Games to develop XXI century skills

                          Games to develop 4Cs

Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching. 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. EFL games are used to test vocabulary, practice conversing, learn tenses - the list is endless.

Games promote collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking. There are different games. Some offer practice with vocabulary, grammatical patterns, interaction skills in a low-stressed environment. Games offer students many benefits, including opportunity to develop social skills.  There are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when using the games in your class. It is important to ensure that the level of the game is appropriate for your students, that all players understand the procedure of playing. It is important that students see that the purpose of the game is to collaborate and communicate using TL( target language). I offer some games which I like and use most of all at the lessons.

Game 1 : Picture This

The basic Picture This game uses the Picture This cards ( cards with pictures and questions) as the starting point for conversation among students based on a question-and-answer format. As with all Picture This games, the teacher should set a specified amount of time for the game.

How to play

• Have students (players) sit in groups of 2-4.
• Put the Picture This card in a box, bag, or basket(where players cannot see the cards) in the center of the classroom.
• Invite someone from each group to take a card and carry it to his or her group.

4. Players examine the title and the pictures on the front of their card. Then players match the pictures with the appropriate words or phrases on the cards.

 5. Players then take turns reading and answering questions in their groups. The player who reads the question can choose who should answer it, and he or she should hold the Picture This card up so that the player answering the question can see the picture side of the card. Then the player who answered the question should take the card and ask the next question.

 6. When the group has responded to all of the questions on their card, one member of the group can return the card and get another.

7. Remind everyone that speaking practice is the main goal. If they get stuck, they can help each other or ask you for help.

 8. End the game after the specified amount of time.

e. g. Picture side : apple, sweets, grapes...

     Question side:

1. Which of the snacks on the card is the healthiest? Which is the least healthy?  Why?

2. Which snacks are salty? Which are sweet? Which are crunchy?

Which are soft?

3. Which of the snacks do you like to eat? Why?

4. What other snacks do you like to eat? What do they look like?

5. Which snacks are easy to carry with you? Why?

6. Imagine you are having a party. What snacks would you serve?

e. g. Picture side:

Radio, Mail, Newspaper, Telephone, Television

Question side:

1. Which of the communication tools on the card do you use most often? Why?

2. Which communication tools are good for communicating with many people at once?

3. Which communication tools are the oldest? The newest?

 4. Which communication tool is the most expensive? Why?

 5. What communication tools do people have problems with? What kinds of problems do they have?

 6. If you could use only one way to communicate with others, which tool would you use? Why?

English Game 2: Name It!

In Name It!, players take turns using English to describe the items or ideas pictured the Picture This cards. In turns, one player describes the items with as much detail as possible, while the remaining players try to guess what the student is describing This game works well as a whole-class activity or as a competition among groups.

How to play

• Put the Picture This cards in a box, bag, or basket (where the players cannot see them) in the center of the classroom.
•  2 Choose one player to be the Clue Giver The other players are Guessers. The  Glue Giver should face the Guessers.
•  The Clue Giver takes a card and holds it so that he or she can see the pictures, but the Guessers cannot. 4.
•  The Clue Giver tells the Guessers the title of the card and gives dues about the pictures without using the words on the card. Instead, the Clue Giver should use other words and phrases, but not body language, to try and help the Guessers name all of the pictures on the card in the shortest period of time possible.

5. When the group has guessed all of the words on their card, one member of the group can turn in the card and get another.

 6. End the game after the specified amount of time.

 Optional: To make the game more competitive, divide students into two teams. Each team should have one Clue Giver and several Guessers. Both teams should use the same card. Start at the same time and see which team can guess all of the pictures first. Note that this option requires multiple copies of the Picture This cards.

e. g. Picture side:

Stormy, Snowy, Rainy, Sunny, Cloudy, Windy

Question side:

The Weather 1. What is your favorite type of weather? Why?

2. How do you get ready for school on a rainy day?

3. What can you do outside on a snowy day?

4. Choose one type of weather. What are three fun things to do on that kind of day?

5. Choose another type of weather. What clothes do you wear outside in that weather?

 6. What climate would you like to live in? Why?

Game 3: Sentence  Challenge

How to play

• Have students (the players) sit in pairs or small groups, and give each group about 20 Word Bricks. Make sure to include one “Wild Card” and one –s brick.
• Tell the players that they have 3 minutes to create the longest correct sentence possible with their Word Bricks.
• Begin the game. Do not help or correct the players.
• After the time is up,  have each team write their sentence on the board.
• Give teams a chance to evaluate each sentence for correctness.
• Any other team may ‘challenge’ a sentence by raising a hand. If they think the sentence is incorrect, they can go to the board and make a correction. The challenging team may not change the meaning of a sentence or rewrite it – only make a correction.
• Award points to each team in the following ways:

No challenge : If no other team challenges a sentence, then the team that created it receives one point for each brick in the sentence.

Challenged sentence that was correct: The challenging team loses 3 points, and the original team earns one point for each brick the sentence.

Challenged sentence (with correction): If another team challenges a sentence and is able to correct the sentence, then the challenging team receives one point for each brick in that sentence.

Challenged sentence (not corrected): If a sentence is challenged, but the challenging team is unable to correct the sentence, then the challenging team loses 3 points. Another team may attempt to correct the sentence for the points. If no team is able to correct the sentence, then the original team receives the points for the sentence but must subtract 3 points

Game 4: Board Race

 Board Race is a fun game that is used for revising vocabulary, whether it be words from the lesson you’ve just taught or words from a lesson you taught last week. It can also be used at the start of the class to get students active. It is a great way of testing what your students already know about the subject you’re about to teach.

