Games for ESL (página 2)

Concentration / MemoryHave the
students sit in a circle. Spread out the flashcards (2 sets) face
down. Students take turns flipping over two cards and saying the
vocabulary. If the flashcards are a match, the student keeps the
cards. If they are different, they remain face down. The student
with the most pairs is the winner.

Conversation RelayLine up the
students in two teams and have the last student in each team tap
the shoulder of the student in front and have a conversation E.g.
"What's you name?", "How are you?". The student answering then
starts the same conversation with the student in front, and so
on. When the conversation reaches the front, the student at the
front must run to the back and continue the procedure. The first
team to get all the students back in their original positions
wins.

Crazy TrainStudents line up behind
the teacher in a choo choo train line. Give commands such as
"faster", "slower", "turn left", and "stop".

Dance Of The OstrichesPair up
students and attach a flashcard to their backs. The object of the
game is to look at the other student's flash card and yell out
the word before they see yours.

Draw It RelayDivide the students
into two teams. Whisper a flashcard to the first member of both
teams and have them run to the board and draw the word as fast as
possible. Award points to the fastest team.

Duck Duck GooseStudents sit in a
circle and the teacher starts by walking round the outside of the
circle tapping the students on the head saying "duck". When the
teacher says "goose" the student whose head was touched must jump
up and chase the teacher round the circle. The teacher must sit
down in the student's spot before being tagged. If tagged, the
teacher must continue tapping heads. If not, the student walks
around the circle touching heads. It might be easier to use
vocabulary like "cat, cat, dog" or similar, or even "duck, duck,
dog" to practice awareness of 'u' vs 'o' and 'g' vs 'ck'
sounds.

Find ItThe teacher holds up a letter
flashcard. The students must search around the room to find
either a corresponding object/picture that begins with that
letter or find that same letter written somewhere in the room.
The purpose of this game is letter recognition. It can be played
as a relay race with two teams racing to find the letters
first.

First letterGive the students
various picture flashcards. Go through the ABC's and instruct
students to hold up the flashcards that begin with that
letter.

Flash Card Act OutChoose one or more
students to come to the front. Show a flash card or whisper a
word, and have the students act it out. Reward the first student
to guess the correct answer. This can be used with many subjects
(e.g. sports, actions, verbs, animals, etc.)

Flash Card WalkArrange the
flashcards in a big circle. Play some music while the students
walk around the circle. When the music stops, call out a
flashcard, and the student standing next to the flashcard
wins.

Follow The LeaderStudents line up
behind the teacher and follow the teacher's actions. Use as a
review for identifying and chorusing classroom objects or acting
out actions. Give the students a chance to lead.

GesturesUse western gestures in your
class.

Go FishHave students choose two
flashcards each. Have the students hold the flashcards face up
but not to show anyone. Choose a student and ask "Do you have a
cat?" If the answer is yes, they have to give you the flash card.
Have each student ask other students questions. A student with no
cards is out.

GrabUse Lego. Spread out the Lego
and call out "(Five!)". The students should take five blocks,
join them together to make a pattern and hold them up. Next say
"two blue, one yellow" and other combinations to 5.

Grab It Relay / Race to TouchLay the
flashcards on the floor at one end of the room, and have the
students line up in teams at the other end of the room. Call out
a flashcard and have the first person in each team race to grab
the card. Those students then go to the back and the next
students race to grab the next flashcard the teacher
calls.

HangmanUse review words from past
lessons. The teacher chooses a word and writes the appropriate
number of spaces on the board. Students guess a letter one by
one. If the student guesses correctly, write that letter in the
space and give the student another turn. If they guess wrongly,
start drawing a hanging man and have the next student guess a
letter. Let the first student to guess the word take the
teacher's place. You may prefer to draw a hanging spider
(Spiderman?) instead.

Hot PotatoPlay like 'Pass It' using
a time limit for added motivation. Set the timer for 10 seconds.
When the timer goes off, the student holding the flashcard must
say the vocabulary / structure.

