In every ESL class there is a time to be serious and a time to have fun. It is important to find the correct balance between the two. To do this you can use game. Games and other fun activities are an important part of an ESL classroom. Games can be used as a warm up, during the lesson (to give the students a break) or at the end of a class when you have a few minutes to kill. 

Below are some of the best games to play in an ESL classroom. 

1. Call My Bluff / Two Truths and A Lie

To play this game: 

First write 3 statements about yourself on the board, two of which should be lies and one which should be true. Next let the students ask you questions about each statement. They are to then guess which one is the truth. If they guess correctly then they win. You can also extend this game and ask the student to write two truths and one lie. Then play the game with each student writing their sentences on the board.

2. Simon Says 

This game is excellent for young learners. It is the same as traditional Simon says. You do an action and say Simon Says [action]. The students must copy what you do. Then you repeat this process choosing different actions. Then do an action but this time say only the action and omit 'Simon Says'. Whoever does the action this time is out and must sit down. The winner is the last student standing

3. Hangman 

Think of a word or phrase that you have introduced to your class and write the number of letters on the board using dashes to show many letters there are. Ask students to suggest a letter. If it appears in the word, write it in all of the correct spaces. If the letter does not appear in the word, write it off to the side and begin drawing the image of a hanging man. Continue until the students guess the word correctly (they win) or you complete the diagram (you win).

4. Pictionary

Before playing this game prepare a bunch of words and put them in a bag. Then split the class into teams of 2. Give one team member from each team a pen or marker, and ask them to choose a word from the bag. Tell the students to draw the word as a picture on the board and encourage their team to guess the word. The first team to shout the correct answer gets a point. This is a great game to use to review vocabulary

5. Hot seat 

To play this split the class into 2 teams, or more if you have a large class. Next elect one person from each team to sit in the Hot Seat, facing the classroom with the board behind them. Write a word on the board. One of the team members of the student in the hot seat must help the student guess the word by describing it. They have a limited amount of time and cannot say, spell or draw the word. Continue until each team member has described a word to the student in the Hot Seat.

Whatever the age or level of your students, it is almost guaranteed that they will love to play games in the classroom. An ESL classroom should be fun, active and challenging and these games are sure to get you heading in the right direction