Using Games in the Classroom

Games can perform a useful function in the TEFL classroom.

They allow students to relax and enjoy themselves whilst subtly reinforcing the target language you are attempting to teach. If your students know you are intending to play a game as part of your lesson, they are more likely to pay attention throughout the class so they are able to perform well in the game.

Games can be played at anytime during a class, but you should consider the effect that they will have on the lesson as a whole. If played at the beginning of a class, you will build the interest of the students in your chosen subject. It is worth noting, however that if a game is too much fun your student's attention may fade after the excitement. If used in the middle of a lesson a game can help explain your concept and allow your students to start practicing the target language. When used toward the end of the lesson, they can be used to test the students understanding of the target language.

It is important to remember that simply being fun isn't enough; games must generate useful language practice.

Here are some games you can use in the language classroom:

Charades: Players mime the title of a book, film, song or TV show to their team who try to guess what it is. In order to change this to a relevant TEFL game you must bear in mind that your students in most cases, will not be familiar with TV and film. Try writing down some culturally specific or internationally know items on slips of paper which students choose at random. To give the game more of a language focus, you might want to try using verbs or occupations which the students have to mime.

Snakes And Ladders: A 10x10 grid with pictures of snakes and ladders randomly placed on some of the squares. Players roll a dice move the number of spaces displayed. If they land on a ladder they move upwards, if they land on a snake they must move down. The first person to reach the last square at the top wins. The game can be adapted by putting grammatically incorrect sentences into the squares. If a student lands on a ladder square and is able to correct the sentence he moves up, if he correctly answers a question on a snake square he doesn't have to move down.

20 Questions: One person thinks of an animal, mineral, vegetable, famous person etc, the rest of the players attempt to guess what they are thinking of by asking 20 questions to which they can only answer 'yes' or 'no'. They win if no-one can guess the answer within the 20 questions. You should make sure that all students phrase their questions correctly.

When using games in the classroom:

• Keep your instructions clear.
• Organise a suitable setting arrangement for your game.
• Always have feedback or a follow-up activity after your game.
• Use a game at the end of a week to revise new language.