~ Games ~
Welcome to the Games page. Here you’ll find a selection of games for all levels to make learning English fun, engaging, and effective. We suggest employing these sparingly and with great enthusiasm, at the very end of classes that went particularly well. Like break times, structured games are a privilege, not a right. Any activity that your class engages in can be imbued with the bubbly spirit of play!
Beginner Games
Hammer Time
Set flashcards out on the floor. Start with just a few and gradually increase the number over time. Begin with a short sequence, perhaps only one or two. Say which cards to hit (with their hammer, slapper, hand, etc.). Over time, make longer sequences, perhaps 5 or more! Ask them to repeat the words aloud while they go, ensuring the proper order, which improves memory and pronunciation. Ask students to hand the hammer to the next in line, saying “Here you are.” The receiver says “Thank you,” and the giver says “You’re welcome.” We suggest occasionally tossing in a word for them to hit that isn’t included in the flashcards on the floor, such as ‘Teacher’ =)
Jump and Say
Arrange students into groups or just call on students of similar ability to come up in pairs. Tell students to point their toes and their noses at the wall opposite them. Behind them, sure that they can’t see, get ready with a flashcard for them to identify. At “Go!”, they turn around and the winner is whoever says it properly first. If one student fails to identify it, give the other student a chance to give an answer, so it doesn’t become a guessing game of rapidly listing possibilities until one is correct. Consider adding a spelling component, with part of the word spelled and blanks left for them to race to finish.
Cowboys
After playing Jump and Say for a while, this can be a fun alternative. Give two students a flashcard each and instruct them to face away from each other. At “Go!” they jump to face each other and identify the other student’s card. Give the slower student a chance to answer if the faster student was incorrect.
Sticky Throw
For this game, write vocabulary words on the board and draw lines around each such that the whole board is filled with oddly shaped boxes containing the words (or pictures instead!) Ask a student to come to you and show them or tell them the definition of one of the words, or a picture that you used to identify it, or show them the word itself if pictures were used on the board. They announce the word and a second student attempts to throw a sticky ball at the box containing the word (or picture) that the first student said. This could be done for speed with multiple students attempting to hit the proper word first!
Teacher Says
This “Simon Says” spin-off is always a class favorite. It gives students a chance to move around, flagrantly disobey teachers, and enjoy themselves together. It requires a relatively strong base of classroom vocabulary first, so that students will understand your directions. Give directions for students to do something after saying “Teacher says…”, occasionally giving directions without saying “Teacher says”. If you don’t say “Teacher says,” they must not do it. If they get too good (which they will soon!), consider calling the slowest to react “out”, so that the game can progress.
Bye-Bye
This gem of a game has become one of my personal favorites for lower-level students, though it can work with older students as well. Before the game, write all of the day’s vocabulary on the lower part of the whiteboard, where students can easily reach it. Even better, plan ahead and add each new vocabulary word to this area as it comes up throughout the day, so that your word bank is ready when it’s time to play.
To begin, one student takes the eraser. Another student secretly chooses a word from the board and says, “Bye-bye…” followed by a clue for that word. The clue can be a gesture, an action, a definition, a description, or, if necessary, a translation. The student giving the clue may not say the word or indicate where it is on the board.
For example, if the word is basketball, the student might pretend to dribble a ball and shoot a jump shot. The student with the eraser must figure out which word the clue represents and erase it. If they need help, the clue-giver can give an additional hint, perhaps even a translation.
Then pass the eraser to another student and switch roles. Continue until all the words have been erased, or if it’s time to go, when I like to dismiss class with a “Bye-bye, everyone!” to which they’ll respond, “Bye-bye, Teacher Eric!”
Intermediate+ Games
Turn Around and Read
This is my personal “go-to” game. It allows tremendous flexibility in sprinkling in cumulative review, gives a great opportunity for grammar application, and gives kids a break from only reading the sort of ‘elevator music’ sentences which typically comprise their formal education.
Divide students into two (or three, with a big enough board) teams. Two (or three) students come up, toes and nose facing the opposite wall. The teacher (or a volunteer acting as Teacher) writes a sentence on the board with a word left out. It is suggested to have a word list on the board for reference. Alternatively, students could be allowed to bring their dictionaries, communication books, workbooks or even textbooks up with them. At “Go!”, students turn around, each writing their idea of the answer. Writing the answer is suggested, since it’ll remove any ambiguities about what precisely was said. Consider giving students a chance to explain their thinking, if the answer is grammatical in nature, for example. After getting a good answer on the board, ask the class to read the entire sentence aloud together before moving on. Don’t hesitate to change the forms of words to make this game more challenging and life-like.
20 Questions
Write down an animal, food, or an object in the room on a hidden scrap of paper. Students take turns asking closed questions (yes or no) in an attempt to guess the animal/object in 20 questions or less. Consider rewarding the student who asked the key question late in the game which led to an obvious, easy answer.
This game could be made simpler by saying what category the word belongs to. For lower-level classes, I often begin with animals because they are well-known and this is such a marvelous opportunity to practice descriptions, abilities, and habits. For more advanced classes, teachers (or sometimes, students acting as Teacher) can choose anything, and students have to narrow down what it might be with more comprehensive, strategic questions.
Cow Pie
This is a great spelling game. Students sit or stand in a circle. One student says one letter of the alphabet. The next student says another letter or says “Cow pie!” These are the only choices. Students continue to add letters around the circle until someone says “Cow pie!” When someone says “Cow pie!”, the student who added a letter before them must say a real word that all the letters said in that round can combine to make. If they can’t, they lose. If they can, the one who said “Cow pie” loses.
Last Throw First
Students sit or stand in a circle. The first student takes a ball and says a word. They throw the ball to someone else. (Consider a fixed pattern, perhaps three students away, so that everyone gets an even number of turns) That student must say a new word beginning with the last (or second, or third, etc.) letter of the previous student’s word. Students are out when they can’t think of a word fast enough (a 10-second timer is suggested), or they repeat a word already said by someone else.
Scattergories
There are many variations of this game. Small teams are recommended. Students could be asked to choose a single word that they think no one else thought of; in this variation, no points are given for duplicate answers. Partial credit for misspellings is optional. Students could be asked to list as many words as possible. For sufficiently easy categories, students can be required to use words that begin with that round’s letter. Usually, just using that letter is more appropriate for foreign language students.
Each round consists of one letter of the alphabet and a category. There are great online resources for category ideas, such as https://swellgarfo.com/scattergories/. Students write their answers and share them together after the allotted time. Have fun with the process of deciding together which answers are ‘permissible.’
You Tell Me
No, seriously. Let me know your favorite game! I’d love to share it with my students and other teachers =)
Quill English Academy 