GAMES
Games are an important part of my English lessons.
Games can reinforce English skills and keep learning fun!
A list of my students favourite games:
GAME IDEAS
Card Game
A game I always like to use with beginners is a card game. I use cards with pictures, you can make your own, or find a set of flashcards. The students learn the pictures, such as dog or ball. I scatter the cards all over the table face up. This works well with a lot of cards. When students are ready, I shout out a word, such as "Ball" The first student to grab the card with a picture of a ball, keeps the card. At the end of the game, the student with the most cards win. This is also good for using their counting skills to count how many cards they have won.
Alphabet Toss
Write each letter of the alphabet on separate A4 paper. Either purchase bean bags or you can make some by filling old socks with dried beans.
Lay the paper alphabet across the floor, such as:
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z ?
Have students take a turn by throwing a bean bag onto a letter. The student must think of something that begins with that corresponding letter. I also liked to have my students draw a picture. For example, if a student's beanbag landed on the letter Aa, my student would say apple and draw a picture of an apple. This helps students to remember which objects have been already mentioned. When we finished the game and all letters were used up, we turned it into our alphabet book. It took a few days to fill up all letters, but the children looked forward to playing this game. (You can use a ? and if a student's beanbag lands on the ?, then they must ask a question in English, and write it on the paper.)
AWARDS
I created an award sheet. Every time a student wins a game, I will stamp their award sheet. When a student manages to get their award sheet stamped ten times they can choose a prize.
I keep a box of assorted prizes such as pencils, erasers, stickers, and small games. My students like Smiley faces, so I like to use a Smiley face assortment.