I SpyThe teacher says "I spy with my
little eye something beginning with G". Students try to guess the
object (E.g. garbage can). Use classroom objects and with younger
students use colors rather than letters e.g. "I spy with my
little eye something (red)."

I've Got ItHave students sit in a
circle. Give each student a flashcard or item. Ask "What is it?"
and elicit the vocabulary. Call out the vocabulary and have the
students stand up and say the flash card. Repeat until all the
students are standing, then continue until all the students are
sitting. Go at a fast pace so the students are sitting and
standing rapidly. JeopardyMake a jeopardy grid on the
white board as follows: Jeopardy

In teams, or individually, let the students
randomly pick a category and the points to be attempted. The
teacher will then ask a question and (a 40 point question should
be more difficult than a 10 point question) if the students get
the correct answer their team name is written in that box. When
all the boxes are filled the team with the most points
wins.

Jumping The LinePut a piece of tape
across the middle of the floor or draw an imaginary line dividing
the room. Designate ones side as 'true' and the other side as
'false'. Line up the students on the line, hold up a flashcard
and say a word. If the students think you said the word that
matches the flashcard, they should jump to the 'true' side,
otherwise they should jump to the 'false' side. Students who make
a mistake should sit out until the next round.

LegoSpread Lego on the floor and
call a color for the students to pick up. Continue until all the
colors have been called. Allow the students to play with the
blocks for a few minutes before packing up. While the students
are playing, talk to them about what they're making and the
colors they're using.

Letter To Word MatchGive each
student an alphabet flashcard, and spread alphabet picture cards
randomly around the room. Play and sing the 'ABC Song'. When
finished, have the students match their alphabet card to an
alphabet picture card and say the letter and vocabulary. Change
cards and repeat.

Listen and OrderPut the students
into pairs and give them number cards (1-10). Call out numbers
(out of order) and have the students put their cards in that
order. When finished, have the students chant the numbers in the
order you gave them.

Magic FingerPrint a letter of the
alphabet on the board. Instruct the students to stand and face
the board. Raise your 'magic finger' and trace the letter in the
air. Be silly and use other parts of your body to trace the
letter, e.g. elbow, foot, nose, tongue.

Make A SentencePut the students into
teams and lay out a selection of flashcards or items. One student
from each team chooses a vocabulary item and uses it correctly in
a sentence. Give each student ten seconds on the timer. Reduce
the time in the second and third round. As the item is named, the
teacher puts it away and gives the team a point. Write the points
on the whiteboard.

Map GameUse a world map and elicit
"Where are you from?", "Where do you live?", "Where do people
speak Spanish?", "Where's China?", and any other questions you
can think of. Also show and tell the students about where you are
from.

Memory BuzzHave the students sit in
a circle and start building a sentence. Student 1 says "In the
classroom, I see a clock", student 2 says "In the classroom, I
see a clock and a map", student 3 says "In the classroom I see a
clock, a map and a chair" etc. For a variation, see 'Question
Chain'.

Memory MasterHave the students sit
in a circle. Designate one student to be the Memory Master.
Arrange the flashcards face up in the center. Each student
chooses a flashcard and says the word. They cannot touch the
flashcards. After everyone has chosen, the Memory Master must
hand the correct flash cards to each student.

Memory TrayBring in a tray of
various review or new objects. Elicit the names of the objects
and give the students a minute to memorize what's on the tray.
Take the tray away and see how many objects can be remembered.
Older students should write a list of objects. The student who
remembers the most objects gets a point. Can be done with
flashcards.

Musical ChairsLine up the chairs and
place a flashcard on each one. Play some music and have the
students walk, skip, jump around the chairs. When the music
stops, the students should sit down on a chair and shout out
their flash cards. For more excitement remove a chair while the
music is playing and make the chair-less student sit out until
the next round. Object TossSelect three soft objects.
Assign object#1 the question "Do you want some milk?", assign
object#2 the response "Yes, I do." And object#3, "No, I don't".
Toss each object to a student and have them use the appropriate
phrase. Then they toss the objects to different
students.

