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10 Best Games for ESL Teachers Abroad

Publishedon10/08/2013
Lastupdatedon06/13/2014

AbouttheAuthor
EmmaLander
GOOVERSEASWRITER

EmmaLanderisanewly
qualifiedEFLteacherandsofarhas
taughtEnglishintheUKandFinland,
andisnowbeginningalongterm
contractforteachinginSouthKorea.
Emmalovestravel,reading,andwriting,
andiscurrentlyworkingonherfirstnovel
forchildren.Shealsoenjoysmountain
climbingandhikingandrecently
completedacharitytrekalongtheGreat
WallofChina.FollowEmmaonTwitter
@1littlewanderer,Google+oronher
websiteHappyLittleWanderer.
ThesegamesareperfectfortheESLclassroom

GamesandfunactivitiesareavitalpartofteachingEnglishasaforeignlanguage.Whetheryou'reteachingchildren
oradults,gameswilllivenupyourlessonandensurethatyourstudentswillleavetheclassroomwantingmore.
Gamescanbeusedtowarmuptheclassbeforeyourlessonbegins,duringthelessontogivestudentsabreakwhen
you'retacklingatoughsubject,orattheendofclasswhenyouhaveafewminuteslefttokill.Thereareliterally
hundreds,probablythousands,ofgamesthatyoucanplaywithyourstudents.EFLgamesareusedtotestvocabulary,
practiceconversing,learntensesthelistisendless.
ThislistoftenclassicESLgameseveryteachershouldknowwillhelpgetyoustartedandfeelingprepared.Having
theseupyoursleevebeforesteppingintotheclassroomwillensureyourlessonsrunsmoothly,and,shouldthingsgeta
littleoutofcontrol,you'llbeabletopullbacktheattentionoftheclassinnotime.

Don'thaveajobyet?Checkourteachingjobboardforthelatestopeningsaroundtheworld!

1.BoardRace
Thereisn'tanEFLteacherIknowwhodoesn'tusethisgameintheclassroom.BoardRaceisafungamethatisused
forrevisingvocabulary,whetheritbewordsfromthelessonyou'vejusttaughtorwordsfromalessonyoutaughtlast
week.Itcanalsobeusedatthestartoftheclasstogetstudentsactive.Itisagreatwayoftestingwhatyourstudents
alreadyknowaboutthesubjectyou'reabouttoteach.

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Whyuseit?Revisingvocabularygrammar
Whoit'sbestfor:Appropriateforalllevelsandages
Howtoplay:First,watchthishelpfulvideoofrealteachersusingthisgameintheclassroombyBridgeTEFL:

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Thisisbestplayedwith6studentsormorethemore,thebetter.I'veuseditinclassesrangingfrom725yearsofage
andit'sworkedwellinallagegroups.Here'sastepbystepexplanation:
Splittheclassintotwoteamsandgiveeachteamacoloredmarker.
Ifyouhaveaverylargeclass,itmaybebettertosplitthestudentsintoteamsof3or4.
Drawalinedownthemiddleoftheboardandwriteatopicatthetop.
Thestudentsmustthenwriteasmanywordsasyourequirerelatedtothetopicintheformofarelayrace.
Eachteamwinsonepointforeachcorrectword.Anywordsthatareunreadableormisspelledarenotcounted.

2.CallMyBluff/TwoTruthsandALie
CallMyBluffisafungamewhichisperfectatthestartofterm
asa'gettingtoknowyou'kindofgame.Itisalsoabrilliantice
breakerbetweenstudentsifyouteachclasseswhodonot
knowoneanotherandespeciallyessentialifyouareteaching
asmallclasssize.Thegameisexcellentforpracticing
speakingskills,thoughmakesureyousaveatimeforafterthe
gametocommentonanymistakesstudentsmayhavemade
duringthegame.(Igenerallyliketoreservethisforafterthe
game,soyoudon'tdisrupttheirfluencybycorrectingthemas
theyspeak).
Witholdergroupsyoucanhavesomerealfunandyoumight
besurprisedwhatyou'lllearnaboutsomeofyourstudents
whenplayingthisparticularEFLgame.
Whyuseit?IcebreakerSpeakingskills
Whoit'sbestfor:Appropriateforalllevelsandagesbutbestwitholdergroups

