Games To Play With Esl Students

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas 3 Fun Flashcard Activities for the EFL Classroom The idea of flashcards is essentially very simple. They are meant to introduce vocabulary and review existing vocabulary already learned in the classroom. Other than this, flashcards can be placed around the classroom for students' reference when performing activities. They may be used in drilling activities as well but this may also get boring for the students, and should be mainly used for sparking creativity and classroom games. Some of the possible flashcard ideas include, and are not limited to the following; Table of Contents Name cards The missing card activity The final flashcard activity Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was...  [Read more]

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas 5 Energizing Flashcard Games for EFL Classes Flashcards are aids to learning with information on either both sides or on one side which a teacher holds up so that the students can see. Flashcards can have an English word on one side and have a translation in another language on the other side, or they can have pictures on one side and a word on the other side. Table of Contents Why do teachers use flashcards? How are the activities done? 1. Pass the ball 2. What's missing? 3. Jump and say 4. Hammer game 5. Writing relay race Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eshita P....  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! A-Z Upper Case Alphabet Board Game This a fun and simple game like Snakes and Ladders for students to play with young ESL students to practice upper case letters of the alphabet.   Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language? ​Get your TEFL Certificate with ITTT. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Check out ITTT's Blog Posts  [Read more]

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas 7 Non-Trivial Online ESL Games There are many famous games used by TEFL teachers that students know like the back of their hand. If you want to change up your online lessons and bring even more fun in your teaching, check out these seven non-trivial online ESL games to help you in every stage of the TEFL class. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: 1. Connect The Dots 2. Simon Says 3. Online Word Chain 4. Catchphrase 5. I Went to The Market and Bought 6. Don't Say Yes or No 7. Would You Rather? Do you want to teach English abroad or online? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Listen to this blog post: 1. Connect The Dots ...  [Read more]

Tue, 21 May 2019 Mark Crocker Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games in an ESL Classroom: Are They Really That Important? Did you say games in a classroom? Is that even possible? Many people around the world cannot imagine or accept that education can be fun too. However, it is very important to motivate, entertain and vary the class activities in order to avoid class boredom. Entertainment in class is also important because it helps to establish rapport in the class (it creates a relaxed, fun and motivated environment) and it works as an evaluation tool (gives us information about the student's' knowledge). One particularly telling definition of games was explained by Diane Ackerman, a famous American poet and essayist, who stated that "Play is our brain's favorite way of...  [Read more]

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Playing Games in an ESL Classroom "Play is our brain's favorite way of learning" – Diane Ackerman. Table of Contents Game Rules Adaptability to Age Differences Other Groups Types Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Danila E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I could not agree more with the quote above as playing games in the classroom has many advantages:The main thing needed for a successful process of learning is, of course, motivation. And playing games certainly increases...  [Read more]

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas ESL Classroom Gamification: ✅ Pros and Cons I am an English teacher for preschool children in a small village. My students are excited about the new English subject. However, after a period of studying, they become tired and distracted. "This is hard" or "why don't we play games?", My student said. I have found that traditional teaching methods make children feel bored and hard to absorb. So why don't we use games in the classroom? I tried applying some preschool games to the lesson. My students were thrilled and excited about the games. Table of Contents Classroom dynamics Ideas for different lesson stages Are you ready to teach English abroad or online? Related Articles: Check out what our...  [Read more]

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Top 5 Activities With Flashcards Flashcard is an indispensable tool that every teacher needs during the studying process. Regardless of the age of the students, it can be used effective equal with young learners or adults. Usually, in the ESL classes, the teacher uses flashcards when they need to teach new or review the previous vocabulary. It's also one of the easiest ways to add some games into your lesson, cause mostly it doesn't need special preparations. Young learners especially like flashcard games because usually it's active games and allow them to have fun during the lesson. Table of Contents 1. Flashcards hunt 2. Flashcard Story Prompts 3. Cups game 4. Memory matching 5. Active game Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a...  [Read more]

