My Top 3 ESL Games and Activities to teach English
ESL Games are a vital part of my lessons and they are super important when teaching English as a foreign language. It doesn’t matter if you’re teaching adults or children, games will spice up your lesson, consolidate content, and ensure that your students will leave the classroom with a smile.
I usually play games at the beginning of the lesson to revise what we did last class and at the end to wrap up the day. The ones I’m going to share with you today are my TOP 3 favorite ESL games, not because I particularly like them but because my students love them!
1) Fly Swatter Game: Materials Needed: A pair of Fly Swatters. Instructions: Write the vocabulary students need to practice on the board. Divide the students into two teams. One person from each team comes up to the board and each learner is given a flyswatter. The teacher gives hints to describe one of the words and the first student to hit the word with the flyswatter gets a point for his/her team.
2) Musical Chairs: Materials Needed: chairs. Flashcards, cards. Instructions: The teacher plays some music while students walk around the chairs. When the music stops, everyone must immediately sit on a chair. The person without a chair answers a question connected to the contents of the lesson.
3) Pac-Man: Materials Needed: two balls/ two balloons. Students stand in a circle and pass one of the balls/balloons. Then, the teacher gives one of the students “Pacman”(the other ball/balloon), Pacman has to eat the other ball/balloon and can change directions in order to catch it!! The student answers a question when they get both balls/balloons together.
I hope you enjoy these games! Next Friday, I will share with you some classroom community building activities you can do with your learners.
Until then!
Paula.