How to play:
Write3statementsaboutyourselfontheboard,twoofwhichshouldbeliesandonewhichshouldbetrue.
Allowyourstudentstoaskyouquestionsabouteachstatementandthenguesswhichoneisthetruth.Youmight
wanttopracticeyourpokerfacebeforestartingthisgame!
Iftheyguesscorrectlythentheywin.
Extension:Givestudentstimetowritetheirowntwotruthsandonelie.
Pairthemupandhavethemplayagain,thistimewiththeirlist,withtheirnewpartner.Ifyouwanttoreallyextend
thegameandgivestudentsevenmoretimetopracticetheirspeaking/listeningskills,rotatepartnerseveryfive
minutes.
Bringthewholeclassbacktogetherandhavestudentsannounceonenewthingtheylearnedaboutanother
studentasarecap.

3.SimonSays
Thisisanexcellentgameforyounglearners.Whetheryou'rewakingthemuponaMondaymorningorsendingthem
homeonaFridayafternoon,thisoneisboundtogetthemexcitedandwantingmore.TheonlydangerIhavefound
withthisgameisthatstudentsneverwanttostopplayingit.
Whyuseit?ListeningcomprehensionVocabularyWarmingup/windingdownclass
Whoit'sbestfor:Younglearners

How to Play:
Standinfrontoftheclass(youareSimonforthedurationofthisgame).
DoanactionandsaySimonSays[action].Thestudentsmustcopywhatyoudo.

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Repeatthisprocesschoosingdifferentactionsyoucanbeassillyasyoulikeandthesillieryouarethemorethe
childrenwillloveyouforit.
Thendoanactionbutthistimesayonlytheactionandomit'SimonSays'.Whoeverdoestheactionthistimeis
outandmustsitdown.
Thewinneristhelaststudentstanding.
Tomakeitharder,speeduptheactions.Rewardchildrenforgoodbehaviorbyallowingthemtoplaythepartof
Simon.

ExploreMore

What'stheDifference
CELTAandTEFL?

ByStevePattonon01/20/20

Takeyourstudentsoutsideforinteractivegames

4.WordJumbleRace
Thisisagreatgametoencourageteamworkandbringasenseofcompetitiontotheclassroom.Nomatterhowoldwe
are,weallloveagoodcompetitionandthisgameworkswonderswithallagegroups.Itisperfectforpracticingtenses,
wordorder,reading&writingskillsandgrammar.

ShouldIGetTEFLC
OnlineorinaClassr

ByNatalieSouthwickon01/

Whyuseit?GrammarWordOrderSpellingWritingSkills
Whoit'sbestfor:Adaptabletoalllevels/ages

How to play:
Thisgamerequiressomeplanningbeforethelesson.
Writeoutanumberofsentences,usingdifferentcolorsforeachsentence.Isuggesthaving35sentencesforeach
team.

HowCanYouGeta
EnglishAbroad?

ByStevePattonon12/11/20

Cutupthesentencessoyouhaveahandfulofwords.
Puteachsentenceintohats,cupsoranyobjectsyoucanfind,keepingeachseparate.
Splityourclassintoteamsof2,3,or4.Youcanhaveasmanyteamsasyouwantbutremembertohaveenough
sentencestogoaround.
Teamsmustnowputtheirsentencesinthecorrectorder.
Thewinningteamisthefirstteamtohaveallsentencescorrectlyordered.

