Games To Teach Vocabulary

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas The use of Games in lesson plans for younger learners of the English Language is something that I think is very important. This is because they are excellent at providing a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere in the classroom. This helps in encouraging beginning students to participate. They also provide a challenge for more advanced students and are an excellent review tool (Ibrahim, 2017). Many types of games can be used in the classroom including board games, guessing games, matching games, and communication games. These can be used to teach vocabulary, grammar and speaking skills. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tania H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas I am an English teacher for preschool children in a small village. My students are excited about the new English subject. However, after a period of studying, they become tired and distracted. "This is hard" or "why don't we play games?", My student said. I have found that traditional teaching methods make children feel bored and hard to absorb. So why don't we use games in the classroom? I tried applying some preschool games to the lesson. My students were thrilled and excited about the games. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Chinh T. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are many benefits to using games in the classroom, including the creation of an engaging learning experience for students, a positive learning environment, and the potential for students to practice real-life situations with instant feedback. Also, gamification of learning can use students’ natural inclination for socialization, achievement, and award. Thus, games can be a great tool for teaching English as a foreign language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tassyn M. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Games should be used with a direct purpose and should be monitored carefully to see if the intended results are...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games and fun activities are a vital part of teaching English as a foreign language. 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. Also read: The 5 Best TEFL Games For Adult...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I love the use of games for learning. I have utilized board games, card games, and role-playing games in teaching for the past 3 years. I am currently using them to connect with students at the high school, to talk about some important and serious issues, with the pretense of game mechanics. I use games as a warmer for a Bible study I conduct with other students before school. Using the game as the introduction to the lesson we will learn about that morning, to try to get them to relate the game, in a simplified way, to real-world lessons. I have also, since having children, always been on the lookout for short games, that do require long term strategies or hours of gameplay, because my wife or I may be pulled...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Education and teaching are always changing. Thus, teachers are constantly thinking of new ideas and techniques they can implement in their classroom and teaching plan to more effectively educate their students. Presently, the notion of games within the classroom is widely popular among teachers. One may think that this relationship between games and learning is ironic, as most individuals classify games as a hindrance to education. However, through its engaging attributes, the tendency to boost class morale and motivation, and overall improvement within student’s creativity, games in the classroom that inspire education are very effective when teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I love flashcards. Honestly, I really do. For me, they are a never-ending source of games and activities. Nowadays I work as an ESL teacher in a training center and I teach mostly young learners (students from 3 to 8 years old) and I am strongly convinced that this age group may learn a foreign language only through games, entertaining activities and live communication. Therefore, I am trying to be creative and use plenty of teaching aids and props, such as IWB, OHP, whiteboard, course books, board games, balls, balloons, hoops, various arts and crafts, etc. However, I find that using flashcards is simple yet one of the most effective tools to increase my student’s vocabulary. And here are some of my favorite...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas There are a variety of things a teacher can do in a classroom to successfully increase student participation, help learn new vocabulary, breaking the ice with the students, getting to know one another, and so much more. Looking at an ESA methodology model, the activate stage is the stage that usually involves students using any or all of the language they currently know. This is also the stage where the activities can vary from either doing role-plays, debates, story writing, and communication games. All of the activities that were just mentioned have their benefits when used in a classroom but we will be focusing specifically on communication games. There are so many games that can be played in a classroom such...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Having undergone a process of teaching and based on my knowledge and experience, today I can give a sense of an area or topic that I think of any of you. I agree with the same opinion. "Teaching vocabulary" is the topic I am talking about today. As a teacher, I have failed in teaching vocabulary for students, complex because I do not have enough knowledge or knowledge, my students have Remembering a word that day, I was very sad and thinking about my teaching method. I asked myself. What do students need to learn when learning vocabulary? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Thuy D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I thought about...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Teaching English as a foreign language with little to no experience is a daunting task and one that should be seriously considered. There are many aspects to teaching that I was expected to know and implement while teaching English in another country. I had to learn how to teach in about two weeks and although I learned many techniques and strategies, one of the most important tools and one of the most effective was including games in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Patricia C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I was slightly skeptical at first because, even though games are fun, I hadn’t personally experienced...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Playing games is not only for fun, but we can use it to make students more understand about the topic of the lesson. Games also can build rapport between student-student and teacher-class. How a game is important to make students understand the topic of the lesson? This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Umi H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. For some students, playing a game is a fun thing. It also can kill boredom and increase the attention of students. Games also can make students more understand the lesson in class. For children who always want to play even in class, they have a short span of attention, playing games are...