ESL Activities

Ideas for activities and games in the English language classroom

10 Tips for Games in the ESL Classroom
From the creator of the world’s best-selling ESL board game—ten practical ideas on using games when teaching English

On Using Games in the ESL Classroom
Matt Errey looks at competitive versus co-operative games, and healthy versus unhealthy competition

Mixed-level Activities

Ideas for activities that you can adapt and use at different levels:

Various ESL Activities (elementary to advanced)

Activities by Level

These ideas and activities are mainly appropriate for the following levels:

Elementary

• Authentic Cooking Experience
  Imperatives used for instructions; vocabulary for food and cooking; adverbs of sequence
• Animal Adventures
• Beat The Teacher
  Objective: lesson revision
• Ring-A-Word
• Typical Day
• Noun Game
  Practises: Vocabulary
• Odd-One-Out
  Practises: Vocabulary
• Vocabulary Cards
  Practises: Vocabulary
• When You Turn Off the Light
  Practises: Vocabulary for giving directions
• Songs For All
  Practises: Vocabulary
• Hello Bingo!
  Practises: Speaking
• Secret Code
  Practises: Speaking, Socialising
• Verbs And Tenses
  Practises: Sentence building, Syntax
• What Am I Wearing?
  Practises: Vocabulary

Pre-intermediate

• Anecdote
• Clap
• Double Jeopardy
• How?
• Lion Tamer
• Past Mime
• Secret Word

Intermediate

• Consonant Or Vowel
• Improvisations
• Delivering A Persuasive Speech
  Practises: Speaking Skills and Body Language
• Alternative Assessment
  Practises: Vocabulary
• Book Cover
  Practises: Reading, Expression
• Categories
  Practises: Vocabulary
• Controversial Statements
  Practises: Speaking
• Distractors
  Practises: Questions (and Patience!)
• Reading Comprehension
  Practises: Reading Comprehension
• Saint Valentine's Day
  Practises: Listening, Speaking, Writing

Upper-intermediate

• Vacation Fun