Fun ESL Games
for kids
Frequently
Asked Questions
I teach in a primary school and take all
grades. Can I use the games at all ages and levels of ability?
All
the ESL games are suitable for children aged 6 to 12 and
some of the games can also be played with children aged 4 to 5.
Some can be played with adults although this e-book was not written
with adults in mind.
Because
of the adaptable nature of the games you can use the same game
across the whole age range given above. The games themselves are mostly
simple as far as learning the rules goes, and the level is varied
depending on the amount of vocabulary and the complexity of grammar
that you use in the game. In addition, many games have variants for
older or younger children.
The
games are best for beginners
to lower intermediates.
If
you are only teaching preschool children aged three to five please
check out this page: Games and
Stories for Children aged 3 to 5
TOP
Are
these games only for ESL (English as a second language), or can they be
used to teach reading and writing to young native speakers?
The
manual is designed with ESL in mind, however by substituting
picture flash cards with word and letter flashcards you can play most
of the games to teach reading and spelling. The bulk of the games would
then be appropriate for children as soon as they are starting to learn
the alphabet and to write up until about 2 nd grade (age 7). I have
used the games to help young children who are struggling to keep up
with their classmates in their own language for intensive practise and
exposure to words and spelling and they work extremely effectively.
Please note that 144 word flash cards, (and the individual letters to
the words) are provided in the materials to get you started. Word flash
cards are also very easy to make on your computer, or if you have no
computer access, you can just write them out.
TOP
I have a whole classroom
of kids. What is the ideal group size for the games?
The
bulk of the games can be adapted for anything from pair work to a
whole class. However it is true that in order to get the greatest
speaking opportunity out of the games for everyone in class, it is
often recommended to divide the class into teams or smaller groups.
This is often essential to avoid having every one in class sit around
waiting an age for their turn to say something – and these
games
specifically offer a solution to that problem.
Having
said that I have created a number of games where all the class practise
speaking in unison in the context of a fun game. These are
not like other games I have seen on the web, where usually only a few
students talk while the others just sit there.
There
are also at least 40 games which you can use with very large classes
with not room to move about and where pupils stay at their desks.
TOP
If I have to divide the
class into groups, how can I stop them from just talking to each other
and not playing ball?
If
your children are generally well behaved in your classes as they are
now then you will manage them in the game situation. If your children
are wild now then they will still be wild when you use the games! The
games themselves will not make your class uncontrollable. You set the
pace and the tone and remain very much at the helm at any given time
(unless you choose from time to time to pass that role over to your
most talented students). The games also have a category –
Calm down, Wake up and Excitable and by varying the type of game you
can
control the overall mood of the class.
I
have also created special games for large classes where your
pupils will all have a chance to speak - often in unison, or in teams,
but in the meaningful context of a game rather than mindless
repetition.
You
can also read some tips on managing a classroom full of kids here:Fun
ESL Classroom Games and Discipline - an unhappy marriage
TOP
Can the ESL games be
played
in the classroom?
The
games have been designed with the classroom situation in mind and
therefore the bulk of them can be played with the students desks in
place as normal. However they can be adapted and if you can get into
the playground or a gym every now and then, you will have more options
open to you on how you play.
Some
of the games do require more space – and mostly you can
achieve this by pushing the central desks to the side to leave an empty
space in the middle.
If
moving desks is absolutely not your cup of tea then rest assured you
can still play at least 40 games in your class as it is, full
of furniture.
What if I have a class
of 60 children, all on benches and I don't want to use any materials?
I
have created at least 40 games with you in mind in a special edition of
ESL games for kids in large classes. By having
the
class or teams speak in unison in the context of fun games maximises
your pupils talking time. Everyone has a chance to say the
words
and target structures you are teaching, without sitting around waiting
for their turn, and without repeating them back to you like a
parrot. There are many other ideas in the e-book.
For
most games you can use either no materials, or pencil and paper and the
class board or screen.
TOP
|