On My BackLine up the students in
two teams and have them face the front. Show an alphabet
flashcard to the student at the back of each line and have them
use their finger to draw the letter on the back of the student in
front. The next student draws on the next student and so on. The
student at the front of each line then writes the letter on the
board.

Paper Airplane ContestGive students
a couple of minutes to make an airplane and one minute to test
them. Divide the students into two teams and have the teams stand
at the back of the room. Ask a student a question and if the
answer is correct that student gets a throw. Assign points to
different objects in the room (white board = 10pts., far wall =
15pts., etc.). Each student should be asked a question and
teammates can help if needed.

Pass ItHave the students sit in a
circle. The teacher holds up a flashcard or object (e.g. ball,
pen, eraser, etc.), says the word and passes it to the next
student. That student holds up the card/object and says the
vocabulary and passes it on. After a couple of rounds start the
flash cards/objects going in the opposite direction. Also try a
speed round.

Pass The SecretHave the students sit
in a circle. Show them that they have to whisper to the person
next to them. Start the secret by whispering it to the student
next to you, e.g. "It's Windy." Have the students pass the secret
around the circle. The last student says the secret out loud.
Compare how close it is to the original secret. If necessary,
write the original secret on the board.

PictionaryHave a student come up to
the front and show him/her a flashcard. That student should draw
it on the board. The first student to guess the picture gets a
point. This can also be played in teams.

Question ChainHave the students sit
in a circle. The teachers starts by asking the student on the
right a question. That student must answer the question and ask
the next student the same question. Go round the class then
change the question. For a variation, see 'The Bomb'.

Quick PeekCover a flashcard and
quickly show it so the students get just a quick peek. Reward the
student who can guess it correctly.

Run And Get ItDivide the class into
two teams and have them stand in two lines facing each other.
Assign each team member a number from one to four. Place a few
flashcards in the middle of the two teams. Call a number and a
flashcard, e.g. "Student three – rabbit". The students assigned
that number must run into the center and touch the flashcard and
shout "rabbit". The member who touched and called first can take
the flashcard to their side.

ScrabbleWrite a selection of letters
on the board. Explain to the students that they have to make up
as many words as possible from the given letters. Model one or
two examples on the board for them. Give them a time
limit.

Ship In The FogMake an obstacle
course, put a blindfold on a student and have the other students
verbally help him or her through the course. For example: Take 2
steps, turn left, one small step, etc.

Shiri ToriThis is a popular Japanese
game. Have everyone sit in a circle. The teacher says a word and
each student must add a word that begins with the last letter of
the word just spoken e.g.
apple-egg-girl-lion-neck-etc.

Shoot The BasketThis can be done in
teams or individually. Ask a student a question and if the
student answers correctly then he/she gets a shot at the basket.
Variations include rolling a ball between 'posts', throwing a
ball to knock a stuffed animal off a box, bouncing a ball into a
bucket, etc. Award points.

ShoppingUse plastic fruits,
vegetables or corresponding flashcards. Gather the students
around you and let them ask for what they want using a dialog
such as: "What do you you want?", "An apple, please.", "Here you
are.", "Thank you.", "You're welcome." Then the teacher calls
back the objects from the students, "Apple, please". Then the
students put the fruit back into the basket.

Simon SaysPlay Simon Says as a
review using "touch" body parts, classroom objects, etc., or with
actions. E.g. "Simon says touch your toes" = Students touch their
toes. "Touch your eyes" = Students don't move. When a student
makes a mistake, he/she must sit out until the next
round.

