This is a record of games which I use in my lessons and which work well, and most of which can be modified to suit the topic of the lesson. Some of them are not necessarily all that effective at teaching a certain language aspect, but there are times in the classroom when one needs a game just to let the kids have some fun and a break from learn learn learn.
I think this is particularly important in the Korean context: the students here are pushed and pushed so much, that they get very little free and/or fun time. If I can give them 10 minutes here and there during my lessons just to have some laughs, unwind and have a good time together then that’s great. Any language they pick up is a bonus!
Useful games:
- Hangman – or spiderman: I draw a spider web on the board and each time tehy guess a wrong letter it’s drawn into the web. Each new letter moves them closer to teh centre of teh web. My spider generally goes hungry though….
- Bingo – always a winner! They love it and it is so versatile!
- Fly-swatter game: a very rowdy game but they have heaps of fun and it gets them up and moving.
- ‘Board’ games: drawing a ‘board game’ type activity with counters and playing iwth dice is a useful way of making textbook/pair work activiteis into whole-class activities which are often more fun and competitive.
- Timed drill: using cards, ss have to read/memorise a crd with a word/phrase on it which they then have ot read/say to the class in a kind of relay. This is timed and the team which gets the fastest time wins. Great fun but probably not a great learning tool unless they NEED to meorise some things (irrgular verbs? etc.)
- Running Dictation
- Musical Hot Potato
- Hot Seat
- Matching Memory Cards
I will continue adding details and explanations of these games as time allows. I will probably also keep making modifications to the activities as I learn!
