Do you want to know why grammar games can really help your students learn about grammar, remember that knowledge better, while actually engaging them in that process? I will tell you the answer! Everybody loves games, that much we know. And playing games can really help students interact with what they learn in a meaningful way that is also fun. So what’s not to like?
Games are noisy and games can be chaotic. That’s true. That’s why I shied away from playing them when I first started teaching. I thought I couldn’t let go of control and I shouldn’t make students become loud. Boy was I wrong! It turns out students learn really well when they get to use what they learn in action and by talking through the concept with one another. That’s why games are so great for solidifying learning! Let me tell you why I think that.
Playing games isn’t the only thing I do to teach grammar. Grab my free Great Grammar Lesson Road Map by clicking here to help you plan the perfect grammar lesson!
Why use grammar review games?
So what’s the theory behind playing games in the classroom? The reasons I play grammar games in English class are as follows:
- Playing games increases student motivation and engagement.
- It improves student interaction and collaboration.
- Playing games improves visual skills.
- Using games in your lessons complements traditional teaching methods to improve the learning experience of your learners.
- And playing games can improve other skills, like following rules, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, teamwork and good sportsmanship.
And when should you play them?
Grammar games English learners will love can be played at any time during a lesson. You can play games of grammar at the start of a lesson to introduce a topic or to remind students of what you talked about last time. You can play a game at the end of a lesson as a review activity after the grammar point has been taught. Games can be played at any point really during the lesson to review learning. And it works really well as a brain break too, when you feel students are losing focus or concentration.
Good grammar games for the classroom
What then, are some good grammar games to play? Personally, I love using memory and dominoes games, because they use both a word and a visual clue that students have to match up. Another one I like is Happy Families or Go Fish, in Dutch we call it Quartet, and this game also has some visual clues to help students. I also adore playing Bingo since it’s so interactive. Of course, you can’t go wrong with a game of Charades or Pictionary. And puzzles are always great too, as they also help students match the parts together. And my favorite one is board games!
Grammar board games
I wrote a whole post on why I think board games are so great to use in a lesson. You can check it out by clicking here. I think they are excellent for reviewing grammar! Board games are great grammar games for classroom use because they are interactive and there’s movement involved.
I create board games that contain questions in each box. These questions should prompt students into giving an answer using the grammar point in question. For example, a board game about the Past Simple tense will ask: “What did you do yesterday?” A student that lands on that box should then tell their group mates what they did yesterday, using the past simple tense to do so. It’s a really fun way to practice using the grammar correctly, and in a fun and familiar setting.
Grammar games online
After the pandemic hit, I saw an increase in the need to have online grammar games available for my students. We weren’t in the classroom anymore, and therefore were not able to use any card games or games with dice and game pieces, anymore.
Or were we?
I actually found I could convert many of my grammar games for the classroom into online games! I created online memory games that students could play in Google Slides ™ in the edit mode, by drag and dropping the digital tiles on the ‘game board’. The same went for dominoes; also a drag and drop – and turn-tiles-situation that worked super well in Google Slides ™. I found board games could be put into the same format, although I have to admit I really didn’t like those for online purposes, because playing a board game really requires multiple players interacting.
But Bingo is another one that, if you use myfreebingocards.com, can work super well online! And I used Jamboard™ within Google Meet ™ a lot to play Pictionary, and the actual Google Meet ™ screen of course for Charades. We can still have fun if we have to go back to remote teaching, I’m telling you!
So those are some grammar games ESL students would love! I really think you should try them out, as your students are going to learn much better and have more fun with the target language as a result of using them! Take it from me: fun grammar games are amazing!
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