Mon, 24 May 2021 Shirin Sophy Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Five Fun and Adaptable Games for ESL Classes Today's pedagogical approaches put considerable emphasis upon the importance of providing students with the opportunity to have a joyful educational experience through adding enough and well-located variety to the lessons. One practical way to do so is designing and adding aimful games to your plan in order to inject positive energy into your lessons, improve the mood of your class and make your lessons stick in students' long-term memory. Table of Contents Pizza game Hot seat Hot potato Spelling games Whisper chain Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! Since not only young...  [Read more]

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Game On – Using Icebreaker Games in the ESL Classroom We must up our game as ESL teachers in the 21st century – both figuratively and literally. I use games to engage students and promote learning in my classroom for a wide range of learning objectives. Below is a short list of icebreaker games that I regularly use in my classroom, and I will discuss the learning target(s) that each game aims to facilitate and deliver as well as the context in which the game is used. Since I work with high school age and adult students, the games are geared for English Language Learners in these age groups. As learning communities become more globalized and data give more information on how people learn, one major challenge I find with...  [Read more]

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The 3 Most Popular ESL Games That Work in Every Classroom Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching English as a foreign language. Whether you're teaching adults or children, games will liven up your lesson and ensure that your students will leave the classroom wanting more. Table of Contents 1. Board Race How to play: 2. Call My Bluff / Two Truths and A Lie How to play: 3. Simon Says How to Play: Listen to this blog post Now it's your turn to get TEFL certified! Related Articles: Games can be used to warm up the class before your lesson begins, during the lesson to give students a break when you're tackling a tough subject, or at the end of class when you have a few minutes left to kill. There are...  [Read more]

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How Games in the Classroom Create Valuable Lessons Most everyone has a favorite game that they play over and over again. Games go further than just a simple competitive interaction between two people or teams. In a way, games teach the average person how to navigate life with two outcomes; either the joy of winning or the disappointment of losing. Although it is not necessarily bad to lose it is an inevitable outcome for each person who participates. The idea is to learn from the failure to gain experience in which you can strategize a new way to achieve victory. The act of winning is simply the reward for playing the game as it is expected to be played. The main concept of games is competition and how we as human beings are...  [Read more]

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Games in the Classroom - The Antidote to Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety When an English speaker is traveling in the Philippines, it is not uncommon for a friendly conversation with a local to end with the local stating they have a nosebleed and escape from the conversation. In Filipino culture, nosebleeds indicate that the brain is too stressed. Although Filipinos pride themselves in being fluent in English, many are not as confident to speak it when the time requires. Table of Contents BACKGROUND: Too Anxious to Speak INTRODUCTION: Work VS Play MOTIVATION SETTING CONFIDENCE CONCLUSION Are you ready to teach English in an ESL or EFL classroom? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Top Tips for Playing Games During the ESL Class Learning foreign languages is a very exciting and very responsible deal. A significant role in teaching foreign languages, in particular, English, belongs to games in the classroom. Games enhance students' mental activity, helps them consolidate material of the lesson, therefore it's a very important activity. The developing value of the game we can find in itself, because where is a game - there is emotion. Where is emotion, there are attention improvisation and imagination. Table of Contents How to Implement Games? Teacher's Part Examples of Games Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ivan S....  [Read more]

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The Importance of Using Online ESL Games in TEYL When it comes to learning ESL, most learners associate it with memorizing spelling rules, doing countless grammar exercises, making abstract speaking topics, and translating sentences from L1 into English. In these, there is little or no listening and speaking practice involved, making English just one of the numerous boring school subjects. However, there is so much more to learning and activating the language if the fun element is involved. This doesn't only include traditional classroom games but also learning both at school and home with the usage of modern technology. Most children born in the 2000s have grown up using iPads and mobile phones, which makes them much more...  [Read more]

