Worksheets and games are standard procedure for many ESL classrooms. As students learn English as a second language, they begin to process not only the mechanics of grammar, but also the nuances of culture. Worksheets and games allow ESL teachers to provide practice for their students while enjoying the process. In addition, ESL games represent various aspects of the host culture so that students learn vocabulary and additional meanings of familiar vocabulary as they interact with the language in real-life situations.

Crosswords and Puzzles Worksheets
Crossword puzzles, work search games and riddles are all effective activities for ESL students to learn vocabulary and understand the subtle characteristics of language application. Such worksheets provide both language practice opportunities and fun. Many ESL teachers have a collection of game-like worksheets to use during extra time at the end of a class period or to fill time for students who finish their work before others. Teachers also use worksheets with word games as a “reward” for hard work completed. Crosswords and puzzles engage students in quality practice and review in a relaxed and nonthreatening environment.

Worksheets: Cloze Exercises
Cloze exercises are essentially “fill-in-the-blank” worksheets that ESL teachers can either create on their own or download from ESL websites that have predesigned cloze activities. Worksheets with cloze exercises offer students the opportunity to cognitively process a new skill or concept and to practice specific language structures.

Concentration Game
The concentration game helps to strengthen short-term memory and build language skills. Choose or create cards that reinforce a particular grammar rule, review of a reading text, or anything else that meets the students’ needs. Have the students play the concentration game in pairs. Each pair should lay the cards out on a flat surface, face down. Then each student takes a turn revealing two cards at a time. If the cards match, the student gets to keep the set. The object of the game is to collect more sets than one’s opponent.