ESL Category Games
Balloon Volleyball

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Providing Vocabulary - Group Work
In this energetic categories game, students try to keep a balloon airborne while saying words from a category. Create a large space in the classroom. Divide the space in two with a row of chairs. This acts as the volleyball net. Explain that the students...
Board Races

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary and Spelling: Listing - Group Work
This categories board race game helps students brainstorm their vocabulary knowledge for a given subject or topic. Each team lines up in front of the board. Write a category on the board and set a target number of 10 to 20 words...
Category Battleships

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Providing Vocabulary, Battleships - Group and Pair Work
In this entertaining category words game, students play a game of Battleships to find words and name the category the words relate to. Give each group a category on a piece of paper. Working together...
In the Circle

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Naming - Group Work
Here is a challenging category game that can be adapted to any topic or level. Ask six students to sit on the chairs and one student to stand outside of the circle. The student outside the circle chooses which player should have the ball and...
List of Categories

ESL Categories List
Here is a comprehensive collection of categories designed to enhance your category game experience. The list has been organised alphabetically for easy reference and spans an extensive range of topics, ensuring engaging gameplay for participants of all ages and interests...
Monkey in the Middle

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Providing Vocabulary
Here is a fun category game to play with young learners. Students stand up and make a large circle. Give one student in the circle a ball. Select another student to be the monkey. The monkey stands in the middle of the circle. The monkey's task is to...
One by One

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary and Spelling Game: Guessing - Group Work
In this engaging category words game, students guess words belonging to a category as letters are gradually added to each word. Write numbers 1 to 10 on the board. Tell the two teams what the words all have in common, e.g. they are all...
Race to the Bottom

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary and Spelling: Providing Vocabulary - Group Work
Here is a fast-paced category game for students of all ages. Draw a table on the board with teams at the top and letters down the side as shown in the PDF. All teams start on the top row. To move down to the next row, teams must say a word...
Scattegories

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary and Spelling: Writing Words
This categories game encourages students to think of unique words belonging to a category. Write ten numbered categories on the board. This game can be played individually, in pairs or small teams. Students then play a game where they think of a...
Seek and Destroy

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Identifying, Matching - Group Work
This lively categories game helps students to identify words from categories. Cover the board with words from ten categories. There should be three words for each category. Next, each team lines up at the back of the room. Call out a category...
Stickmen

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Providing Vocabulary - Group Work
In this category game, students think of words that relate to a category. Draw three stickmen for each team on the board. The stickmen represent each team's number of lives. Call out a category, e.g. countries. The teams' task is to think of words that relate...
Stop

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Writing Words - Group Work
In this entertaining categories game, students try to write down uncommon category words beginning with a certain letter. Write ten categories on the board. Teams then race to write down one word for each category beginning with a chosen...
Stop the Music Game

ESL Category Game - Vocabulary: Providing Vocabulary - Group Work
This musical category words game is ideal for reviewing categories of words. On the board, write ten categories and number them one to ten, e.g. 1. Sport, 2 Verb, etc. In the centre of the board, draw a square and inside the square write a letter, e.g. B...