"We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."
Benjamin Franklin
It's good to let loose from time to time, even in the EFL classroom (perhaps especially so). Students love a distraction from the intricacies of English grammar. Playing games can be a much-needed change of pace for teachers, too!
Here are three games that should enliven even the drabbest EFL class.
1. 'Stop!'
Agree with the students on a series of random categories. They could be anything: food, cities, sports, pop stars... the choice is yours. Six or seven categories is a decent number.
Then, you arrange the class into two teams (or more, depending on the size of the class).
Finally, you choose a letter from the alphabet. The students then need to work with their teammates to provide a word, in each category, beginning with the letter you provided, e.g. for the letter M, they could say "Manchester", or "Montreal", "Marseille", etc.
When a team has has found a word for each category, they shout "Stop!" The other team(s) must immediately cease their discussion.
As a class, you then go through each team's answers. Each team gets ten points for a correct answer (remember to check spelling). However, if both (or more) teams give the same answer, e.g. for the letter P in the Food category they both say "Pasta", they only get five points each.
After you've totalled the points for the round, move on to another letter.
The winner, naturally, is the team with the most points at the end of the game (you can play however many rounds you like).
2. 'The Hot Seat'
Sort the class into a minimum of two teams. One team chooses a member to sit at the front of the class, with their back to the whiteboard. They should not be able to see a anything written on the board. Be mindful of any (in)convenient reflections!
Then, a member of the opposing team writes a sentence on the whiteboard. You could establish word limits: a minimum of four and maximum of eight, say. The sentence could be related to something you have studied earlier, or be completely random.
Without using any of the words on the board, the contestant's team has a limited time to help the contestant to say the sentence on the whiteboard. You could prohibit tactics such as 'sounds like' or 'rhymes with', etc. After all, it's your game. Be as tough or as lenient as you like!
Once the time limit is up - or the team succeeds - it's the other team's turn. The winning team is the one with the most successful contestants after everyone has been in 'the hot seat'. (if it's a small class, students could go more than once).
3. 'Déjà vu'
This game should only be attempted at higher levels! Be warned: it might be confusing for the students at first.
Have a list of easy trivia questions ready for the students. (This game should not be about testing general knowledge, but the students' abilities to remember correctly and answer quickly under pressure.)
The first question should go unanswered. For example, 'What is the capital of France?' For the next question, the student should respond with the answer to the previous question. For example:
"What is 4 multiplied by 4?"
Answer: "Paris."
"Who is the King of England?"
Answer: "16."
And so on.
Remember, the questions should be easy enough to answer, so no posers on nuclear physics. The main thing is to have fun.
These games will help your classes fly by - and leave your students happy bunnies.
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