5.Hangman
Thisclassicgameisafavoriteforallstudentsbutitcanget
boringquitequickly.Thisgameisbestusedfor5minutesat
thestarttowarmtheclassupor5minutesattheendifyou've
gotsometimeleftover.Itworksnomatterhowmanystudents
areintheclass.
Whyuseit?Warmingup/windingdownclass
Whoit'sbestfor:Younglearners

How to play:
Incaseyou'veneverplayed,here'saquickrundown.
Thinkofawordandwritethenumberoflettersonthe
boardusingdashestoshowmanylettersthereare.
Askstudentstosuggestaletter.Ifitappearsintheword,
writeitinallofthecorrectspaces.Iftheletterdoesnot
appearintheword,writeitofftothesideandbegin
drawingtheimageofahangingman.
Continueuntilthestudentsguessthewordcorrectly(they
win)oryoucompletethediagram(youwin).

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6.Pictionary
Thisisanothergamethatworkswellwithanyagegroupchildrenloveitbecausetheycangetcreativeintheclassroom,
teenagersloveitbecauseitdoesn'tfeellikethey'relearningandadultsloveitbecauseit'sabreakfromthemonotonyof
learninganewlanguageeventhoughthey'llbelearningastheyplay.Pictionarycanhelpstudentspracticetheir
vocabularyanditteststoseeifthey'rerememberingthewordsyou'vebeenteaching.
Whyuseit?Vocabulary
Whoit'sbestfor:Allagesbestwithyounglearners

How to play:
Beforetheclassstarts,prepareabunchofwordsandputtheminabag.
Splittheclassintoteamsof2anddrawalinedownthemiddleoftheboard.
Giveoneteammemberfromeachteamapenandaskthemtochooseawordfromthebag.
Tellthestudentstodrawthewordasapictureontheboardandencouragetheirteamtoguesstheword.
Thefirstteamtoshoutthecorrectanswergetsapoint.
Thestudentwhohascompleteddrawingshouldthennominatesomeoneelsetodrawfortheirteam.
Repeatthisuntilallthewordsaregonemakesureyouhaveenoughwordsthateachstudentgetstodrawat
leastonce!

7.TheMime
Mimingisanexcellentwayforstudentstopracticetheirtensesandtheirverbs.It'salsogreatforteacherswithminimal
resourcesorplanningtime,orteacherswhowanttobreakupalongerlessonwithsomethingmoreinteractivesinceit's
adaptabletoalmostanylanguagepointthatyoumightbefocusingon.Thisgameworkswithanyagegroup,although
youwillfindthatadultstireofthisfarquickerthanchildren.Tokeepthemengaged,relatewhattheywillbemimingto
yourgroups'personalinterestsasbestaspossible.
Whyuseit?VocabularySpeaking
Whoit'sbestfor:Allagesbestwithyounglearners

How to play:
Beforetheclass,writeoutsomeactionslikewashingthedishesandputtheminabag.
Splittheclassintotwoteams.
Bringonestudentfromeachteamtothefrontoftheclassandoneofthemchooseanactionfromthebag.
Havebothstudentsmimetheactiontotheirteam.
Thefirstteamtoshoutthecorrectanswerwinsapoint.
Repeatthisuntilallstudentshavemimedatleastoneaction.

Don'tbeafraidtobealittlegoofy

8.HotSeat
Thisisoneofmystudents'favoritegamesandisalwaysatthetopofthelistwhenIaskthemwhattheywanttoplay.I
haveneverusedthisinanadultEFLclassroom,butIimagineitwouldworkwell.
HotSeatallowsstudentstobuildtheirvocabularyandencouragescompetitionintheclassroom.Theyarealsoableto
practicetheirspeakingandlisteningskillsanditcanbeusedforanyleveloflearner.
Whyuseit?VocabularySpeakingandListening

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Whoit'sbestfor:Allagesandlevels

How to play:
Splittheclassinto2teams,ormoreifyouhavealargeclass.
ElectonepersonfromeachteamtositintheHotSeat,facingtheclassroomwiththeboardbehindthem.
Writeawordontheboard.Oneoftheteammembersofthestudentinthehotseatmusthelpthestudentguess
thewordbydescribingit.Theyhavealimitedamountoftimeandcannotsay,spellordrawtheword.
ContinueuntileachteammemberhasdescribedawordtothestudentintheHotSeat.

