We all know the classics: hangman, charades, pictionary… Even when using technology we always go back to Kahoot or other online games. They all work great! The problem is there comes a point when kids simply get bored fast, not only because they have played them a thousand times before, but also, and most importantly, they don’t involve movement.
Not getting deep into neuroscience, studies have shown the best way to retain new information, especially referring to the kids’ learning process, is through active learning. In other words, with games that involve movement. That is the main reason why all of my resources are aimed at that goal and they can be adapted to kids of different ages and English levels.
After 20 years of teaching, and trying all of these games with my own students, I want to share with you my Top 5 Games that my students love and have worked best to help them learn and improve their English language skills in a fun way.
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WHERE’S THE LADYBUG (Vocabulary game)
Materials:
For this game you will need post-its or pieces of paper, you can design your own or print it here: Where’s the ladybug?
How to play:
You can adapt this game to any vocabulary you want to practice with your students. They can be nouns, singular and plurals, numbers, irregular verbs… The link will take you to the alphabet version where you can find more games to practice the alphabet with that resource.
Simply write the words you are teaching and place them on the table. Take a picture of a ladybug, a bee, an elf if it’s Christmas or a witch if it’s Halloween and place them under one of the cards with the words so kids take turns to find it.
What I always do is tell my students to cover their eyes, or go to another part of the classroom while I hide the ladybug. Then, they stand in a line at one corner of the table. I play music and the first student starts dancing really fast around the table. They will have to pick a card and say out loud that letter, that number, that word. If they say it correctly, they can take the card to see if the ladybug is under. If it isn’t, they will place that card again but facing down, so the others know it’s not there. If they don’t say it correctly, they can’t pick up the card. Either way, they will finish walking to complete their path around the table and the next student can do the same. You will do as many rounds as needed until one of them finds the ladybug. And what my students like the most, the person who finds the ladybug gets to hide it on the next round! You can adapt it by writing numbers, additions, third-person singular, irregular plurals, etc.
More tricks:
You can hide not only the ladybug but other pictures. For example, cards that say “Lose a Turn”, “Pick again”, “Out of the game”, “Now you have to dance” etc… Kids simply love it!
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MAKE THAT SENTENCE! (Verbs tenses game)
Materials:
For this game you will need post-its or pieces of paper, you can design your own or print it here:
How to play:
You will need two sets of cards. One with the verbs and infinitive and the other with the words affirmative, negative and question. Students stand in a circle or a line in front of you. You will pick one card from each set and show them to the first one. They will have 5 seconds to tell you the correct sentence using the verbal tense you want to practice. For example DECORATE + AFFIRMATIVE in present simple. They will say “She decorates”. The resource on the link above comes with pictures, so they can actually come up with longer sentences like “She decorates the Christmas tree”. You can ask them to use any verbal tense, that’s why it comes in so handy! If the students answer correctly, they will keep the card and will go to the end of the line.
More tricks:
You can also play by teams, and even ask them to run from one point of the classroom to the other if you stand far from them. You can also ask them to write them on the board and check their spelling. This is by far one of the favourites not only for kids but for teachers too!
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THE HOT SPOT! (Speaking game)
Materials:
No prep at all! Still, you can find some cards here: The hot spot!
How to play:
Students will dance around a table, or zigzag, or follow a line as the music plays. When you stop the music, the student who is in front of you, that the HOT SPOT, will have to answer a question, complete a sentence, tell you the opposite or the plural. Whatever you want to ask them to talk about. If they do so correctly, you play the music again and the game continues. If not, they will have to leave the game. The last one standing will be the winner and gets to ask the questions on the next round.
More tricks:
For younger learners make them use short answers to reinforce not only speaking, but also vocab and grammar. For example: “Are you tall? Yes, I am”. “Do you like cake? No, I don’t”. “Have you got a sister? “No, I haven’t”. For more advance students you can use a certain verbal tense for the questions, or to use relative clauses. For instance, I tell them “The supermarket is huge”. They will have to add information using “which”; “The supermarket, which is next to my school, is huge”.
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SCRAMBLE IT! (Spelling game)
Materials:
For this game you will need post-its or pieces of paper, you can design your own or print it here: Scramble it!
How to play:
You will need a list of words you want your students to practice. They can be numbers, food, animals, irregular verbs, holidays, etc. You can either write them down and put them all in a bowl or simply have a list on your mind. Give them the recording sheet or ask them to write them on any paper or the board right after you say the word. Each letter will have a value, so when they add them up, they will know how many points they won for that word, as long as it was spelt correctly.
More tricks:
You can play this game individually or by teams. I like having the words on a bowl so they can run from one point of the classroom to the next one to take it out and say it to a member of their team. That way, they are not only having more fun but also practising listening, speaking and pronunciation.
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IT’S YOU, NOT YOU! (Listening and speaking game)
Materials:
No prep at all! Still, you can find some cards here: It’s you, not you!
How to play:
Students will have to find out which of their classmates has done something, has something, has been to a particular place. You pick according to the level of your students. Depending on how many students you have, you can make smaller teams or play with the whole class. I usually have teams of 5. One of them will leave the room as the other four pick something for the other person to find out. For example. Which of them has been to Italy? It has to be something that it’s true only for one of them. Once you have the question, the other student comes into the room and starts finding out. The only questions they can not ask is obviously “Have you been to Italy?”. They can only be Yes or No questions and it can be the same question for all of the other students or different questions for each. For example: “Have you been to the Coliseum? Is the Fontana Di Trevi big?” The trick is the rest of the students can actually answer with the truth or with a lie. However, if they lie, they will have to stand up and sit on another chair. Therefore, the person asking the questions will be more confused until they find out the dynamics of the game.
More tricks:
You have played this game, so they already know the secret and it wouldn’t make sense to repeat it. However, what I like doing is change the rules every time. For example, this time if you lie, you have to touch your hair or your mask, and you change sits only if you say the truth, not a lie. Kids love trying to find out how and when they are lying rather than the answer itself!
As you can see, there are so many more games that you can play all year long with different students to practice different skills and adapt them to different levels. Nonetheless, I can’t finish my article without giving you an extra game specially designed for those early finishers. This one is for the youngsters emerging readers, but check out how to adapt it for any class:
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TEACHER, I’M DONE! (Alphabet game)
Materials:
For this game you will need post-its or pieces of paper, you can design your own or print it here: Teacher, I’m done!
How to play:
Give your students a recording task card where they will have to fill the six spaces. In this case, the aim is to practice the alphabet. So they will have a card for each letter of the alphabet with a movement challenge. For example A: Air Writing. Write the alphabet on the air using your magic finger or wound. Once completed, they can colour or place a sticker on their recording card. You can let them pick the letters by choice or randomly, or give them the letters you know they need to reinforce and practice the most.
More tricks:
You can use numbers instead of letters, o the vocabulary you need them to practice. Ideas are endless! If you come up with a really good one, please feel free to share it here!
I would love to know how these games worked in your class, so let’s keep in touch! And remember, they will only be kids once, and they get to be kids with you. So the best game to play is the one your kids will enjoy the most with you, their teacher. Have fun!
Nannette Robles
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