Wanna know why board games are my absolute favorite English games for class? Because they engage my learners, they help my learners practice skills and knowledge, and they improve interaction and collaboration. In short 🙂 I love using English games in class situations at different points in the lesson. They really help me and my students have a good time!
I used to think playing games in class would only bring chaos. But that’s not true! Sure, students get a little noisy and they will move around, but that’s necessary for processing the skills and knowledge that you want them to learn. Playing games is just as great a method for practicing something they’ve learned as doing a worksheet is. Let me explain why!
Wanna try a board game out for yourself? Grab this free Present Perfect board game from my TPT store by clicking here and give it a whirl!
Why games are important for students (benefits)
Games keep students on task. It’s easy for them to keep their focus on a game and on their peers as they play, and there’s an element of competition in there, which makes students want to advance to get to the finish line first. Playing games improves student interaction and collaboration as well as their visual skills. And playing games can improve other skills, like following rules, problem-solving, critical thinking, cry creativity, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Plus games are just really fun!
Games for English classroom
When should you be using games in the classroom? Well, for one, when you’re teaching a group that you know won’t spiral out of control if you do it. I’ve had parallel grade level groups and one group being wonderful and the other one just couldn’t do it! I teach middle school, so some groups do get super rowdy..
And when during a lesson should you play English classroom games? Here are some options:
- At the beginning, as a way to introduce a new topic.
- Towards the end, to revise what was learned.
- In the middle, as a brain break between more challenging work.
- In the middle, to check understanding of a topic before moving on.
Board games for English classes
My favorite board games for English classes are those about grammar points. What I do is I put a question that asks for a response that uses the grammar point in each of the boxes of the game. That way, whenever a student rolls the dice and lands on a box, they must answer a question. And they’ll be forced to answer the question using the correct grammar. Their peers can check whether they do a good job, so students must also help each other. After they’ve said the correct answer, the next student is up.
For example, a past simple board game box might ask: “What did you do yesterday afternoon?” Then a student’s answer might be: “I played tennis yesterday afternoon.”
Rolling the dice and moving the game pieces creates movement, which helps students learn better. And it keeps them more focused, because they won’t want to miss their turn. And they will want to know if their classmates do a good job when it’s their turn. I love how competitive they get!
Ready-made English games for class
You can easily create one such board game yourself; just ask the questions you want them to be able to answer using the correct grammatical structures. But if you’d like something ready-made that you only have to print, I’m your girl! I’ve created a number of board games for a variety of grammar points. Among which are the present simple, past simple, present perfect, prepositions, parts of speech, and tag questions. Check out the bundle of them – 13 at the time of writing – I have up in my store by clicking here!
So, if you’re looking for some fun games for English class, give board games a try!
Related articles:
How grammar games can help engage learners and solidify their learning
How to enhance your lessons with vocabulary games
