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Language games in ILS Introduction video

The following language games are descriptions of those demonstrated in the 'ILS Introduction' video. They are mostly generic language revision and practice games that can be adapted for any language. However, a few that are more useful with either European or Asian languages are labelled with the relevant languages.

To browse all of the games, scroll down this page. Or you can skip to a specific game by clicking on the title in the following list.

Games titles

Note: The order of the games differs slightly in the video. Here the games are ordered so that a game that builds on another follows it.

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Language games


Musical chairs

Use this game to practice new vocabulary at the end of a lesson.

  1. Class divides into five or six teams, and each team is named with a word from the new vocabulary.
  2. With all students except one sitting in a circle of chairs, the spare student stands in the middle and calls out three team names.
  3. Students in the named teams must move to other chairs.
  4. The student left without a chair loses a point for their team and goes into the middle.

Pictionary

This game can be used to practice new vocabulary or to revise previous learning.

  1. Two students from opposing teams are given a word or sentence in the target language.
  2. Both students attempt to illustrate the word/sentence to the rest of their team by drawing pictures (without speaking).
  3. First team to call out the correct word/sentence wins a point.

Revision game

For this game, you need to have a tennis ball, Koosh ball, or hacky sack in your classroom. It is used to revise previous learning.

  1. Teacher throw the ball to a student and asks for a word or sentence in the target language.
  2. When they have said the requested word/phrase, the student throws the ball back.
  3. Repeat with different students.

Variation: Students can challenge each other by throwing the ball amongst themselves.

Note: In the demonstration on the video, the desks have been pushed to one side, but the game works just as well with students seated at their desks.

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Mind games

This is vocabulary teaching method uses flashcards to give students time to assimilate the new words before being asked to pronounce them. To prepare, write the target vocabulary onto a set of flashcards. (The example on the video uses numbers 1–10 in Japanese.)

  1. Teacher goes through the flashcards, saying each word as the card appears.
  2. Repeat at least twice.
  3. Next time through the cards, teacher pauses for a few seconds before saying each word, challenging the students to try and pronounce the words to themselves first.
  4. Teacher then challenges the students to say either 'Yes' or 'No' in the target language (indicating that the word is correct or incorrect) as s/he goes through the cards saying the words.
  5. Teacher goes through the cards again, giving the students a choice of two pronunciations, one correct and one incorrect. The students respond by repeating back the correct word.
  6. Finally, teacher goes through the cards without saying the words, challenging the students to pronounce the words themselves.

Pass it on

This game can be either a writing or speaking quiz.

  1. Students number off into teams and form lines.
  2. In reply to a question from the teacher, the students at the back of each team line write a word or sentence in the target language on a piece of paper (or whisper the spelling into their neighbour's ear).
  3. When students hear their team number called by the teacher, they pass their answer up the line as fast as possible – every team member must touch the paper (or repeat the spelling).
  4. The first paper/answer to reach the teacher is checked and points awarded for correct spelling.

Variation: Questions for the quiz need not always be language-centred. A cultural quiz can also be enjoyed by students, and is a useful way to revise sociocultural aspects. For example, the questions could include asking for the capital of Japan or two Spanish-speaking countries.


Noughts and crosses

This is a quick and effective means of either finishing or kick-starting a lesson. To prepare, fill each space on a noughts and crosses grid with the target vocabulary in English.

  1. Students form two teams, one to be noughts and the other to be crosses.
  2. Teams compete to solve the quiz by translating the words in the squares they want.
  3. The first team with a continuous line of either noughts or crosses squares translated wins.

Note: The students may enjoy making up the puzzle themselves, and taking turns to play the role of the teacher and challenge the rest of the class.

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Buzz

Use this game to practise and revise numbers in the target language.

