Elementary School EFL ESL Games -
Perfect for students in !
Once upon a time school was pretty boring. Yawnnnn.
But learning outside, well that was fun.
Soccer/Baseball stats? Check. Pokemon evolution? Check.
Hmmm this "games" thing really works.
So I started making games for learning "school stuff."
And you know what, that worked too!
But ... these games became a little too powerful.
So now they're limited to VIPs.
You know, the ones who know how to use the power for good. :)
Choose your games wisely my good friend.
THE BASICS
These games will be your best friends...
TPR Warm up - the perfect start to every lesson, add new words every time.
I like everything - the simplest review game, short and sweet
Lines Quiz - highly recommend for those with regular lessons.
Mingle - the most effective way to make groups
Online Video Workshop - the basics.
From then on choose a theme then a game to practise it
Top Blog Posts (updated daily)
RECOMMENDED EFL ESL GAMES
(with Japanese translations)
Good for big groups as all the kids get to practise at once ( and the teacher
gets some time to check how the kids are doing or prepare the next activity!)
Mushi Battle Game ( popular thanks to "mushi king")
How are you? Game
Downloadable GenkiEnglish Card Game
Genki English Mini Cards
Do You have a ....? Game
The Gokiburi Game
(great
game, lots of speaking practice, any conversation)
Koala Game
("Please" and "Thank You"
practice!)
What's the weather like in... ? game
Spiderman - help Spiderman save Mary Jane
Island Hopping - picture card review game
Dice Game
Balloon Game
What did you say? Game
Timebomb (numbers and brain power)
Shiritori (great for Junior High warm up)
English Passports (great activity for visitors!)
Fun Comparatives ( ... is ...-er than )
Da Vinci Code Game ( phonics decoding )
Conversation EFL ESL Games
These are games where the kids have to use questions / answers, and practise
sentences as opposed to simply learning vocab. If you teach in Japan, where
kids can already understand several hundred English words, they are recommended
to help the kids see how these words fit together.
Doctor, Doctor! (for practicing parts of the body!)
Tower Game!
(good for adding a bit of motivation!)
Lines quiz
(great, fast paced warm up)
Stopwatch game
(simple, very quick game)
Bargaining
(fun numbers and "How much?" practice)
Telephone Game
Target language : Any Conversation, "My name is ...."
"How are you?" etc.
What do you like? Bingo
Target language: "What do you like?","I
like......"
What Time is it Mr Wolf?
(classic kids game)
Target language: "What time is it?
Where are you from? Game
(simply interview game)
Target language: Where? and Country Names
Valentine's Broken Hearts Game
Members' Worksheet Games
These are printable worksheets/games to go with the CD Set.
"Review Anything" Board Game
Animals Card Game
Card Game: Countries Version
Spaghetti Worksheets (listening quizzes)
Islands worksheets (for younger learners)
Snakes & Ladders (topic review)
8 sided dice (nice craft idea)
Fun with Mido!
Mido Farid has a new game for your every Monday.
If you can't click them all right now, sign up for the Genki English blog
and get a brand new one delivered each week!
VIP Members can also download all Mido's games in his brand new ebook!
Some of these games only need 2 or 3 players. For larger classes, once
you've done a demo at the front, split the kids into 3 or 4 groups, put
them in a circles and the kids take turns in going to the middle to play.
Games: Choose a target theme from the Curriculum, then a game to practise the English.
Learn & Play: Before you play these games you will need to make sure the kids have
a basic grip on the target English. The kids have to have fun, but they
also have to be progressing with their English skills.
Songs instead of drilling: Drilling can be boring, but songs with actions are a fun alternative.
Set the level: A game for a game's sakeis no good - choose a game that will let them practise their target language.
If it's too easy or too difficult it won't be very effective!
Motivation: Games provide extra motivation to learn the target language - learn the
new language, win the game!
Everyone: Good games allow the kids to practice with their peers - the best games
allow all the kids to speak at once.
It's the kids: The lessons become less teacher orientated and more student orientated.
Fun: And the biggest advantage of using songs with games is that they are FUN!!
They become so engrossed in the game that the English becomes second nature.
It's a bit like driving a car, what you concentrate on is the road, the
skill of moving the pedals becomes second nature through practice.
Good losers: Sometimes kids might get fed up if they lose a game, or other kids might
tease the losers , in this case you must teach the kids Genki English Rule
No.2:
"Losing" doesn't mean "losing", it just means "try
again!"
You never truly lose until you stop trying.
If everyone is having fun, everyone is a winner!
Rule No.1: Genki English rule No.1 is
Think "I can do it!" and you can!
Let the kids know it's not brain surgery, it's just English and is one
of the easiest subjects they'll learn at school.
Mistaikes: Just like baseball, practice is the key. But unlike music education where
"only perfect practice makes perfect" in these games the kids
have dozens of chances to make mistakes and perfect their English.
Lego: Each of the themes is structured so that kids can chop and change, build and rebuild new
English just like in a Lego set.
The Next Step: Then you can add connector words like "and" or "but"
and join the bits and pieces together to eventually lead up to where the
kids can say anything they want to say in English. It won't be 100% correct,
but they will be able to get their message across, and that's an important
milestone.
Easy Planning: Nearly all of these games are illustrated with photos of them being used
in the classroom. For teachers in Japan there are translations into
Japanese - simply hand a copy to your teacher for easy lesson preparation!
Espanol: But it's not just for teaching ESL or English, nearly all these games
work great for teaching ANY language.
45 Mins: Have a look at my lesson plan page to see how to fit these games into your classes.
The theory: Or for an academic look at the advantages of using games in class, have
a look at Joel Bacha's paper on "Play and Affect in Language Learning"
Mido Farid has a new game for your every Monday.
TPR Warm up - the perfect start to every lesson, add new words every time.
Dinosaur Danger (I like + animals)
"Famous People Cards"
Choose a target theme from the