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When it comes to learning ESL, most learners associate it with memorizing spelling rules, doing countless grammar exercises, making abstract speaking topics, and translating sentences from L1 into English. In these, there is little or no listening and speaking practice involved, making English just one of the numerous boring school subjects. However, there is so much more to learning and activating the language if the fun element is involved. This doesn't only include traditional classroom games but also learning both at school and home with the usage of modern technology. Most children born in the 2000s have grown up using iPads and mobile phones, which makes them much more tech-literate even compared to the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings. As we all know, vocabulary plays a significant role in language. If we want to speak or write, we need to know the vocabulary first. So as an English teacher, we have to know some effective ways to teach vocabulary otherwise the class is going to be so dull. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ruqiong C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When it comes to teaching vocabulary, there are plenty of easy options. The funniest one is playing games! No matter younger learners or adults, they both love games! Games are easy to motivate students to learn. The first game I am going to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have been teaching English as an assistant language teacher in Japan for the past 4 years. I have taught all grades from kindergarten through 9th grade, and have worked with many teachers with a variety of teaching styles. In this essay I will look at the use of games in the foreign language classroom, drawing from my experiences to look at several specific games and discuss how they help students learn and use English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tansly S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There are many types of games that are used in numerous contexts. Some games can be played with different age groups, modifying the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Anyone who has ever been in a classroom knows how much students enjoy playing games. Playing games is exciting and a great time for the students to get to know each other better as well as feel more at ease with the teacher. Consequently, a good English Teacher should know how to use games I order to achieve goals like reviewing previously learned vocabulary, enhancing spelling skills, practicing grammar points, promoting a nice and positive attitude in the classroom and many more! This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Xenia P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Students of all levels and ages usually like playing games in the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas There are many famous games used by TEFL teachers that students know like the back of their hand. If you want to change up your online lessons and bring even more fun in your teaching, check out these seven non-trivial online ESL games to help you in every stage of the TEFL class. For this activity, you will need to prepare a digital image and share it with a student during the online class. You can find plenty of connect-the-dots worksheets on the internet. The student needs to have access to the drawing tool, so make sure the online conference program you use has this feature. Choose a picture that would accompany the lesson's topic. Ask...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games have proven to be a useful approach within a classroom environment when teaching English. In this essay, I will be discussing in further detail why it is beneficial for the teacher to use games as part of their teaching practice and the different types of games that can be played. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alexander K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Games are exciting and fun, they are a good way to break the ice and engage students. Games can help build good relationships between students and the teacher because they are informal, so, this creates a comfortable environment for students to make mistakes without...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Susan W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I am Susan and I'm 40 years female from Kenya and I have graduated with a bachelor's degree in Art in Education. I have been teaching young learners in Kenya for two years and I was invited to teach English in southern China and I am ready for the new challenge teaching abroad. I decided to do a TEFL test online so that I can acquire the Certificate and be employed as a qualified EFL teacher. I have learned a lot when studying the TEFL test and as an EFL teacher, I have come to realize that the social environment, age of different levels of students do...  [Read more]

  Throughout section on the teaching of productive skills and the teaching of receptive skills our activate activities will usually involve some form of game and our final consideration here will be the use of games in the classroom. We can start with a definition of what we actually mean by a game and it basically has three components. A game is an activity that has rules it should have for its purpose in the classroom a teaching point and by nature to the fact that it's a game it should also include an element of fun. So that will be our working definition for a game that we're going to use in the classroom. There are many different types of games and they range between the competitive and those will require cooperation and there are all sorts of games that involve both of these...  [Read more]