9.WhereShallIGo?
Thisgameisusedtotestprepositionsofmovementandshouldbeplayedafterthissubjecthasbeentaughtinthe
classroom.Thisgameissomuchfunbutitcanbealittlebitdangeroussinceyou'llbehavingonestudentineachpair
beblindfoldedwhiletheotherdirectsthem.Somakesuretokeepyoureyesopen!ItisalsoexcellentfortheadultEFL
classroom,andteenagerslovethisgametoo.
Whyuseit?PrepositionsSpeakingandListening
Whoit'sbestfor:Allagesandlevels

How to play:
Beforethestudentsarrive,turnyourclassroomintoamazebyrearrangingit.It'sgreatifyoucandothisoutside,
butotherwisepushtablesandchairstogetherandmovefurnituretomakeyourmaze.
Whenyourstudentsarrive,puttheminpairsoutsidetheclassroom.Blindfoldonestudentfromeachpair.
Allowpairstoentertheclassroomoneatatimetheblindfoldedstudentshouldbeledthroughthemazebytheir
partner.Thestudentsmustusedirectionssuchasstepover,gounder,goup,andgodowntoleadtheirpartnerto
theendofthemaze.

10.What'sMyProblem?
Whyuseit?ThisisabrilliantEFLgametopracticegivingadvice.Itshouldbeplayedafterthe'givingadvice'
vocabularylessonhastakenplace.Itisagreatwayforstudentstoseewhattheyhaverememberedandwhatneeds
reviewing.Thisgameworkswellwithanyagegroup,justadaptittofittheageyou'reworkingwith.
Whyuseit?SpeakingandListeningGivingAdvice
Whoit'sbestfor:Allagesandlevels

How to play:
Writeailmentsorproblemsrelatedtoyourmostrecentlessononpostitnotesandstickonepostitnoteoneach
student'sback.
Thestudentsmustmingleandaskforadvicefromotherstudentstosolvetheirproblem.
Studentsshouldbeabletoguesstheirproblembasedontheadvicetheygetfromtheirpeers.
Usemorecomplicatedorobscureproblemstomakethegamemoreinterestingforolderstudents.Forlowerlevels
andyoungerstudents,announceacategoryorreferencearecentlesson,like"Health",tohelpthemalong.

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EVOLCinCostaRica

READREVIEWSOFALLTEACHINGPROGRAMS
Thesegameswillkeepyourstudentsengagedandhappyastheylearn!Remember,thesearejusttenonthehundreds
ofdifferentEFLgamesthatyoucanplatwithyourstudents.Asyougetmoreconfidentintheclassroom,youcanstart
puttingyourownspinongamesandeventuallymakeupyourown.
Whatevertheageofyourstudents,they'reguaranteedtoloveplayingEFLgamesintheclassroom.AnEFLclassroom
shouldbefun,activeandchallengingandthesegamesaresuretogetyouheadingintherightdirection.
WhatgamesdoyoulovetoplaywithyourESLstudents?Letusknowinthecomments!

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10BestGamesforESLTeachersAbroad|GoOverseas.com

PhotoCredits:TraveltoTeach.

