Games have always been at the centre of my teaching. Children learn best when they are relaxed, engaged, and having fun — and games make that possible. They allow everyone to take part, from the loudest extrovert to the quietest introvert, and help children absorb new vocabulary almost without realising it. Here are a few of my current favourites:
All of the games below:
- Need no preparation
- Work well to revise or practise vocabulary and structures
- Can be adapted for different ages and abilities
They’re tried and tested with primary classes, but I’ve also used them successfully with older students.
Tomato Ketchup
- How to play: A volunteer asks the class a practised question, then hides their eyes. The teacher points to one pupil to answer, who disguises their voice. The volunteer must guess who spoke.
- Rules:
- If the voice is too silly to understand, that person loses.
- Each pupil only has one turn, even if they win.
- Variation: Instead of a question, the pupil must use a target word in their disguised voice.
Thumbs Up, Heads Down
- How to play: Pupils put their heads on desks with thumbs up. Volunteers are each given a word in the target language and go round pressing thumbs down.
- Pupils who’ve been chosen must guess who touched them, saying that pupil’s word (not their name).
- Tip: The teacher can count aloud in the target language during the round to keep everyone engaged and practising numbers.
One, Two, Three!
- How to play: Pairs choose four words from the topic. Together they count “one, two, three” in the target language and each say one of the four words.
- If both say the same word → 1 point. Then they swap to a new partner.
- Surprisingly addictive, and ensures lots of repetition.
Guess the Word
- How to play: The teacher writes a word secretly on a mini-whiteboard. The class has five guesses to find it.
- Pupils love taking turns to be the one writing the word. Works well in pairs too.
Last Person Standing
- How to play: The teacher writes topic vocabulary on the board. Each pupil secretly chooses one word (and tells a classmate to prevent cheating).
- The teacher then calls out the words in a story or sequence. Pupils sit down when their word is said.
- The last pupil still standing wins.
Detective Game 1
- How to play: One pupil (the detective) waits outside. Another is chosen as the signal leader. The class chants the first word from a vocab list. When the signal leader makes a signal, the class switches to the next word.
- The detective has three chances to guess who the signal leader is.
- Best with numbers, but works with any vocab set.
Detective Game 2
- How to play: Pupils have already written a question and their personal answer. One pupil goes outside (the detective). Another is chosen as the “different” pupil.
- When the detective returns, they ask the question around the class. Everyone answers with their written answer — except the chosen pupil, who says something different.
- The detective must find the odd one out within a time or question limit.
Among Us
- How to play: Pupils put heads down. Teacher chooses two imposters. For 2 minutes, pupils move around asking/answering a set question. Imposters must lie in their answers.
- Afterwards, pupils vote on who they think the imposters are.
- Works best with personal info questions (pets, birthdays, favourites).
Around the World
- How to play: One pupil stands behind another’s chair. Teacher says a word in the target language. First to translate it correctly wins.
- The winner moves on to stand behind the next chair.
- Anyone who makes it all the way around the room earns a special prize.
Adventures at the chalk face 
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