Following a textbook is a good way to teach ESL, but sometimes you want to mix things up a little and regain your students' attention. Try some of these games to get students moving around and using their newfound English skills.

Throwing a Ball
One problem that some students have is overthinking their answers. Try using a ball-throwing game to help them overcome this behavior. Hold a small, soft ball in your hand and say, for example, "My name is Nina Johnson. What is your name?" Then gently throw the ball to a student, who should produce, "My name is Juan Gonzalez. What is your name?" and then throw the ball to another student to keep the game going. Remind students to throw the ball to classmates who are not sitting directly beside them to include an element of surprise in the game. You can use this game to practice questions and answers in the simple present, or vocabulary series, such as the days of the week or counting. Ideally, the game will be fast-paced enough to keep students interested and make their responses automatic and not self-conscious.

Guessing Game
Practice vocabulary while improving sentence structure and descriptive skills by playing a guessing game in your classroom. Create index cards with vocabulary items that your class is learning (good themes are furniture, school supplies, food and clothing). Split the class into pairs or groups of three, and give each group an index card with the answer on it. One student will be the guesser, and the other(s) will offer clues. For example, if the answer is "pencil," one student may say, "You write with it," or, "It is usually yellow." Once the guesser answers correctly, students should switch roles and take another card to play again.

Find Someone Who Has. . .
This game practices irregular verb forms in the present perfect. Draw a grid with the same number of squares as there are students in your class. Write an unusual activity in each box (such as "eat octopus" or "swim with dolphins"), but make sure to leave enough space for students to write a name below each item. Photocopy the grid for your students, and have them circulate and ask each other questions that they must formulate from the prompts in the boxes. For example, if you wrote "ride a horse" in one box, students might ask each other, "Have you ever ridden a horse?" When a student finds someone who has, he writes the name in the box. Set a time limit for this game in case there are some activities on the sheet that no one in the class has done.