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games in The Classroom as a Fantastic Way to Start a Lesson Anyone who has ever been in a classroom knows how much students enjoy playing games. Playing games is exciting and a great time for the students to get to know each other better as well as feel more at ease with the teacher. Consequently, a good English Teacher should know how to use games I order to achieve goals like reviewing previously learned vocabulary, enhancing spelling skills, practicing grammar points, promoting a nice and positive attitude in the classroom and many more! Table of Contents Games For Young Learners Vocabulary Games Competition Hangman and Pictionary Do you want to teach English to ESL students abroad? Related Articles: Listen to this blog post: ...  [Read more]

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games in The ESL Classroom: ✅ Common Misconceptions Let's think about a definition of the word 'game' and try to find it in dictionaries or encyclopedias. We will see that apart from amusement value, a game is considered to be a valuable educational tool. Undoubtedly different games are used mainly to entertain and bring fun, and only the secondary aim can be perceived as having teaching or educational significance. Whether students can or cannot understand the teacher's hidden purpose in applying games during a lesson, the process will bring fun, relaxation, and interaction. At the same time, the result will be meaningful and long-lasting. Table of Contents Are games for children only? Games as...  [Read more]

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Games in the Classroom: What are EFL games? ESL games are games that can be used in the classroom to practice certain language points and encourage active and creative communication between your students. Table of Contents Common misconceptions about games in the classroom How to use games in the classroom Good resources for games to use in the EFL classroom Listen to this blog post Get creative and have fun while teaching English abroad! Related Articles: There are many different games created specifically for use in the English language classroom that can be found online or in any number of resource books. But we are not limited only to those games designed for the class; the majority of games that we played as children or still play...  [Read more]

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcard Games for ESL 5-7 Years Age Groups Games are often used in the classroom to aid in the learning process. They are effective in keeping attention and interest by making learning fun. Flashcards are a useful tool when learning English and can be used in many games and activities. Flashcards can contain anything from pictures of fruits and animals to numbers and vocabulary words. The website eslkidsstuff.com provides many different games involving flashcards. All games could be adapted to any level of a learner, but the following games were chosen for younger children keeping in mind their need to move around and have fun to remain focused and interested. "But a child's attention span - their willingness to stay rooted in one...  [Read more]

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games in the Classroom: Good or Bad? Are games in a classroom a good idea? There seem to be two trains of thought regarding this. Games in the classroom can be seen as being a good thing and also seen as a time-waster and something that shouldn't be used at school once a student is out of the early years of elementary school. Table of Contents Listen to this blog post: Personal Experience Nature of Game Play Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brandie K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Listen to this blog post: Personal Experience At the school, I currently work at,...  [Read more]

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games as a Teaching Method for Adult ESL Students When we start to learn new things as children, we tend to do that with the help of games. That is why in many classrooms of young learners, we find games to be a highly popular medium amongst educators. It is a way of absorbing and processing a piece of information in a fun and educational way. But when we grow up, we somehow forget the necessity of games in the classroom. Table of Contents Ice Breaker Ways to Include Games into Your Lesson What Games to Choose? Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anna B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Games in the Classroom   What are ESL games? ESL games are games that can be used in the classroom to practice certain language points and encourage active and creative communication between your students. There are many different games created specifically for use in the English language classroom that can be found online or in any number of resource books. But we are not limited only to those games designed for the class. The majority of games that we played as children or still play as adults can be adapted and used in lessons. Whether games are co-operative or competitive, they provide students with a goal and in the English classroom this goal can only be reached by using the English they have learnt. Common Misconceptions about games in the classroom. "Games are fun but...  [Read more]

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas All You Need to Know About Teaching Beginners Teaching English to beginners is a challenge for new and experienced ESL teachers. Although with proper planning, materials, getting the students engaged and motivated in the lessons can make teaching English to beginners fun and rewarding especially when your students start to get the hang of it. It's a great feeling to see them move from having absolutely no knowledge of English to be able to speak basic English. A few things to think about. Talking a lot is just going to waste your time and leave you frustrated. Two keep your lessons fun with as much talk time as possible for the students, allowing them to practice what they are learning in a fun environment. Always praise your...  [Read more]

