Help your Students Learn English: Fun ESL Classroom Games for Elementary Aged Students

What is the best way to teach English? Some teachers rely on books, but there are also many other ways. One of these methods is through games! Games are a fun and effective way to help students learn English. In this article, we will discuss some popular Esl classroom games for elementary-aged students.

This article will help your students learn English. Specifically, we cover ESL classroom games for elementary-aged students. We’ve compiled a list of fun ESL activities and EFL games that will surely keep the attention of these little ones who are just starting to learn!

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1. What are ESL classroom games and how can they be used to help students learn English more quickly and effectively
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Most ESL games are designed to teach basic English vocabulary and grammar structures. These ESL classroom activities can be used for both small group work or an entire class of students (depending on the size).

We suggest that teachers introduce new topics by playing ESL games based around them to help grab the students’ attention and engage in learning activities.

ESL classroom games can be used for skills such as reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and language acquisition with younger learners who are just starting out in their English studies. For these children, it is much more difficult to take things from the written text than spoken audio input when they are still working on building up an understanding of syntax and grammar rules. These ESL games also provide great opportunities for kids to use their creativity while learning about different cultures!

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2. Why use games in the ESL classroom​

A study by Anderman et al. found that children who had been exposed to a fun game in their Language Arts classes outperformed their classmates on a vocabulary test. The games were found to be effective in teaching vocabulary and spelling. 

Fun ESL classroom games can also be used as a way of assessing children's language proficiency without using formal testing methods that are often seen as too stressful for young learners. It is much easier for them to learn through play so it gives the student more motivation and fun than they might otherwise have had with traditional assessments.

In addition, playing an ESL game with classmates typically creates opportunities for students to work together on problem-solving tasks which leads to improved communication skills between peers while having fun!

3. Examples of popular ESL classroom games that work well with different age groups

Examples of ESL classroom games for elementary-aged students:

- Listening to fun songs and identifying the words.

Watching English videos and then finding a word in the video that they think is best used for describing what they see on screen, or explaining something about it.
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- Playing games like "I Spy" where one person has to describe an object without saying any of its other defining characteristics while others try to guess what it might be based off their clues alone!​

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Games can also be adapted from popular children's literature such as "Where’s Wally?" by replacing his search with a hunt for specific letters in order to spell out new vocabulary words.
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Another fun game is called "Catch the ARGH!" which involves asking players questions about an animal or word while others try to guess what it might be based off their clues alone! The "Catch the ARGH!" game is one that you can play with students who are learning about animals or words, for example. It's a fun way to engage them in something they're studying and also help them remember what they learned! All players sit around the table and take turns asking questions of each other while others try to guess what it might be based off their clues alone."

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4. Tips on using these games in a way that will make them fun for both you and your students

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Adapt the games to suit your specific needs.

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​Be prepared with a way for students to take notes on what they are learning, such as paper and pen or index cards if you want them to learn in groups.

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​​Have materials available that will make it easy for your players (such as dice, different colors of sticky note pads).

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​Lastly, when teaching younger kids, make sure to keep your explanations simple and short. If you have the kids playing or partners in small groups, you do not want them wasting the valuable instruction time by arguing overrules or unsure of what to do.

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5. Ideas for adapting these games so they're accessible to all learners, including those with disabilities or learning difficulties

Adapting games for use in your classroom is an easy way to make learning English more fun. When planning a lesson, think about which types of games would best suit your needs. For example, some ESL teachers like using charades or alphabet flashcard matching as ways for students to learn new words and phrases; but if you want them to practice speaking with talking partners, then something else may work better (e.g., going through dialogue-building role-plays). Be prepared with materials that will make these activities easier. When incorporating these games and having them play in small groups in a nice cooperative manner can allow you to freely float around the classroom and spend your attention on those students that need more of your individualized attention.

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​Find games or resources that allow for individualized learning as well as whole class review. Here at Blended Play, we allow you to upload your content and questions into multiple games that can be small groups, whole class, or individualized. This allows simplicity to input the curriculum and questions that align with your local requirements and standards with ease.  We are working on adding even more individualized video games that will allow you to assign video games for homework and for individualized learning plans. This will allow all the kids to play the same game but have different levels of content and questions. ​

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It will also allow for easy grading and give instant feedback to your students. This will save you the time and effort of having to take those worksheets or quizzes home for grading. (We have all done it, there is no way it can all be done in the planning period.)​​