topics for Teaching English to Young Learners

Why Board Races Work in ESL Classrooms

If you teach English to children, you already know how much young learners love games. One of the most engaging and easy-to-set-up activities is the board race. It gets students out of their seats, encourages teamwork, and helps them practice essential English vocabulary in a fast-paced, interactive way.

Board races are simple: divide your class into teams, call out a topic or question, and have one student from each team race to the board to write the correct word or answer. Despite the simplicity, board races can be customized for nearly any level, topic, or language skill — from vocabulary review to grammar practice.

In this article, we’ll explore fun and creative board race topics that ESL teachers can use to keep young learners motivated and learning. We’ll also include tips for preparation, classroom management, and digital variations that work both in-person and online.

1. Colors and Shapes

This classic beginner topic is perfect for preschool and elementary ESL classes. Children love identifying and writing color names like red, blue, and green, or drawing shapes like triangle and square on the board.

Variation: Instead of calling out the color, show flashcards or hold up colored classroom items. Students must race to write the correct color or shape name before their opponents.

For additional visual aids, you can find printable color and shape flashcards on ESL Kids World.

2. Animals

Kids never get tired of learning animal names — from dog and cat to elephant and kangaroo. Create themed rounds, such as “farm animals,” “zoo animals,” or “sea creatures.”

Variation: Make it a spelling challenge by saying the sound (e.g., “Moo!”) and having students race to the board to write the animal that makes it.

For more animal-themed classroom materials, check out MES English.

3. Food and Drinks

Food vocabulary is both fun and useful for young learners. Write categories like “Fruits,” “Vegetables,” or “Desserts” on the board. Call out a category, and students must race to write items that fit — for example, “apple,” “carrot,” or “cake.”

Variation: Play a “Healthy or Unhealthy” round. Say a food word aloud, and students must write it in the correct category on the board.

This is also a great time to introduce cultural food items from different countries — encouraging students to share their favorites.

4. Actions and Verbs

Action words make for exciting and physical board races. Call out a verb like “jump” or “swim,” and have students either act it out or write it on the board as quickly as possible.

Variation: Play “Verb Charades.” Act out a verb silently and have students race to guess and write the correct word.

For printable verb flashcards and activity ideas, you can visit ISL Collective.

5. School Supplies

This topic connects directly to the classroom environment — making it ideal for beginner ESL students. Common items include pencil, eraser, ruler, and notebook.

Variation: Hide classroom objects and call out clues (“It’s something you use to draw!”). Students guess the word and write it on the board.

You can find interactive ESL worksheets for school supplies on ESL Games Plus.

6. Family Members

Family-themed lessons help students express personal information and connections. Words like mother, father, sister, and grandmother are excellent for beginner levels.

Variation: Create a “Family Tree” race. Write “Me” at the top of the board, and teams must race to correctly label family members branching down the tree.

7. Opposites

Teaching antonyms works perfectly with a board race format. Divide the board into two columns labeled “Word” and “Opposite.” Say a word (like “hot”), and students must run to write its opposite (“cold”).

Variation: Add visuals — show pictures representing the words and have students race to match and label them correctly.

8. Adjectives

Once learners know basic vocabulary, adjectives add color and creativity to their English. Topics like emotions, sizes, and descriptions are engaging for kids.

Variation: Use flashcards of people or animals and ask students to race to the board and write three adjectives to describe the picture.

For ready-to-use adjective flashcards, visit ESL Flashcards.

9. Days, Months, and Seasons

Kids often mix up time vocabulary, so turning it into a board race can make it stick. Call out “winter” or “Monday,” and students race to write words or phrases related to that category (e.g., “snow,” “cold,” “December”).

Variation: Try a “Weather + Season” combo round — say “summer,” and students must race to write three weather-related words that match the season.

10. Mixed Vocabulary Rounds

Once students are familiar with many vocabulary sets, mix them together! Call out random categories — “food,” “animal,” “color,” etc. — and let students compete in a lightning round of word recall.

Variation: Add grammar challenges, such as “Write a sentence using an animal and a color” — encouraging both vocabulary review and sentence structure practice.

Extra Ideas: Grammar Board Races

While vocabulary board races are ideal for beginners, you can adapt the activity for simple grammar points as students progress. Examples include:

• Present vs. Past Tense: Say a verb, and teams race to write both forms.

• Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns: Call out a noun, and students race to write it under the correct heading.

• Singular vs. Plural: Show a picture, and students write the correct plural form.

Tips for Successful Board Races

1. Keep It Fair: Use clear rules, and ensure each team gets an equal number of turns.

2. Encourage Collaboration: Let teams discuss answers before sending one runner to the board.

3. Manage Noise: Board races can get loud — set clear volume expectations beforehand.

4. Differentiate Levels: Adjust difficulty for younger or more advanced learners by changing word complexity.

5. Reward Effort: Give stickers, stars, or points to maintain motivation.

If you’re teaching online, consider digital whiteboards such as Miro or Google Jamboard, which allow students to “race” virtually by typing or drawing answers.

Making English Learning Fast, Fun, and Interactive

Board races are a time-tested ESL classroom activity that transforms review sessions into moments of excitement and laughter. Whether you’re teaching five-year-olds their first English words or helping elementary learners review grammar, board races promote teamwork, engagement, and active recall.

By using fun topics — like animals, food, or adjectives — and mixing in grammar challenges, teachers can keep lessons energetic and adaptable to any group size. Pair these activities with flashcards, visuals, or short songs, and you’ll have a winning formula for memorable, student-centered ESL lessons.

With a little creativity, the board race becomes more than just a game — it’s a powerful tool for helping young learners think in English, cooperate as a team, and enjoy every moment of learning.

Free ESL Games and Activities

Download free activities and PDF samples from the ESL Expat store.