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas 5 Flashcard Games for Younger Students I have been teaching English to young learners in China for almost a year and I tried to make my lessons with and without flashcards. And I can say for sure, that it's really hard to teach children (3-12 years old) if you don't have prepared flashcards for your classes, but only an interactive whiteboard and some stuff to play games. Table of Contents There are some following advantages of using flashcards to teach children: The games I use in my classroom are as follows: 1. Flashcard raise 2. Basketball with flashcards 3. What's missing 4. Hit the FC 5. Find flashcards Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course today! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL...  [Read more]

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The 5 Most Exciting Flashcard Games I love flashcards. Honestly, I really do. For me, they are a never-ending source of games and activities. Nowadays I work as an ESL teacher in a training center and I teach mostly young learners (students from 3 to 8 years old) and I am strongly convinced that this age group may learn a foreign language only through games, entertaining activities and live communication. Therefore, I am trying to be creative and use plenty of teaching aids and props, such as IWB, OHP, whiteboard, course books, board games, balls, balloons, hoops, various arts and crafts, etc. However, I find that using flashcards is simple yet one of the most effective tools to increase my student's vocabulary. And here are some of...  [Read more]

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas How can Game-Based Learning be Helpful to EFL Students? Games are a useful tool for teachers of EFL students because they help with motivation, engagement, and graceful failure (Plass 260-261). I will present a successful example of a teacher using games in an adult grammar class from Indonesia. Second, since I plan to teach online EFL students, I will present free digital games online teachers can use in their virtual classrooms. Table of Contents Advantages of the Theory The First Research Popular Games Access to Materials My Choice Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Christopher C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily...  [Read more]

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas ESL Games For Better Teaching Results Games are seen as time wasted. According to my, it is a pointless prejudice. Because some people suppose playing games in the classroom can only be as computer games; on the contrary, fun in the school is more instructive for students' self-improvement. Meanwhile, the research has shown that the classroom games affect students positively, such as having more motivation, having a controlled competitive environment, strategy simulator, peer positive, less stress, enhanced memory, class cooperation, and new knowledge. We will see how games are essential in our education. Table of Contents Motivation Methodology Benefits Are you ready to teach English abroad or...  [Read more]

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The Importance of Games Usage in the ESL Classroom Why are games important? Why do we play games? How do people play games in the class? These are the questions people usually ask. Table of Contents Students learn through the process of playing the game. Inactive stage of the class. Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jessie l. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Normally their concern is what they can learn from the games? In my opinion, playing games in the classroom is not only for fun but also for practicing and reviewing what you have learned. In my class I have always enjoyed playing games,...  [Read more]

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas 4 Activities to Use When Teaching Online Teaching English in the classroom remains a popular educational choice for families and children in decades. However, a lot of students cannot attend in-classroom all the time for many reasons. That's why teaching online has a potential extension possibility despite their limited competitive advantages in comparison with the general education method. Hence, online teachers need to be more creative in their lessons to increase learner's interest. As a result, many interactive activities have been developed in online English courses. Table of Contents 1. Pair Work 2. Game Play 3. Singing a Song 4. Quiz Do you want to teach English abroad or online? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: Check out...  [Read more]

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Principles of Motivation in the ESL Classroom Motivation provides learners with an aim and direction to follow. According to Gardner motivation is the combination of attempt and desire to obtain the aim of learning the language and favorable attitudes toward learning the language. If students are motivated they will be excited about learning and willing to work hard. Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, is a key factor in the success of students in all stages of their education, and teachers can play an important role in providing and encouraging that motivation in their students. Table of Contents The following are the different ways to motivate the students in an EFL classroom Motivation in teaching by using real objects,...  [Read more]