ESL Essential Games eBook (Third Edition)

170+ flexible ESL classroom games to boost participation across ages, levels, and skills. Great for warm-ups, extra practice, review, and end-of-class activities with minimal preparation.

Use this eBook to add energy to your classes, increase participation, and get students practicing English through simple, flexible games.

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What you get What is covered How it is organized How to use it Format and access Get your eBook

 

What you get

A large bank of classroom games you can use across levels and skills whenever you want an activity that is quick to set up and easy to run.

Included:

  • Over 170 classroom games
  • Games that practice vocabulary, grammar, speaking, listening, pronunciation, and spelling
  • Options for young learners, teens, and adults
  • Clear teacher’s notes with step-by-step procedures
  • Printable A4 PDF format
  • Interactive contents menu with shortcut links

Look inside to view the contents and a sample game.

Example layout of ESL classroom games in the ESL Essential Games eBook

What is covered

Games are grouped by type so you can quickly find the right activity for your class time, your lesson focus, and your students.

Fast warm-ups and speaking games

  • Quick question and answer games for getting students talking
  • Yes/no question games and short-answer practice
  • Role and discussion-style games for pairwork and groupwork

Vocabulary games

  • Word association and category games
  • Definition, guessing, and description games
  • Collocation-based games

Grammar games

  • Grammar review games and error correction games
  • Drill-style games for repeating question and answer structures
  • Tense and sentence-building review games

Spelling and word-form games

  • Spelling games for new and previously taught vocabulary
  • Hangman-style games and letter-by-letter word games
  • Word chain and word race games

Listening, miming, and movement games

  • Listening games for keywords, detail, and classroom focus
  • Miming games for review and recall
  • Music and flashcard games for younger learners and mixed-level classes

Drawing and board-style games

  • Drawing and picture games for vocabulary and grammar review
  • Board and team games to add competition and repetition

First day of class and getting-to-know-you games

  • Icebreakers and introduction games
  • Personal information question games

Each game in the contents includes an aim, skill focus, and level guidance to help you choose quickly.

How it is organized

To keep planning simple, the games are:

  • Grouped by game type
  • Listed with an aim, skill focus, and level guidance
  • Linked with shortcut hyperlinks so you can jump straight to what you need

How to use it in class

These games work especially well for:

  • Warm-ups at the start of class
  • Mid-lesson refreshers to reset energy and focus
  • Review games after a unit or before a test
  • Fillers when you finish early
  • Cover lessons or when you need something quick with little prep

Most games are easy to set up and can be adapted for different class sizes and levels.

Format and access

Format:

  • Printable A4 PDF
  • Interactive contents menu

Access:

  • Download from My Downloads in your Teach-This profile after purchase
  • Download access remains active for one year from the date of purchase

Questions about access, printing, or downloads? See the eBook FAQs.

Sample pages are available in Look inside.

Get your eBook

When you are ready, Buy Now to access the ESL Essential Games eBook.