ESL Kids

If you’ve been wondering how to teach English overseas, especially in Japan well, ESL Classroom Games are great when you have large groups. What makes them great is that they require little to no setup and can be played with minimal supervision by the teacher.
That means that the children are playing the game together in smaller groups and the teacher goes between the groups to check on the children’s progress. Give these games a try in your ESL lesson plan.
The Hot Potato Game is a classic children’s game but now with an ESL twist. I also talk about the importance of tension for making ESL games more enjoyable. (Ages 6 and up)

The Clap Game. This is an excellent and fun way to test how well the kids have learned their vocabulary. (Ages 8 and up)

The Magic Word Game is a lot like musical chairs except there’s no music. Children listen for the “Magic Word” and sit down when they hear it. The game gets good when chairs start to disappear. (Ages 6 and up)

Heads Down Seven Up! Another classic children’s game, reborn as an ESL classroom game. Students try to guess who touched their thumb. (Ages 8 and up)

If you like TPR (Total Physical Response), the Freeze Game is a great way to practice vocabulary and EFL dialogues. The children copy their teacher but stop when they hear “Freeze!”(Ages 5 and up)

Combine Chinese Whispers, with Charades, throw in some team competition and you have the Charades Race Game. TPR, silliness, and a whole lot of fun rolled into one. (Ages 8 and up)

Everybody knows the Fruit Basket Game. Well then why is it here? Well Mr. Smartypants, it’s so much darn fun how could I leave it out?

The Group Making Game is a crazy game that teaches children about numbers, shapes and more–a great game for kids with tons of energy!

ESL Flash Card Games are also great classroom games and if you have a lot of kids, let them make their own flash cards. Not only do children enjoy making the cards but they feel proud and happy to play games with them.