  1. Class stands in a circle, and one student chooses a 'buzz' number – this means that each student who calls out this number or any multiple of it says 'buzz' instead of the number. (In the video, the German word 'Dingsbums' has been substituted for 'buzz'. 'Dingsbums' means 'thingamabob'.)
  2. Students count numbers around the circle, replacing the designated number and its multiples with 'buzz' (or some similar word in the target language).
  3. When someone forgets the buzz number, the rest of the class calls out the chosen buzz word.

Variation: To further challenge the students, ask them to count backwards.


Fruit Salad

This is an alternative to the musical chairs game, using family nouns as team names. (The video example is in German.)

  1. All students but one sit in a circle.
  2. Names of the family members (such as brother, sister, mother, father) are given to all students seated around the circle.
  3. The spare student stands in the middle and calls out one of the family category names, and all students in that team try to move to another seat.
  4. The person left without a chair goes the middle to be the next caller.

Whispers

For this activity, you need two matching sets of small flashcards, containing either pictures, numbers or words.

  1. Class divides into two teams and sits in rows.
  2. Teacher revises the target vocabulary using the flashcards.
  3. Each set of flashcards is placed face down on a desk at the front of each row.
  4. Teacher selects one card from each pile, and whispers it to the students from the back of each row.
  5. The students return to their positions and start the game by whispering the word to the student in front of them, who in turn whispers it to their neighbour, and so on.
  6. When the whisper reaches the student at the front of each row, they race to the desk and find the matching flashcard.
  7. The winning team gets a point.

Backwriting (Japanese/Chinese)

This game, a variation on 'Whispers', is a fun way to practice Japanese characters (such as hiragana), and could be used for Chinese characters too.

  1. Teams are formed by students sitting in lines facing the board.
  2. The student at the back of the line 'draws' a specified character (given to them by the teacher) on the back of the team member seated in front of them, who does the same to their neighbour, and so on.
  3. When the 'drawing' reaches the student at the front of the line, they attempt to draw the character on the board.
  4. The first team to draw the correct character wins a point.

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Matching cards

This activity requires a complete set of cards for each pair of students in the class. Put the digits 1–20 on half the cards and the corresponding words on the other half.

  1. Students pair up and each pair takes a full set of cards. (Make sure the cards are well shuffled before they are handed out.)
  2. Students match the numbers with the words.
  3. First pair to match all their cards wins the round.

Variation: Substitute pictures for the numbers.


Colour revision

To help revise colours, use a bundle of coloured objects in the following game. (In the video, coloured pipe cleaners are used, but coloured card will also work.)

  1. Students sit in a circle.
  2. Teacher calls out the appropriate colour name as each object is thrown into the centre of the circle.
  3. Teacher calls out a colour and invites the students to point to the correctly coloured object.
  4. Teacher asks individual students to pick up a certain colour.

Colour snap

This is another good game to revise colours. Prepare enough sets of coloured cards to provide one set for each pair of students.

  1. Students pair off, and each pair takes a set of cards that they spread out on a desk between them.
  2. Teacher calls out the colours in the target language.
  3. Like 'snap', the students have to smack (and grab) the correctly coloured card in response.
  4. When all the colours are claimed, the student in each pair with the most cards is the winner.

Variations: Numbers or words could be used instead of colours.


Fly swat game

This is another vocabulary revision game, using a plastic fly swat and a board.

  1. Teacher writes the target vocabulary on the board (such as days of the week or numbers).
  2. The class divides into two teams.
  3. Teacher calls out a word from the lists and one student from each team races to the board to swat the word.
  4. Points are scored each time the students swat the correct word.

Note: This game can work just as well using a whiteboard, with marker pens instead of a fly swat.


Guessing game

A cross between Pictionary and Hangman, the aim of this game is to revise vocabulary.

  1. Teacher tells students the theme of the game (– in the video, the theme is animals).
  2. Teacher begins to draw the animal while students try guess what it might be, using target language – take time with the visuals to invite as many guesses as possible.
  3. The first student to guess correctly takes over as the artist for the next round.

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