Your students are quiet, and you need them talking. The best esl classroom games give every learner a clear reason to speak English, with one goal, simple rules and a supportive mood.
For more ideas beyond games, browse our collection of esl teaching resources.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Game categories in one teacher guide | 5: role plays, guessing games, board games, traditional games, group project games |
| Research cited | 2024 study from Iraq on language game activities |
| Lesson framework where games fit | Engage, Study, Activate (ESA): a warmer in Engage, an activity in Activate |
| Learning goal per game | 1 main outcome: vocabulary, fluency or speaking confidence |
| Hot Potato rule | Music stops; the holder says a word or sentence in English |
| Game types cited by one author | Sigurgeirsson (1995) lists large and small group, card, word, physical, story and question games, among others |
These figures come from a conversation-games guide from Atlantic Centre of Education and an ITTT TEFL blog post. Teaching guidance can change, so check the sources before you rely on them.
Why games get students speaking
A summary of a 2024 study from Iraq describes teachers running conversation games in class and then using interviews and questionnaires to judge the results. The researchers concluded that, aside from “providing entertainment, games inspire and motivate students to use language in innovative and expressive ways.”
The same write-up reports lower anxiety and stress among students, plus closer collaboration between teacher and class. That matters if your learners freeze when asked to speak.
A TEFL blog post from ITTT lists the wider benefits of games:
- An engaging learning experience for students
- A positive learning environment
- The chance to practise real-life situations with instant feedback
Games also help the group bond. Atlantic notes that they create an atmosphere of fun, letting students relax and connect more deeply with one another.
Set up the game before you play it
A game works best when the teacher has planned it, not just announced it. ITTT’s blog says games should be used with a direct purpose and monitored to see whether the intended results are achieved.
Before you start, run through this short checklist:
- Pick one goal. Whether it is vocabulary, fluency or speaking confidence, Atlantic’s guide says to select one and put it front and centre.
- Match the class. Choose the game by language level and needs, and also by learners’ interests and the class dynamics.
- Explain it clearly. The more easily understood the instructions, the greater the students’ willingness to take part meaningfully.
- Keep the mood light. The teacher should create and maintain a positive, supportive, light-hearted atmosphere.
Class size matters too. ITTT advises taking it into account when you choose a game, since a whole-class activity and a pair task need different set-ups.
Games also fit neatly into the lesson structure. Under the Engage, Study, Activate (ESA) method, a game can be a warmer in the Engage phase or an activity in the Activate stage, and our guide to esl warm-up activities covers the first of those in more detail.
Games for younger learners
Atlantic’s guide says conversation skills sit at the heart of early language instruction, so these games earn their place. Here are the simple ones it describes:
- Guess who? Beginners ask basic personal questions. You can buy the board game, but sticky notes work just as well.
- Hot Potato. The teacher plays music while the children pass a potato around. Whoever has it when the music stops says a word or sentence in English.
- Chinese Whispers. One child whispers a sentence to the person sitting next to them, who passes it on. The sentence usually gets muddled by the end of the line.
- Treasure hunts. Children understand simple clues and follow instructions, which builds reading comprehension and social skills.
The common thread is that every game puts a small piece of English in each child’s mouth. Keep the language short at first, and let the fun do the work.
Once children reach a basic level of fluency, role plays and even a short play with a simple storyline and dialogue become possible. For higher-level children, the guide suggests a debating competition or a Who’s done it? or Cluedo-type game.
It also says any traditional game can work if you play it through the medium of English, as can board and card games.
Games for teens and adults
Some adults hesitate to join in, yet Atlantic says even adults lose themselves in games and use their existing skills more freely than they would otherwise. The kids’ activities above can draw them in if you adapt the content to be more adult-appropriate.
With professionals, set up job-related role plays or real-life work scenarios. Older children can also play the adult games, so one set of ideas can stretch across ages.
For a first-day or new-group activity, ITTT describes a search game, a type of introduction game. Students go around the classroom finding people who own various things, such as a pet or a name that starts with a particular letter.
Games for grammar and vocabulary
Games can aim at a target structure too. ITTT’s post gives these examples:
- Perfect possessions: a game for practising possessive pronouns, where students pull cut-out images from magazines out of a bag and talk about what they see.
- Pictionary: students guess drawings using present continuous sentence structure.
- The detective game: for the past tense, ask questions such as “Where were you on August 25, at 2 pm?” and have students answer in the past tense.
- Crossword puzzles: a simple way to help learners identify and remember vocabulary.
When you teach tenses, choose the game so it elicits the target language. If the game does not call for the past tense, students will not practise it.
For more word-focused ideas, see these esl vocabulary activities.
Common problems and how to avoid them
The most common trouble is confusion. ITTT says challenges can arise if students are unsure about the rules or purpose of the game, so give clear, detailed instructions and stay available to help.
Here are the other traps to watch for:
- Quiet learners get lost. Atlantic says teachers must make sure shier, more introverted learners get an opportunity to speak and be heard.
- Not everyone likes games. Some learners feel self-conscious, so set the game up with sensitivity to individual personalities.
- Too many goals. Secondary benefits appear anyway, so keep the main aim to one outcome.
Treat games as one tool among several. As ITTT puts it, when used alongside other methods, games can help students acquire several language skills while having fun and socialising.
Frequently asked questions
What types of ESL classroom games are there?
Show answer
One Atlantic guide groups conversation games into five categories: role plays, guessing games, board games, traditional games and group project games. Sigurgeirsson (1995), cited by ITTT, uses a different split that includes card, word, physical, story and question games.
Can adults play the same games as children?
Show answer
Yes, with adaptation. Atlantic suggests making the role plays and content more adult-appropriate, and using job-related scenarios for professionals.
Where does a game fit in a lesson?
Show answer
Under the ESA method described by ITTT, a game can be a warmer in the Engage phase or an activity in the Activate stage. Either way, it should have a direct purpose.
How do I stop shy students being left out?
Show answer
Plan for it. Atlantic says teachers should make sure shier and more introverted learners have a chance to speak and be heard in a supportive environment.