Why use it? Revising vocabulary; grammar

This is best played with 6 students or more - the more, the better. I’ve used it in classes ranging from 7-25 years of age and it’s worked well in all age groups. Here's a step by step explanation:

How to play

• Split the class into two teams and give each team a colored marker.
• If you have a very large class, it may be better to split the students into teams of 3 or 4.
• Draw a line down the middle of the board and write a topic at the top.
• The students must then write as many words as you require related to the topic in the form of a relay race.
• Each team wins one point for each correct word. Any words that are unreadable or misspelled are not counted.

Game 5: Call My Bluff / Two Truths and A Lie

Call My Bluff is a fun game which is perfect at the start of term as a ‘getting to know you’ kind of game. It is also a brilliant ice breaker between students if you teach classes who do not know one another -- and especially essential if you are teaching a small size class.

The game is excellent for practicing speaking skills, though make sure you save a time for after the game to comment on any mistakes students may have made during the game. (I generally like to reserve this for after the game, so you don't disrupt their fluency by correcting them as they speak).

With older groups you can have some real fun and you might be surprised what you’ll learn about some of your students when playing this particular EFL game.

• Why use it? Ice-breaker; Speaking skills
• Who it's best for: Appropriate for all levels and ages but best with older groups

How to play:

• Write 3 statements about yourself on the board, two of which should be lies and one which should be true.
• Allow your students to ask you questions about each statement and then guess which one is the truth. You might want to practice your poker face before starting this game!
• If they guess correctly then they win.
• Extension: Give students time to write their own two truths and one lie.
• Pair them up and have them play again, this time with their list, with their new partner. If you want to really extend the game and give students even more time to practice their speaking/listening skills, rotate partners every five minutes.
• Bring the whole class back together and have students announce one new thing they learned about another student as a recap.

Game 6: Word Jumble Race

This is a great game to encourage team work and bring a sense of competition to the classroom. No matter how old we are, we all love a good competition and this game works wonders with all age groups. It is perfect for practicing tenses, word order, reading & writing skills and grammar.

• Why use it? Grammar; Word Order; Spelling; Writing Skills
• Who it's best for: Adaptable to all levels/ages

How to play:

This game requires some planning before the lesson.

• Write out a number of sentences, using different colors for each sentence. I suggest having 3-5 sentences for each team.
• Cut up the sentences so you have a handful of words.
• Put each sentence into hats, cups or any objects you can find, keeping each separate.
• Split your class into teams of 2, 3, or 4. You can have as many teams as you want but remember to have enough sentences to go around.
• Teams must now put their sentences in the correct order.
• The winning team is the first team to have all sentences correctly ordered.

Game 7: Pictionary

This is another game that works well with any age group; children love it because they can get creative in the classroom, teenagers love it because it doesn’t feel like they’re learning, and adults love it because it’s a break from the monotony of learning a new language - even though they'll be learning as they play.

Pictionary can help students practice their vocabulary and it tests to see if they’re remembering the words you’ve been teaching.

• Why use it? Vocabulary
• Who it's best for: All ages; best with young learners

How to play:

• Before the class starts, prepare a bunch of words and put them in a bag.
• Split the class into teams of 2 and draw a line down the middle of the board.
• Give one team member from each team a pen and ask them to choose a word from the bag.
• Tell the students to draw the word as a picture on the board and encourage their team to guess the word.
• The first team to shout the correct answer gets a point.
• The student who has completed drawing should then nominate someone else to draw for their team.
• Repeat this until all the words are gone - make sure you have enough words that each student gets to draw at least once!

Game 8: The Mime

Miming is an excellent way for students to practice their tenses and their verbs. It's also great for teachers with minimal resources or planning time, or teachers who want to break up a longer lesson with something more interactive. It's adaptable to almost any language point that you might be focusing on.

This game works with any age group, although you will find that adults tire of this far quicker than children. To keep them engaged, relate what they will be miming to your groups' personal interests as best as possible.

• Why use it? Vocabulary; Speaking
• Who it's best for: All ages; best with young learners

How to play:

• Before the class, write out some actions - like washing the dishes - and put them in a bag.
• Split the class into two teams.
• Bring one student from each team to the front of the class and one of them choose an action from the bag.
• Have both students mime the action to their team.
• The first team to shout the correct answer wins a point.
• Repeat this until all students have mimed at least one action.

Game 9: Hot Seat

Hot Seat allows students to build their vocabulary and encourages competition in the classroom. They are also able to practice their speaking and listening skills and it can be used for any level of learner.

• Why use it? Vocabulary; Speaking and Listening
• Who it's best for: All ages and levels

How to play:

• Split the class into 2 teams, or more if you have a large class.
• Elect one person from each team to sit in the Hot Seat, facing the classroom with the board behind them.
• Write a word on the board. One of the team members of the student in the hot seat must help the student guess the word by describing it. They have a limited amount of time and cannot say, spell or draw the word.
• Continue until each team member has described a word to the student in the Hot Seat.

Game 10: Where Shall I Go?

This game is used to test prepositions of movement and should be played after this subject has been taught in the classroom. This game is so much fun but it can be a little bit dangerous since you'll be having one student in each pair be blindfolded while the other directs them. So make sure to keep your eyes open!

         Why use it? Prepositions; Speaking and Listening

• Who it's best for: All ages and levels

How to play:

• Before the students arrive, turn your classroom into a maze by rearranging it. It's great if you can do this outside, but otherwise push tables and chairs together and move furniture to make your maze.
• When your students arrive, put them in pairs outside the classroom. Blindfold one student from each pair.

Allow pairs to enter the classroom one at a time; the blindfolded student should be led through the maze by their partner.