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LeaveaComment
16comments

Addacomment

AzfarUddin

FollowDupage180followers

WillusethesegamestoteachArabic!
ReplyLike

3FollowPostAugust14,2014at3:14am

KarenFrankeTeacheratMaxwellHeightsSecondarySchool
Thanksfortheideas.IteachsecondaryESLandlovetousegamesintheclass.
ReplyLike

3FollowPostJuly29,2014at2:01am

JaneLane
Ireallylikeyourboardrace!
However,doinganonthespotgrammarcorrectionforsuchthingsasarticles,"aBMW,theUSA"seems
inappropriateandembarrassing.Youcanseehowselfconscioustheyget.Saveitforanendoftheclass
delayederrorcorrectionwhereyouwriteitontheboardandaskstudentstocorrecttheerror.
IhavegreatsuccessusingtwotruthsinalieinclassbuttogetthebloodflowingandkeepitinterestingIhave
startedmarkingareasoftheroom123andaftereachstudentreadstheir3statementsIask"Whichisalie?"
andstudentsgototheareatheythinkisalie.Ialsomakethemask"Canyourepeatit?"iftheycan'thearit
clearly.
ReplyLike

2FollowPostEditedJuly27,2014at7:00pm

JessieBeck TopCommenterTeach&ContentDirectoratGoOverseas
HiJaneItotallyagree.Ialwaysmadenotesoferrorsstudentsmadeduringclassandthen
correctedthemattheend.Usuallytheyweresogeneralnooneknewwhomadewhaterror.
Goodadviceonthetwotruthsandaliegame.Anychanceyou'dliketouploadsomeofyourbest
plans/gamesonournewteacherresourcespage(http://www.gooverseas.com/esllesson
plans)?Otherscancommentonplansandgiveadvicejustlikehowyoudidjustnow.
ReplyLikeJuly27,2014at7:57pm
JuJuNash
amaaaazingthanks!
ReplyLike

1FollowPostAugust12,2014at9:50pm

SeminoEkv
wownicegames
ReplyLike

2FollowPostApril19,2014at10:17am

GerelAltansukh

FollowDarkhan,DarhanUul,Mongolia

xoolooyu
ReplyLikeApril19,2014at10:25am
AlistairMcMillanUniversityofKwaZuluNatal
Oneofthebettergamespages,thankyou!
ReplyLikeFollowPostApril8,2014at4:18am
SeanAndersonChigasaki,Kanagawa
Here'soneiinventedbecausemystudentswe'rereallyintocardgames.http://www.questionquest.com
It'snotfree,butit'sclose.
ReplyLikeFollowPostFebruary19,2014at8:46am
DublinCelts TopCommenter
Don'tyoumean'were'...andyouteachEnglish?
ReplyLike

13July3,2014at3:36am

MikeHughes
DublinCeltsOuch!
ReplyLike

1November27,2014at11:30am

SeanAndersonChigasaki,Kanagawa
DublinCeltsSosorryaboutthespellingerrors.Itypedtoofast.Mybad.I'llpaymoreattentionin
thefuture.ThanksforyourcommentandremindingmethatIshouldknowbetter.:)
ReplyLikeNovember28,2014at4:57am
View1more
TiffanyHendrixWorksatBridgeLinguatec

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27/01/2015

10BestGamesforESLTeachersAbroad|GoOverseas.com

TiffanyHendrixWorksatBridgeLinguatec

WhataboutTHEBLOB?IlearnedthisduringaPDinClarkCountySchoolDistrict.Callalineof6or7
studentstothefrontoftheroomandaskthemaquestionrelatedtothecontent.Studentsarenotallowedto
talktoeachother.Eachstudentsaysonlyonewordatatime,thenit'sthenextstudent'sturn.Afterthegroup
succeedsingettingtherightanswer,thenextgroupcomesup.Studentsintheaudienceareengaged
thinkingaboutwhattheywouldsay.
ReplyLike
MeganLee

2FollowPostDecember5,2013at12:19am
Follow TopCommenterOverseasEducatoratCarpeDiemEducation

Duckduckgoose!Youcanswitchoutthetermsforanything.Irememberplaying"Milkmilkwater"and"Meat
meatveggies"whileteachingChinesetokids.It'saclassic.(Meredithmissourteachingdays!)
ReplyLike

1FollowPostOctober11,2013at12:45am

StephanieGordiolaUniversityoftheRepublic
Veryuseful!thankyou!!!
ReplyLike

1FollowPostMay29,2014at5:07pm

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