Anna Domiczek Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Teaching grammar can be challenging, and it becomes especially tricky if we teach younger students, who learn differently than older students or adults. Whereas the latter group focuses primarily on learning vocabulary and grammar rules first, before applying those rules and expressing themselves in the new language, children need to be surrounded by the language and be able to sort it out. Comprehending abstract concepts and grammar rules is not the way young students connect with language and construct meaning. Young learners need to have opportunities to have engaging content, to be able to find patterns and make connections. Can grammar rules be taught that way? Certainly....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games are often used in the classroom to aid in the learning process. They are effective in keeping attention and interest by making learning fun. Flashcards are a useful tool when learning English and can be used in many games and activities. Flashcards can contain anything from pictures of fruits and animals to numbers and vocabulary words. The website eslkidsstuff.com provides many different games involving flashcards. All games could be adapted to any level of a learner, but the following games were chosen for younger children keeping in mind their need to move around and have fun to remain focused and interested. "But a child's attention span - their willingness to stay rooted in one activity- is often fairly...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I think of my earliest childhood memories, I remember that I used to love to play games in the classroom (charades, 7-up/head down-thumb up, categories, bingo, etc.). Going from a boring ‘copy from the board’ type of class to a competitive, fun and activity-filled class gave me the ability to open my mind, so I could find the subject being taught more interesting and made it easier for me to absorb the information. Young learners may not have an interest in studying because they don’t yet have any motivation from learning, so they are only interested in games, songs, and other fun activities. When playing most of the games in the classroom, young learners are compelled to communicate with each other...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays there is a wide variety of how to teach English. Every teacher uses his or her unique methodologies and techniques to make lessons more informative and entertaining. One of the approaches could be using educational games in the classroom. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kristina S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Within this essay, I would like to clarify why using games in the classroom for young learners is extremely useful and educational. There is no doubt that children have their own way of thinking and learning, they are less educated and experienced compared to adults, however, they can learn English more...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Games activity in the foreign language lesson is one of the basic ways of learning English at primary school. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Özden G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The game - one of the most important means of education of children. Lessons from the use of games are an effective means of training and education, as the rest of the common construction of the lesson and the introduction of the game story took the attention of the entire class. In the game pupils get into a situation that allows them to critically rate their knowledge in an active step, cause this knowledge into the system. In the present...  [Read more]

Ramon Perez Teaching Ideas As teachers, we constantly strive to provide fresh and creative ways to transmit new information to our students. However, our secret weapon has been and continues to be, games! Games are great tools to spark interest and participation in our students. The common issue we face daily is the what, when and how to implement these games and activities. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here we will see what low and high-intensity games are, their characteristics, and a few examples of games you can use in your future lesson planning.   Games have been a part of our social and intellectual upbringing, since probably before we could start walking. Some games require different aspects of ourselves, may it be...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays there is a wide variety of how to teach English. Every teacher uses his or her unique methodologies and techniques to make lessons more informative and entertaining. One of the approaches could be using educational games in the classroom. Games in the classroom are a great tool for teachers as they can be adapted to different ages and levels. Within this essay, I would like to clarify why using games in the classroom for young learners is extremely useful and educational. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kristina S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. There is no doubt that children have their own way of thinking and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards can be great tools for eliciting vocabulary, but teachers should not overlook the numerous other uses for these great tools. Flashcard games can add excitement to young learners’ classes. The following activities are aimed to drill the vocabulary in the second study phase of the lesson, after the elicitation of vocabulary. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kiyomi Ann H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The liar game is a flashcard activity that can be used to drill vocabulary. This activity is ideal for vocabulary that a teacher is introducing as the activity involves repeating after the teacher. For this activity,...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information In the teaching of productive skills and the teaching of receptive skills activities will usually involve some form of game and our consideration here will be the use of games in the classroom. We can start with a definition of what we actually mean by a game and basically this has three components. 1) Has rules 2) Should have (for its use in the classroom) a teaching point 3) Should include an element of fun So that will be our working definition for a game that we are going to use in the classroom. There are many different types of games and they range between the competitive, where we are working individually or as a team against others. Or those that are co-operative, requiring people to work together as...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Walking into a kindergarten classroom in any language may have most teachers running right back out the door. A kindergarten classroom can be like a circus. The teacher is the ringmaster. The students range from man-eating lions to trapeze artists to clowns. It’s important to remember that kindergarten students do not understand they are meant to be learning great truths and skills that will set them up for the rest of their life. They want to play, love, be loved, and enjoy every aspect of life to the fullest, even when they are sitting in the classroom. Even the physical excitement that kindergarteners have can be used to create an even deeper understanding of language and...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have decided to choose the title "Teaching Vocabulary" as my short experience as an English teacher has been primarily about teaching vocabulary to young learners in a Primary school in Italy. Therefore, this summative task will be aimed at a group of children between the ages of 6 and 9. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Alex V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I have noticed many peculiarities which I instinctively did as the TEFL course instructed, however, I have also noticed mistakes which I have made and alternatives which the course provided. When it came to selecting vocabulary there was not much input from my part...  [Read more]