Using games when teaching english
Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching English. Whether you’re teaching adults or children, games will liven up your lesson and ensure that your students will leave the classroom wanting more.
Games can be used to warm up the class before your lesson begins, during the lesson to give students a break when you’re tackling a tough subject, or at the end of class when you have a few minutes left to kill. There are literally hundreds, probably thousands, of games that you can play with your students.
The importance of games when learning English are multiple
1. First of all, games add a welcome diversion from the normal activities of the class. This allows students to let off steam and to feel better in their learning environment.
2. What is more, games lower the students’ level of stress and anxiety, thereby improving the acquisition of language. Indeed, it is proven that students remember things easier and faster when they learn in a relaxed environment. Games help create such an atmosphere.
3. Because games are very entertaining and motivating, they break the ice between the teacher and his or her students. Thus, they give shy students more courage to express themselves in front of others.
4. Also, games are the best way to make students revise language elements they have already practiced and been exposed to.
I was having difficulties with students learning the irregular verbs, it was a long list of 60 verbs in infinitive, simple past and participle. Irregular verbs can be difficut to learn cause their differentt way of change. I asked my students to learn 10 at a time a week later I saw they weren ´t practicing. I had to look for strategies and ways to motivate my 4th and 5th grade ´students.
I was looking online for present perfect worksheets when I saw a BINGO of irregular verbs. In the Bingo cards the verb was in participle, and in the teacher cards were in infinitive so the students needed to remember the participle of each verb in order to win. At first they were no winners because they couldn´t remember the verbs. I told my students that the next day we were going to try again and that I was going to give 10 extra minutes of recess for Bingo winners, believe me that helped a lot!!!. The next day every student was motivated enough that they study the verbs at home they were asking me what time are we playing bingo? It was a hit, and eventhough we are not weeing that tense they ask me to play bingo again.
Do you enjoy playing games when teaching english? What types of games do you apply?
Are they helpful in your objective?
Please share your comments and thanks for reading.
I like to apply games that are meaningful to my students in case I´m not only using the game for recreational purposes. I apply games like Dogfight, where students can be playing and at the same time they can review the topic they have either difficulties or doubts when analyzing it. Most of the times the games accomplish the objective, but it´s important to always monitor the game since students can easly get distracted and the objective wonpt be covered. Thanks Lupita, I agree on the point 2: games are made for relaxing, not make them feel more anxious or stressed. Thanks again!!!
ResponderBorrarI also use games in class, but when I do so, I always think about my objective and then I set an activity that can help me to achieve it. I love creating my own games because many "commercial" games do not fulfill my objectives and other times I completely change the rules of these games. Plus, I work with many online games that help my students practice and have a competitive and motivating environment. Thanks for sharing!
ResponderBorrarIn preschool what can I tell you?? All the time we have a game to introduce a topic, to practice one topic, or in some cases to evaluate a topic. So games for kids is like lunch, they have to do things that they really enjoy, because if not, it comes very complicated to get new knowledge.
ResponderBorrarI'm not saying that they only learn with games, but they acquired it in an easier way. So we have to be creative to do variety activities to get students involved in class. I totally agree with you!!
Yeah! I like games and my kids love the games. So I usually apply games to reinforce vocabulary, grammar structure or develop a skill.
ResponderBorrarOne game they really love is the Fishing Game, they have to fish with a fish rod the animal that I say. I can use colors, for example: Take the (red) fish; numbers, for example: Take (2) fish or they identify other animal, for example: Take a (dog).
In this game everybody can participate at the same time and they don't get boring, also you can modified the game and use it to practice other topics. =)
Thanks !!!