Constantinople is a traditional word game that can be easily adapted for the ESL classroom. It works as an ideal filler activity at the end of class and can also be used to tire out lively students! It practices vocabulary but can also be adapted for semantic fields....
Living Sentences is a fun exercise for younger children to give them practice in the way sentences are put together. Preparation On A4 sheets of paper write single words which will go to make up sentences which are an appropriate level for your class. THE - DOG -...
TEFL Battleships is a game played by two players. In the original version of Battleships (a game dating from World War I) a grid of squares contains some "ships" and the players must try to guess their location and then sink them (see here for more on this game)....
Proverb Match is a nice, simple way of practicing proverbs. It also allows for plenty of speaking practice. Preparation You will need to prepare a list of proverbs; each one needs to be written on two cards. Too many cooks spoil the broth. A stitch in time ...
Opposites Attract is an activity you can use to practice opposites (or antonyms) in class. Preparation Prepare a set of flashcards, each of which forms half of a pair of words. big - small always - never cheap - expensive and so on. The words you use should be of the...
Pictionary is a classic game which you can use in the classroom to practice vocabulary. The basic premise is simple: draw a picture to represent a word. This can be very easy to do with basic concrete nouns where students can draw a picture of, for example: a cat a...
Counting Cards is an activity which lets you practice countable and non-countable nouns with your class. Preparation You will need to prepare a set of flashcards, each with a picture of a countable or a non-countable noun on them. You will need enough so that each...
Eccentric Traits is a really fun way to practice close listening and speaking. It's also very funny and can be used for all learner levels although it's probably most suited to more advanced classes. Basically everyone in the class is given an eccentric trait....
Lining Up in Alphabetical Order is a great ice breaker for a brand new class who don't know each other yet. It's best with younger classes, post-beginner level and, as a side-effect, it can also help you in remembering student names. Five minutes into the first...
Vocabulary Poker is a great game for practicing vocabulary and semantic fields. It's easy to play and great fun for the students. Although it can be played by beginners, it's probably best for intermediate and advanced students. NB in some countries it may be...
Conditional Links is a very simple activity with no preparation needed; it's ideal to practice conditionals and can be used as a quick filler to do just that. Simply write up on the board the first clause of any conditional, e.g. If I won the lottery... Choose a...
Badger vs Baboon is a fun game for young learners which can also be adapted for older learners as well! It helps with basic vocabulary for animals and can encourage speaking. It also is very useful indeed for practicing comparatives. Preparation Cut out and...
Superlative Millionaire is a game you can play with your class to practice superlatives. Everyone knows the Who Wants to be a Millionaire game; this is a variation on that idea; it requires very little preparation on your part as the students themselves will be...
One Word Speeches is a very simple activity which needs very little preparation but which is highly effective in giving your students practice in all four skills, especially listening and speaking. It is very flexible and in different forms it works for both beginners...
The Price is Right is a popular television game which can be adapted for the EFL classroom. It's ideal for a class who are learning numbers and simple objects. Preparation Get some flashcards and on each one have an everyday object; on the reverse put the price in...
Ransom Notes is a fun way to practice sentence building, especially with younger children. Preparation For homework, simply ask your students to cut out 5 words, at random, from an English language newspaper headline. Tell them they can choose any word they want but...
Discarding Adverbs is a game based on a simple set of cards which can be used to practice different kinds of adverbs with your class. The game is also useful in helping to create and practicing questions. It helps if the class know each other, but it can also be...
Brief Reminders is an Ice Breaker activity ideal for a first class. It requires little or no preparation and can be great fun. This is probably more suited to an intermediate and above level class. Demonstration On the board simply draw a large bag shape. Ask the...
Who Am I? is a fun warmup or icebreaker game which can be used to practice simple questions and answers. Preparation Using small cards, write on each one the name of a famous person known to the class, for example: Barack Obama Lady Gaga David Beckham John Lennon...
Sentence Mix is a simple game you can use to help your students practice sentence construction and revise parts of speech. With no preparation it's ideal as a five minute end-of-lesson activity or you can build it into something longer and more involved. Simply write...
Memory Pictures is a simple game which involves the students listening carefully. The level can be changed to match the level of the class and also the subject can match their ages and interests. Preparation Select some interesting cartoons or pictures from magazines,...
Blind Artists is a fun (and noisy) way to get the class talking. It's good as a short activity at the end of a lesson or as a longer activity. Props Two blindfolds; ideal are the masks from long-haul airplane journeys but a scarf will do. Blackboard and 2 markers....
Creative Writing is all about using imagination. Often, however, if you ask your students to write about their holidays, or what they did at the weekend, they will spend too long trying to think about what to write and decide there's nothing to say so will produce a...
Mind the Gap is a simple, useful game which can be adapted for any age or class level. It helps with word recognition, word boundaries, and reading in general. One aspect of the game is that it can be used in any situation and with any class and takes very little...
Anti-Word Association is an ESL activity based on Word Association but taking the opposite approach and rewarding non sequiturs. In Word Association the idea is to have the students give words which are somehow related to the previous word. In this - much harder -...
Big Sentence Scramble is based on the British television game, Countdown. In the original version contestants choose letters (consonants or vowels) and have to come up with the longest word they can. Although that's a possibility too, in this version contestants...
Pronunciation Snake is a simple game you can use to have your students practice particular pronunciations. It's especially good for those problems that a particular class might have in similar sounds. It can be used with both words and single sounds. For example, some...
Heard It! is a simple game to play in class which practices intense listening. It's also a good idea if you want a few minutes peace and quiet! The game can be played successfully with young classes from beginners upwards. Preparation Record a selection of spoken...
Coloring Dictation (or Colouring Dictation if you prefer British English spelling) is a simple activity which is ideal for young learners. It's fun and easy to set up. Preparation You need to find an outline drawing of a suitable subject for your class. It should have...
Mad Libs is a quick and amusing game which is ideal for teaching parts of speech (word classes) and semantic fields. It's ideal as a warmer or 5-minute end-of-lesson activity. Basically the game involves completing blank spaces in a template with various parts of...
