2. GAMES AND ACTIVITIES IN THE EFL
CLASSROOM
Games and activities are an important part of
almost every EFL classroom. Games and activities
create situations where students can use the target
language of the lesson in a playful situation (a
game) or in presentation or production (
exercises). Games and activities allow
opportunities to use language repeatedly and to
build a habit from the structures provided.
Every experienced EFL teacher has several favorite
games and activities that require minimal
preparation – ready to go at any time.
3. WARM-UPS
Most EFL classes should start
with a “warm-up” activity to
help the students relax and settle
into the class. The warm-up is
often a game, just to start things
on a “fun” level.
4. WARM-UP ACTIVITIES
Mystery Object (advanced, group)
Bring an item that is so unusual that the
learners are not likely to recognize what it is.
Spend some time eliciting basic descriptions
of the item and guesses about what it is and
how it's used. If possible, pass the item
around. This is an activity in observation and
inference, so don't answer questions. Just
write down descriptions and guesses until
someone figures it out or you reveal the
mystery.
5. Similarities (beginner-intermediate, group)
Give each person one or more colored shapes cut
from construction paper. They need to find another
person with a similar color, shape, or number of
shapes and form pairs. Then they interview each
other to find 1-2 similarities they have, such as
working on a farm or having two children or being
from Asia. They can share their findings with the
class if there is time.
6. Mystery Identities (any literate level, group)
Write the names of famous people or places (or use
animals or fruits for a simplified version) onto 3x5 cards.
Attach a card to each learner's back. Give them time to
mingle and ask each other questions to try to figure out
their tagged identities. This is usually limited to yes/no
questions, although beginners might be allowed to ask
any question they can. Be at least 90% sure that the
learners have heard of the items on the cards and
especially the ones you place on their own backs
7. Can't Say Yes or No
In this game everyone is given a certain number of coins
or squares of paper (about 10). Everyone moves around
the room starting conversations and asking each other
questions. The only rule is that you cannot say the words
YES or NO. If you accidentally say one of these words,
you have to give a coin or square to the person who you
said it to. Try to trick each other by asking questions that
you would almost always answer with a yes or no. Think of
other ways to trick your friends. Sometimes asking two
quick questions in a row works well. (Especially tag
questions: Are you new here? This is your first time in
America, isn't it?). This game is a great way to practise
using small talk and to add variety to your vocabulary. It
also makes everyone laugh.
8. Categories(Beginner-Advanced)
For this game, one person thinks of a category, such
as MOVIES. In a circle, everyone must take a turn
thinking of a Movie title (in English of course). If
someone takes too long to give an answer (the leader
should count to five) then that person is out and a
new category begins. If someone gives an answer
that doesn't make sense or is incorrect, he is also out
of the game. For example, if the category is
VEGETABLES and someone says "banana" that
person is out. The game continues until only one
person is left!
10. “Changing Sentences”. Aim: Practice of
sentence patterns.
Procedure: choose a simple sentence pattern, which can be
based on a grammatical structured you have recently
learned.Then ss invent variations, either by changing one
element at a time or as much as they like:
She wrote a letter to her sister….to her husband….
12. “Sentence Starters” Skills involved: Writing and
Speaking.
Procedure: Ask the Ss to call out what they
think could be added to this sentence
beginning. If there is time, ask the students to
work with a partner, to select four of the lines,
put them in order and then to find a fith line
which they think makes the writing more like a
poem. For example:
Being young is being with friends…
Being young is losing friends…
Being young is taking examinations…
Being young is wondering whether there will be a
future…
13. “Pulling up a sentence” Aim: review the
Simple Present(or another tense),
Vocabulary Review.
Procedure: Start by telling the students
something you like, for example:
I like pop music.
Then ask a student to recall to what you like
and add a like of his or her own:
(The teacher) likes pop music, I like watching
TV.
Another student adds a further item:…
14. “What has just happened?” Aim: Practice the Present
Perfect with Just
Procedure: Write a series of exclamations on the board-not
more than ten(There is a selection to choose from in the
box). In pairs or groups, Students choose an exvclamation,
think of an event which might have caused someone to say
it, and write down a brief description of the event if possible,
using the present perfect. For example they maight choose
“what?’’, and write:
Someone hasn’t heard clearly what was just said.
Then they choose another and do the same againn. After
two minutes, invite students to read out their sentntces
without identifying the exlclamtions that gave rise to them:
the rest of the class guess what the exclamations were.
15. Box: what has just hapened?
Oh! oh? Congratulations!
Im sorry! Great! What?
No! Thanks! Welcome!
Never mind! It’s a deal! Hello?
Goodbye! Thank Goodness! Yes, Of course!
Ow! Bad Luck! Mmm!
16. Why might you…? Aim: To practice the
conditionals.
Procedure: suggest an unlikely action, and ask
the students if they can imagine under what
circunstances they might/would do it. You may
or may not wish to instruct them to make full
sentences. For example:
Why might you stand on your head?
Possible answers:
If I were performing in a circus, I might stand on
my head.
If I wanted to look at something upside down.
See the following box for more examples.
17. BOX: Why might you ?
1) ….go to live in another country?
