Have you ever played the I Spy ESL Game with younger learners? The activity is a simple yet effective way to improve your students’ listening and speaking skills. It also can be a fun method for reviewing vocabulary and increasing interaction in class. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids [printfriendly] I Spy ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for the game, you could create a vocabulary list of all the key terms that you would like to review with your students. To keep it simple, look through the list of vocabulary terms in the chapters of their textbook if they have one. Select a few words from the text and prepare to use them for the activity. I Spy ESL Game Guidelines: Before playing the game, demonstrate an example for…
This activity is an adaptation from a game featured on Hollywood Game Night. While playing this game, students must guess words that have had all of their vowels removed. It is a fun activity for reviewing vocabulary and for word recognition. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] No Harm No Vowel ESL Game Preparation: Think of a few words (with vowels missing) to start the game with. You may also want to focus on a specific theme or choose words that they have learned recently in a previous lesson. No Harm No Vowel ESL Game Guidelines: To start, write five words on the board with all of their vowels missing. Also, give the students a hint if they need extra help. In this example, all of these…
Box of Lies is another adaptation of a game played on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In this version of the activity, students create drawings placed into a box. Then, students take turns describing the drawing while others try to guess if they are lying or not. Student Level: Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Box of Lies ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for the game, watch a few skits of the game on The Tonight Show. You may want to pick one or to that you would like to show to the class. Make sure to have plenty of paper and pencils ready too. Box of Lies ESL Game Guidelines: To begin, show an example video of the Box of Lies game from The Tonight Show on…
Are you looking for a new activity to practice prepositions in class? The Prepositions ESL Game is an interactive activity that students attempt to recreate a scene from a photograph with a drawing. It works well with all age groups. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Prepositions ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for the activity, make sure to have some blank paper for the students to draw on. You will also need to find some pictures of scenes online. However, as a part of the activity, you may want to have the students search for the pictures on their smartphone in class. Alternatively, you could also use still frames from videos on YouTube. Students should also have a pen or pencil to draw with. Prepositions ESL Game…
The Body Parts ESL Game is a fun and interactive activity for improving students’ understanding of body vocabulary. The game also allows students to practice listening skills while drawing funny looking cartoon characters with their classmates. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids [printfriendly] Body Parts ESL Game Preparation: Since this game is targeted towards younger learners, you may want to pick up some colored pencils or crayons. Pencils or pens work well too. It can be played on the board as well. Body Parts ESL Game Guidelines: To start, draw a funny character on the board so all the students can see. Next, draw lines to different parts of the body. Elicit the names of the body parts with the correct spelling. Make sure to label as many body…
There are several skills which can be taught using the Bingo ESL Board Game. Improve students’ vocabulary, grammar, and other core skills in English by printing off customized Bingo sheets. This activity can be used with all ages and levels. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Bingo ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for the game, you should go to a free Bingo sheet generator website to make your cards. There are a number of useful sites, like FreeBingoMaker.com or MyFreeBingoCards.com which can generate the Bingo cards for you. Simply copy/paste the content in the generators and it will make as many randomized cards as you want. Before visiting the websites to generate the cards, make a list of 25 items. Since a traditional Bingo card is…
Here is an alternative method for using Jeopardy in your language classroom. This classic Jeopardy ESL game actually encourages your students to create the game's content. They can also compete with each other in teams. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Jeopardy ESL Game Preparation: The amount of preparation for the Jeopardy game really depends on you. One method is to find a pre-made game online. There are several pre-made PowerPoint games floating around the web. Alternatively, you could use a template from the web and customize it for your class aims. On the other hand, the version of the game described in this article gets students to create the questions and answers. If you choose to use this version, then it takes minimal preparation since…
In this activity, you can use the classic Tic Tac Toe grid to help your students recall vocabulary from your lessons. The Tic Tac Toe ESL Game works best as a filler or a way to conclude a lesson as a review activity. Furthermore, you can even use it with adults as you can vary the level of difficulty. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Tic Tac Toe ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for the game, you can scan through your course textbook and collect some words to use. Many texts have lists of the vocabulary that is used in either the contents or appendix sections at the back. Of course, you can use other random words or vocabulary that you would like to reinforce or practice…
Here is a fun interactive game that will engage younger learners and help with their listening skills. The Word Whack ESL Game is also a fun way to review simple vocabulary and even more complex words by encouraging them to recognize the words on the board that they hear. Student Level: Beginner Age Group: Kids [printfriendly] Word Whack ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for this game, you need to find two soft objects that students can use to whack the words on the board with. You could use a balloon or one of those plastic blow-up bats that they sell at dollar stores. If you are in Asia, you may want to check out Daiso which is a Japanese chain store which sells a lot of useful things to use…
Playing the Hangman ESL Game in class is an effective method for helping students recall vocabulary, improve pronunciation and practice using new words from the curriculum. It is usually used with younger ages but can also be fun for adult learners too if adapted appropriately. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Hangman ESL Game Preparation: Not much is required to prepare for the game. However, you may want to prepare a variation of words from your textbook or curriculum before you start the class. It can be adapted using sentences to challenge higher level students as well. Hangman ESL Game Guidelines: Most students are familiar with Hangman since it is something they have played in their early years of education. If they are very young learners, some…
