English as a Second Language (ESL) students, especially beginner speakers, are often uncomfortable communicating in the language that they are learning. Facilitating opportunities for students to communicate in English is one of the challenges that face ESL teachers. The first week of a class is an excellent opportunity to create an atmosphere in which your students will feel comfortable communicating together. Games are an easy way to start conversations essential to language acquisition.

Two Truths and A Lie
This simple game is ideal for the second or third day of a beginners' ESL class. It can be used on the first day of an intermediate or advanced ESL class. Give each of the students five minutes to write down two truths and one lie that pertains to them. Inform the students that the class is going to guess which of the three things is a lie. Go around the room and have each student read his list twice. Have the other students guess which one the lie is. This exercise helps the students get to know each other as they practice their English skills.

How Much Do You Need?
Bring a roll of toilet paper to class. Explain to the class that each person is to take the amount of toilet paper she needs. Take the first few squares and pass the roll around the classroom. Once everyone has their toilet paper, have each student write down a piece of information about and sell for every square he has taken. Give the students five minutes to write down what they are going to share. Beginning with you, tell the students about yourself. Go around the classroom until everyone has had a turn. This game is suited for intermediate and advanced ESL classes.

Alphabet Soup
Divide your class into small groups. Inform the students that there are items in the classroom that contain the letters of the alphabet. Give the groups ten minutes to find as many of the items as they can. Have a small prize for the group that finds the most items. This game forces students to practice the English alphabet. The third or fourth day of a beginners' ESL class or an intermediate ESL class would be an excellent time for this game.

More Alike Than Different
Use this game at the department meet-and-greet or in a large class. Ask the students to find people who share the same birth month that they do. When that has been done, have the students find people who have the same favorite color. Keep playing with different topics and categories for 15 minutes. This is an excellent game for the first day of class as it relaxes the students and helps them communicate with each other. This game is well suited for any ESL level.