Category: The Best ESL Games

If you really want to succeed with teaching, you should consider learning how to make studying into a game.
Please try and make it fun for the special, young learners.  Simply by pretending that your lesson is a game can have dramatic results and completely change the perspective of your students for the better.  I have compiled a list of my favorite tried and true games.  One of the best is the “Action Game”. You can find it below.  While “Rock Scissors Paper” is one you can incorporate into many otherwise mundane moments to keep the students smiling. 
I must admit that I had one of the greatest teachers in the world in my grandma, Beatrice Louise Purdie.  She was a true “Nanny McFee” or “Mary Poppins”.  Arriving at her simple house was like walking into a magic land and every moment was full of wonder with her!  Even at age 80, I once arrived at her house to find her on her hands and knees in her living room playing with my two young nephews!  No doubt in the midst of some kind of hilarious game.  She was the person who read me hundreds of books and told me a countless number of stories as an adolescent about “the good old days,” which I will never forget.  She actually went to school with Joni Mitchell’s mother, Myrtle Anderson.  She had some great stories about that.  My Uncle Raymond Purdie actually played a coffee house in Regina with Joni.  At any rate, their farm houses were across from each other’s in Saskatchewan. 

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Hangman

Hang Man Game ESL

Hangman:

Everybody knows and loves hangman.  The games are more fun when you give some stickers or candy prizes, etc.  (Note: Honestly, I love teaching and playing games in huge classes, like public schools or summer camps.  If you have the games prepared they will provide the enthusiasm in big numbers.  The bigger the groups, the more likely you will be able to connect with “awesome students,” who will inspire your teaching.  I never learned this until later in my career.  I used to think small groups were better, but I realized small groups are more tedious and are more susceptible to “bad energy”.  Another secret of mine is to bring in parents or Korean teachers to help keep the students in line and at the same time the adults can also connect with you in meaningful ways that some students can’t.  Hopefully they are good Korean teachers.  I really believe in the “co-teaching” system.)

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Bingo

bondwelc

Bingo:

bondwelcBingo is such an obvious game I hardly think to mention it.  But of course it can be loads of fun and used for teaching numbers or if you don’t have an official game set, simply cut up some paper, make the grid and have students write in “their choice” of the study vocabulary.  I did it for my “Very Good Words” Lessons many times. Take note, I’m posting my entire ESL Music Video System for free right here! Doing times of a clock is a great idea too, like 3:15, or “quarter to four,” as they get more advanced.

The best way to do the Bingo with the students is to make the grid together on a sheet of paper and then have the students’ choose their favorite words from your word list.  Teacher can include a few extra important words if he or she likes.bondwelc

 

 

 

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The Dictation Game

Awesome ESL Games: Dictation game

Dictation Game:

In particular, I’d say this is a great game for advanced students, if you happen to be lucky enough to be teaching a gifted group who are very competitive.  Once again you can draw upon your study materials and just say a sentence out load and have students try and write the whole thing down.  Students hold up their hands when they think they have it.  The teacher goes over and checks possibly crosses out mistakes.  You can then keep repeating the sentence until somebody gets it right.  It’s really fun because you can choose to speak at high speeds to increase their ability to rapidly process speech, which is pretty similar to many situations in real life.

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The “Action Game”

action game esl

The “Action Game”: 

If nobody has told you about the amazing “Action Game,” then it’s about time you learn.  This game is so fun, you’ll become a teaching star in one class!  It’s simple.

1. Choose two teams

2. Have the two team leaders sitting at the front of class facing their teammates.

3. Teacher writes the “secret word” on the board.  If the kids’ English level is low, draw a picture instead (star, sun, etc).

4. Say go! The students standing up and facing the whiteboard will start acting out the mystery word. No speaking allowed except for the team captains!

The First team captain (sitting at the front of the class) to guess the word correctly is the winner!

Give a point to that team and carry on!!

Here’s the full list of the best ESL games.

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The Best ESL Games Ever!

The Best ESL Games in Korea. 영어 공부 게임.

Greetings ESL Teachers and Friends!  Today I’m happy to share with you the Best ESL Games I discovered during my career as a very passionate ESL Instructor!  I taught in Korea for more than ten years and my tremendous success had a lot do with the fun teaching style I used and innovated.

 

Great games are an excellent way of making a class exciting.  It changes the entire atmosphere, (a breath of fresh air to most Asian students).  I frequently used catchy music too while teaching and for lessons, in general, I always used Exciting ESL Games to make everyone feel and believe that they are having fun while learning.  You won’t even have to tell them they are learning because it’s all natural fun.  That’s how humans learn.  Here are some of the best games I collected, polished and innovated over the years.

 

You will find 2 great games below, but the full list is right here: Best ESL Games List.

“ABC Writing ESL Games”:

If you’re teaching young kids, it doesn’t have to be painful.  The first thing these young students need to learn is both the Alphabet and then Phonics for each letter.  The way you can do this is to divide the class into two teams, then give a marker pen to the first student of each team.  Say like this, “All right, please write for me the letter ___! Go go go!!”  They will love it! Trust me!

“ABC Phonics Writing ESL Games”: (Level Up) 🙂

Next after they have mastered the writing of their ABC’s, change the game to focus on the Phonics.  So for the phonics game say, “Please write for me the letter of the alphabet that sounds like “SSSSSSS,” or whatever you choose!  It’s a great game and they love it.  If you happen to have a set of velcro ABC letters, put the letters on the table.  Put the stickable velcro cloth up on the white board.  Then have the teams stand back and again have two team reps run for the letters, search and grab one and stick it up on the board.  Or try like this, take a set of ABC cards you made, and spread them out on the table and have the kids smack their hand on the top of the card you say.  Show that, the kid with the hand at the very bottom was the first!! Hahah.  Also, I recommend you make these cards yourself with some A4 paper because they can get torn up fast!

 

“Word Writing ESL Games”: (Level Up) 🙂

When students continue to advance and there thriving, having  a great time, of course you can do word spelling games on the white board with two team reps.  Or have the teams spell the letters with little scrabble tiles or letter cards as a team together or individually.  As the situation dictates.

My list of favorite ESL Games are as follows:

  1. Word Anagrams
  2. Mystery Sentence
  3. Name that Tune
  4. Treasure Hunt
  5. Blind Man’s Bluff
  6. Rock Scissors Paper
  7. Last Letter Word Game
  8. Story Improv
  9. Back Writing
  10. Hangman
  11. Bingo
  12. Dictation Game
  13. Quiz Show Game
  14. The Action Game
  15. “ABC” or Word Writing Games (above)

Thanks for reading this article.  Give it a thumbs if you enjoyed it.  Feel free to add your games or comments for future visitors.  Happy teaching!! Enjoy.