The Hot Seat ESL Game is a classic vocabulary activity that has been around for a while in the language learning world. It can be used with all age groups, not just kids, and can be a good way to get everyone involved in the activity. It is sometimes called “Back to the Board” or similar to the Taboo ESL Board Game. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Hot Seat ESL Game Preparation: First, to prepare for the game, you should have a good idea of what words you would like to review beforehand. You may want to create your own Hot Seat ESL game word list. Then, print our your Hot Seat words so that you can refer to it in class. As for materials,…
The Simon Says ESL Game has always been the “go to” activity for teaching kids body parts and other vocabulary. You can also play it with objects in the classroom or even saying common expressions or phrases that you would like to review. Student Level: Beginner Age Group: Kids [printfriendly] Simon Says ESL Game Preparation: Not much is required to prepare for the game ahead of class. You may want to have some flashcards or pictures prepared for some of the vocabulary, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. Simon Says ESL Game Guidelines: The aim of “Simon Says” is relatively easy for most kids to grasp. Once they catch on how to play, it basically runs on autopilot. Though, for very low levels, the most difficult part of the activity is…
Playing the Charades ESL Game in the classroom is a fun way to get your class using vocabulary and forming sentences. Get the students thinking “outside of the box” with a classic, interactive, and dynamic game of Charades. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Charades ESL Game Preparation: To prepare for the game, you may want to collect a few words that are loosely related to the topics that you are currently covering in your curriculum. Create a word list and print it out so you can refer to it directly in class if you want. Charades ESL Game Guidelines: To start off the activity, start the class with a demonstration of how to play the game. The purpose of Charades is to elicit a correct…
Learn how to use the classic Pictionary ESL Game and adapt it to your lesson plan. The game can be used with all levels of language learners and is an effective way to review vocabulary. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Pictionary ESL Game Preparation: Gather a wide range of vocabulary that you have used in previous classes or that you will be using for your students in the near future. It can be single words or even common idioms/expressions that you would like to use. Pictionary ESL Game Guidelines: At the beginning of class, do a demonstration of the activity so that the class understands what to do. Start with a simple word or expression. For example, you could begin with the word “Breakfast.” On…
You won’t exactly be bringing in Pat Sayjack and Vanna White into the classroom with this adapted version of Wheel of Fortune, but the concept is relatively similar. This Wheel of Fortune ESL Game is a lot like the game Hangman with the added element of money and the wheel. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Wheel of Fortune ESL Game Preparation: Before class begins, prepare a number of words and expressions to use for the game. Try to relate it somehow to the textbook that you are using in class if you want to use it as a fun extension to a lesson. Alternatively, you could get the students to think of the expressions themselves during the class in teams. You could create the money wheel…
This game is recommended for kids because of its simplicity, though if you are creative and want to raise the level of difficulty, it could also be used in adult classes if you want to have a change of pace in your lesson. For the Pass the Marker ESL Game, all you need is a marker and a board. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Pass the Marker ESL Game Guidelines: All you need to prepare before class for this activity is a marker. It is a good idea to make sure that your classroom has enough space to move around as well, so you arrange the desks and chairs appropriately beforehand. Pass the Marker ESL Game Guidelines: Have the students form two lines in two teams.…
This memory race ESL game is more directed at children to help them recall vocabulary, but it could still be adapted to suit adult classes with some increased difficulty. It works best in classrooms that have a lot of space for people to move around without too many obstructions. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Memory Race ESL Game Guidelines: Before the class, make sure that the desks and chairs are aligned so that there is space for the students to move without tripping on anything. You could also prepare the vocabulary and questions that you want to use for the game beforehand as well. Also, you could prepare the vocabulary and questions that you want to use for the game beforehand. Memory Race ESL Game Guidelines:…
The Board Race ESL Game is a fun way to get your class up and out of their seats. The activity can be used with young students as well as with adults, depending on your classroom size. All you need are two markers, free space to move in the class and a board to write on. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Board Race ESL Game Preparation: Before class begins, or before the activity starts, you should make sure that there is enough room to move around. Clear out any obstructions that could get in the way. You don’t want anyone tripping or hurting themselves. Board Race ESL Game Guidelines: The goal of a board race game is to have two people “race” from one end of…
The Word Chain game for ESL students can be used to help build their vocabulary using a variety of themes. It can be used with larger groups or even in pairs. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Word Chain ESL Game Preparation: Not much pre-class preparation is required for the Word Chain game. If you want, you could think of a few different vocabulary themes based on the words in the textbook that you are using for the class, but it isn’t really necessary. Word Chain ESL Game Guidelines: To explain to the class how to do the Word Chain activity, first, think of a theme like "movie stars" or something simple like "colors" if it is a very basic level of students. Let's use the "colors"…
If you want your students to start thinking more outside the box, this fun mystery word ESL game can get them there while also building their vocabulary based on a particular theme or topic that you are covering in your class. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] Mystery Word ESL Game Preparation: You could prepare a few vocabulary concepts for this game before class. On the other hand, simply improvise and think of a few concepts in class as you go. The idea of the game is relatively simple so not much preparation is required at all. Mystery Word ESL Game Guidelines: To start the activity, draw a circle on the board with a question mark at the center of it. Next, extend a number of…
This is a fun activity for encouraging students to ask “yes” or “no” questions about a “mystery word” that someone is thinking of. The 20 Questions ESL Game can be used as a good way to review any type of vocabulary that you have already covered in class. Student Level: Beginner, Intermediate Age Group: Kids, Adults [printfriendly] 20 Questions ESL Game Preparation: Pre-class preparation for this activity isn’t really necessary. Though, if you want, you could think of a few objects, people or things that you want your students to think about for answers to the game. 20 Questions ESL Game Guidelines: A good way to start the game is by drawing a face on the board with a bubble rising out of it. Put a question mark inside the…
