Playing games in the classroom is a fun, relaxing way for non-native speaking children to practice their English. It is easy for students to get frustrated when they do not understand something or they do not win, so remind the children that it is only a game and the goal is to have fun. Most of these games can be adapted depending on class size and abilities.

Beginner Level: Try these games for students just beginning to learn the English language.

Alphabet Poses

Split the students into two groups. Shout out a letter and have the students form the letter with their bodies. Give a point to the team that forms the letters the fastest.

Alphabet Shout-Out

Say a letter and have students search for the letters in the classroom or in their books. Give a point to the student that finds the letter the fastest.

Alphabet Writing Relay

Divide the class into two teams and have them form a line. When you say, "Start," the first student runs to the board and writes the letter "A" and runs to the end of the line. The next student writes, "B" and so on. Reward points to the team that finishes the entire alphabet first.

Animal Dice

Assign a letter to each number on the side of a dice. When you roll the dice, have the students act out an animal that begins with the letter that they rolled.

Lower-Intermediate Level: Try these games when the students have a good understanding of letters, sounds and some basic vocabulary.

Picnic Game

This game helps students work on vocabulary and memorization. Tell the students, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an apple." Next, go around the classroom and have each student repeat the sentence, but use a different object starting with the next letter in the alphabet. Each student must repeat all the objects stated before. For example, "I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an apple, bananas, carrots, donuts..." Continue the game until the students reach Z.

Hot Potato

This game can be adapted depending on the level of the students. Have the students sit in a circle and pass a potato or ball around. Set a timer for 30 seconds. When the timer goes off, the students must answer a question, ask a question or state a word or sentence depending on their level.

Eyes Closed

Choose a student to begin. Select an object or person in the classroom for the student to inspect for 5 seconds. Direct the student to close his eyes and then ask him a question. For example, "Where is the pencil?" or "What color is Amy's shirt?" If he answers incorrectly, give the student another 5 seconds to inspect the object before closing his eyes again. If he guesses correctly, allow him to pick the student to go next. Try to have the students answer in complete sentences.

Pantry game

This game works well with small groups. Make two sets of cards, one with a picture of a food and another with the name of that food. Make enough cards so that each student can have four cards. First, have the students match the pictures to the words to learn the vocabulary. Next, have students select four cards each. Then, direct the students to ask one another, "Do you have ____" and have them respond, "Yes, I do" or "No, I don't." The students' goal is to match their word cards and their picture cards together so they have a pair. When all the students matched their cards, ask them what they will make for dinner tonight.

Intermediate Level: Try these games when students have a good understanding of vocabulary and need to practice proper sentence structure.

Word Scramble

This game helps students understand how to construct sentences. Make three separate piles of cards: one with adjectives, the second with nouns and the third with verbs. Have a student select a card from one pile and create a sentence using that word. If her sentence is correct, she keeps the card. If it is not correct, the card returns to the pile. You can add difficulty by directing students to select two, three or four cards at once and create a sentence with all the words. The student with the most cards at the end wins the game.

Pop the Balloon

This is another game that helps students with their sentence construction skills. You will need slips of paper and balloons. Write various nouns, verbs and adjectives on different slips of paper. Place one noun, verb and adjective in each balloon and have the students blow up the balloons. Divide the class into different groups. Each group must pop their balloon and form a sentence containing all three words. The teams earn points for each correct sentence.

Dictation Game

Practice this game with students to help them improve their spelling abilities and understanding of sentence structure. Cut up pieces of paper and write one sentence on each. If you are working with a story book, choose sentences from their story. Divide the class into teams. Read one sentence aloud and have the students write it down. The teams can raise their hand or "buzz" in when they are finished. To earn a point, their sentence must have correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. Have all teams write the sentences correctly before moving on.

Advanced Level: These games are designed to help advanced students improve their speaking and conversation skills.

Agree or Disagree

This game helps students voice their opinions on different topics. Make a statement and have students move to different corners of their room depending on if they agree, disagree, somewhat agree, or somewhat disagree. For example, "Professional athletes earn too much money." After the students move to the corners of the room based on their opinion, have each group present their views to the rest of the class. This game can be serious or fun and will allow the students to share their opinions.

Occupations

Make a list of different occupations that can be divided into different categories. For example: health care, government, education or public service. Pin the name of one occupation on the back of each student. The students walk around the room asking each other "yes" or "no" questions about their occupations until they are able to guess what they are. Once most of the students have discovered their occupations, they form groups with other people with the same job. Then, they work together to make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of that particular job.