2) …stop talking for a day?
3) …eat a piece of paper?
4) …dye your hair green?
5) …go and live on a tree?
6) …ride an elephant?
7) …sleep all day?
8) …jump out of the window?
9) …visit the presindent/Prime Minister?
10)…refuse to come to this lesson?
18. “Teacherless Task” Aim: To practice the simple past and the pa
perfect. Suggested levels: Intermediate-Advanced.
Procedure: 1 Seat the students in circles of as near to ten as possible.
2 Give out a copy of the story, cut into strips, to each group. (Make sure
the strips are out of sequence.) Within the group, each student takes one
strip. Ask the students to read their mini-texts silently and to ask your
help with words they don't know.
3 Explain that the aim of the game is to sequence the strips into a story
and to solve the problem it poses.
Rule 1: Only read your own strip of paper. You are not allowed to look
at anyone else's.
Rule 2: Don't write.
Rule 3: Only ask the teacher language questions.
4 The circles of ten students sequence the story and solve the problem.
This is a time for you to listen diagnostically to pronunciation mistakes
and to watch the dynamics of each group.
PRESENTATION
5 Once the students have found the solution, give each person a copy of
the full text.
19. “What am I doing?” Aim: Practice the Present
Continuous.
Summary of the game
In order to join a team, students have to guess
what someone is doing by that person’s oral
lues and name the action using the present
continues tense. Each team tries to get more
people than the other.The team take turns until
there are no more players left in the middle of
the room or there are no more phrases on the
list. The lager team at the end of the game wins.
20. Summary of the game
Students circulate, asking for classmates’
opinions on what people should and
shouldn’t do, and fill in a survey with the
results…Example:
“should all of the countries in the world
belong to the united Nations?”
“Sharing should” Aim: to practice should/
shouldn’t for prohibition and obligation.
21. SURVEY OF EXPERIENCE AIM: TO PRACTICE THE
PRESENT PERFECT
Summary of the game: Students circulate
and find out whether their classmates have
had the listed experiences. Students have
ten minutes to get as many signatures as
they can. Example”
Have you ever changed a diaper?
Yes, I have.
Thank you, but it isn’t the answer I am
looking for.
22. Summary of the game
Students identify the people at a party on the
basis of descriptive clues.
Party Characters;Men: John, Fred, Lou, Phill,and
Bob; Women: Mildred, Marsha,Joan, Sally and
Jill.
“Party People” Aim: Make comparisons of
equality and inequality.
23. USEFUL STRATEGIES
Look up and speak (Conversations,use it with all levels).
Cloud Prediction (Aim: Develop Ss’ ability to predict
content from key words.
Disappearing Dialog( for conversations)Aim: Give Ss’
confidence using new vocabulary).
Example: A: Good Morning. How are you?
B: I’m just fine.Thank you…
Becomes
A:Good Morning._______you….
B:I’m just fine._____you…
24. Tic-Tac –Toe( for vocabulary review; Aim: Help
Ss review words in a fun way
Know Give Think
Fall Feel Buy
Catch Sing swim
25. If time allows, a short language game
or activity may also be used at the very
end of the class so that it can be
rounded off with a smile.
FUN LAST MINUTE EFL ACTIVITY TO
FINISH THE LESSON
26. TongueTwistwers(Intermediate-Advanced)
Try this pronunciation exercises with your
students. You might even give prizes to those
who can succeed in saying these twisters five
times quickly without making a mistake.
Example:
“Seven serious southern soldiers setting sail
south suddenly”.
27. Riddles(Intermediate-Advanced)
One sure way to integrate yourself with
the class is to ask them a riddle. But
don’t tell them more than one or two at
one time.
Examples of Riddles:
“What grows larger the most you take
from it?”
“If five dogs are chasing a cat down the
street, what time is it?”
28. Listening to a song
Procedure: Play the song and ask the
students to follow the words, and to sing
while you play it again. Deal with any
questions or confusion over meaning.
29. REFERENCES
More Grammar Games by Mario Rinvolucri and Paul
Davis(Cambridge University Press)
Five-Minute Activities by Penny Ur and Andrew Wright.
Shennanigames by James Kealey and Donna Inness.
The TKT Course by Mary Spratt, Alan Pulverness and
Melanie Wiliams(University of Cambridge)
Other useful Resources
101 Bright Ideas by Claire Maria Ford
ESL Teacher’s Activities Kit by Elizabeth Claire
Elementary Grammar Games by Jill Hadfield(Longman)
Grammar Practice Activities by Penny Ur(Univerity of
Cambridge)
Pictures for Writing by Mary Stephens(Longman)
30. LIST OF IMPORTANT EFL/ESL WEB SITES:
http://eslgames.com/
http://eslgames.com/
http://www.everythingesl.net/
http://a4esl.org/
http://www.onlinemet.com/
http://www.etprofessional.com/
http://www.eslmag.com/
http://www.its-teachers.com/
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/teachers/
http://www.cambridge.org/do/elt/teachers/
http://www.eslcafe.com/
http://exchanges.sthttp://www.mes-
english.com/ate.gov/englishteaching/
http://www.isabelperez.com/
