FREE ESL Games - Guess The Flashcard

The game: Guess the Flashcard

So most classes you teach will have lessons with a handful of flashcards with one side having a new vocabulary word. After teaching the new words I will hold the cards so that only I can see the new vocabulary word. Then I have half the class as one team and the other half as the opposing team. Each team has one person guess the card, if their guess is wrong the other team gets to guess. Whichever team guesses right gets a point, and obviously the team the ends with the most points is the winner.

Fun variations:

So sometimes I will make it me (the teacher) vs. them (the students) as opposed to half the class vs. the other half. Whichever student guesses the card correctly plays me in a game of paper, rock, scissors… if I beat them I give the teachers a point, if they win I give the students a point. First to five points wins or whoever ends with the most points wins.

Anyways, those are some games I play with my students to get them to enjoy studying English and to keep their attention; these games have worked for me, what’s worked for you?

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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FREE ESL games - Hit the target

Well if you are teaching English as a second language then you know better than anyone that finding a good teaching game is life and death… ok, it’s not that extreme, but it definitely helps the flow of a class (especially with younger kids) when you can get them playing a game. Of course teaching isn’t just sitting around playing games though, it’s about teaching content through your games. So here’s a game that’s helped me a lot lately and has been a blast to play with my students.

Hit the target is the name of the game. To play this game you will need a ball. A tennis ball works, but I also use a slightly bigger ball as well. What I will typically do with my classes (grades 1-4) is if I have a list of 6 or so new vocabulary words I will write them on the board (this is also good if I don’t have flashcards) and from the board we will practice pronunciation and reading. I usually space the words out evenly across the board.

Then after we’ve spent enough time practicing how to say the words and the students are comfortable with the new words, I will go to the board and draw a square around each word. To make it easier I try and make the square pretty good size. Then I split the class into two teams and have a student from each team come up, one at a time.

When the student gets up to the front I have them stand behind a line 7-10 feet away from the board (or whatever you can manage in your classroom). I then hand them the ball. Once they’re ready I call out one of the vocabulary words and then they take the ball I’ve given them and try to hit the box with the word in it. If they hit it, they earn a point for their team. Afterwards, I have a student from the other team come up. We do this for a little while and eventually the team with the most points is declared the “winners”.

So it’s pretty simple, but simple is good when it comes to teaching games. If it’s too confusing the kids won’t understand it and will sit there with a blank stare that shakes even the most confident of teachers.

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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FREE ESL games - Bombs

Part of the reason for me creating this blog was so that I could use it to serve others. And one way I would like to serve others is by passing on useful teaching resources/games that come my way. So here’s my first attempt at sharing a simple ESL game:

The game is called Bombs (I made up the name since it really doesn’t have one)

I play this game with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders with the class sizes usually being 50 or so students. What you need to do first is divide the classroom up into two teams. It’s easiest just to split the class down the middle with the left side being “team one” and the right side being “team two”.

You can then make a score sheet on the board to track which team scores the most points. Keeping track of the points also helps keep the kids interested.

Next you write a list of the last 4-6 vocabulary words you’ve been teaching them (I think you could do more words with an older class, but with younger classes this amount seems good). Then you draw a bomb next to the words.

After that, you draw an arrow from the bomb to one of the vocabulary words on the board. Explain to the kids that saying the word with the arrow pointing to it will make them blow up (and lose the game). Then you shout out one of the other vocabulary words at random and have the students repeat the word after you. Saying the words faster makes the game more interesting (I found this out the hard way). Then after 6-10 words you say the word with the arrow pointing to it and if the students repeat it after you, they lose.

(Example: If you're teaching them the numbers 1-5 and 3 is the word with the arrow from the bomb, you might call out, 1, 1, 4, 5, 2, 2, 5, 2, 3! Each time you say a word you wait for the kids to repeat it. Then when you say the word with the arrow from the bomb wait to see which students say it.)

Ideally only one or two kids would say the word, but that’s not how it’s worked with me. I usually award the team that had fewer students say the word with a point.

Then you erase the arrow and pick a new word. It’s super fun, you get the kids interested and get them saying the words you’re teaching them which is great.

Any other good games out there to share with the rest of us? If I didn't explain this game well, let me know so I can clarify. Thanks.

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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