SlamHave the students sit in a
circle with their hands on their heads. Spread the flashcards
face up in the middle. The teacher calls out a flash card and the
students race to touch it. The first student to touch it gets to
keep the flashcard. In the case of a tie, have the students
'Rock, Scissors, Paper'.

Slow MotionPut a flashcard in a bag
or behind something. Pull it out very slowly showing only the top
part of the picture at a time. Reward the first student who can
guess it correctly. Spelling BeeThis can be done with the
whole class or in two teams. The first player on team one is
given a word to spell orally. The teacher writes the letters on
the board as they are spelled out loud. If correct, the team gets
a point. If you do a class competition, line the students up and
give them words one by one. When they make a mistake they must
sit down. The last student standing is the winner.

Spelling GamePut a name or word on
the board and have teams or individuals make as many words as
possible from those letters, e.g. Brad Pitt = bat, rat, bad, at,
etc.

Spin The BottleUse the bottle to ask
each student questions. The teacher spins the bottle and asks the
student it points to a question. First ask basic warm-up
questions and then move on to target structures or review
structures.

TenStudents stand in a circle and
chorus counting from 1-10. Instruct the students to each call out
one, two or three of the numbers in numerical order. The student
who calls out 'ten' must sit down. Continue until only one
student is standing. That student wins the game. E.g. "one, two",
"three, four, five", "six", "seven, eight, nine", "ten (sits
down)", "one"….. Try playing it backwards as an extra
challenge.

Tongue TwistersUse these tongue
twisters with older students. They work well as an extension
activity.1) She sells seashells by the seashore.2) Rubber baby
buggy bumpers.3) Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.4)
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck
wood?

Topic TagGive a topic, e.g. fruit.
The students must run around the room trying to avoid the
teacher's tag. If the student is tagged, he/she has five seconds
to name a fruit. If no fruit can be named or the fruit has
already been said, that student should sit out until the next
round. Touch Order the students to touch various objects
around the classroom e.g. "Touch your book", "Touch something
red".

Vocab with Rock, Scissors, PaperLay
the flashcards in a straight line on the floor. Assign two teams
and have them line up at each end of the flashcard line. When you
say 'Go' the first member from each team starts to walk from
their end of the line, straddling the flashcards, reading the
vocabulary out loud as they walk. When the two students meet they
have to Rock, Scissors, Paper, the losing student goes to the
back of his/her line and the winning student continues along the
flashcard line. The second student from the losing team starts
walking and reading the vocabulary until the two students meet
and Rock, Scissors, Paper, and so on. Give points for reaching
the opposite end of the line.

What's Missing?Scatter 8-10
flashcards face up on the table. Give the students a minute to
look at them, then have them close their eyes and take away one
flashcard. Tell the students to open their eyes and ask, "What's
missing?". Reward the student that guesses correctly.

What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?Have the
students line up against the back wall. The teacher should stand
with his/her back turned to the class. The students must ask the
teacher "What time is it, Mr. Wolf (or teacher's name if
easier)?". The teacher answers with a random time, e.g. "It's
four o'clock" – the students take four steps toward the teacher.
The students should move the corresponding number of steps. If
the teacher says "It's lunch time!", the students must run to
safety at the back wall. The teacher chases the students and if
tagged, the student must sit out until the next round.

Who's Got What?Have the students sit
in a circle and secretly pass a few objects or flashcards from
hand to hand under the table or behind their backs. Say, "Stop",
and ask "Who has the (apple)?" The students should point to who
they think has the (apple) and say "He/She does." The first
student to guess correctly should be rewarded.

Winner Says MA variation on the
activity 'Ten'. Write a big 'M' on the board and have the
students take turns reciting the alphabet, saying one or two
letters each. The student who says "M" is the winner. E.g. "A",
"BC", "DE", "F", "G", "HI", "J", "KL", "M" (winner)! Variations:
Numbers 1-21 (winner says 21), Days of the week (winner says
Sunday), Months of the year (winner says December).

Autor:

Elsa Espaillat