It’s been a hard year. Lots of us have had to learn new skills and get used to online teaching. If you’re having problems trying to find games that work in online classes, you are definitely not alone. When I heard I had to teach online, I was really worried. I’ve survived though and even enjoyed learning new ways of teaching. I have tried and tested lots of my favorite games and activities with my classes of different ages. This is what I have found that really works. There is nothing complicated here. You’ll be able to adapt most of these activities to different ages and different levels of English. So here are my tried and tested best games for EFL ESL kids online classes. See what you think, add any of your favorites in the comments and please share with your teaching friends!
EFL ESL Kids online classes – preschool
Mystery bag – This versatile game worked just as well as usual. I pulled the card or the object out of the bag but let the kids say Stop when I was singing the song. I also did a variation on a board. First I put the cards face down in a circle and then sang Mystery cards instead of Mystery bag. Then I went around the circle of cards singing until the kids said stop.
Movement games – I was surprised to find that anything involving movement worked really well online. It kept the kids involved and having fun. I also think they felt it was more like a “normal” class when we were playing these games. So, games like Simon Says, an on the spot version What’s the Time Mr Wolf where you pretend to hide at the end and anything else with lots of movement and action.
Find an object / show me – The kids loved being able to show me the things in their houses. I met pets and little brothers and sisters and saw lots of favorite toys. So I took advantage of this to play lots of games where they had to find and show me things in their home. With little ones this was mainly things like find something red or show me three toys to practice colors and numbers. But I also did a game that worked really well where we got dressed up in winter clothes using the song by Super Simple songs, Put on your Shoes.
EFL ESL Kids online classes – primary / elementary
Directions games – This was a theme that worked really well. We moved around a lot going left and right and up and down. Then we drew a map together with different places on it. The children then took turns asking for directions and everyone followed along on their own maps.
What’s missing? – With either objects or flashcards on a small board. This is always a good game to introduce and practice new vocabulary and it worked just as well online. I showed the kids the flashcards first and drilled the words and then attached them to the board with one missing.
Art and craft – I was really surprised to see how well arty classes went with my video groups. Obviously you can’t do anything too messy next to a computer or anything that needs lots of space or fancy tools. But I had a really good lesson making Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer collages. Just make sure you let everyone know before the lesson what they will need and take it step by step showing them yourself exactly what they have to do.
EFL ESL Kids online classes – teenagers
Who am I? / guessing games – For older kids, I found that this kind of game worked really well. It gave them a challenge and kept them involved in the class. It also gave them interaction with each other as they had to ask each other questions. In big, noisy online groups, it can be difficult to actually get the kids communicating with each other. Games like these kept the others listening for information while the students asking questions were talking.
Movement games – I was pleased to see how well simple games with movement work with older children. They were more relaxed and more ready to concentrate on the more sedentary activities afterwards too. Games like Simon Says and guessing games with actions were fun and easily adapted to online classes.
What didn’t work!
Obviously not every game will work with an online class. I’ve also found that several things I was convinced would work really well were actually a real flop. So here is what I would advise you not not do in your classes online or to find an alternative way of doing them:
Storytelling – It is so hard to keep children’s attention in an online class. I found that anything where they weren’t actively participating made kids, especially smaller ones, lose their attention very quickly. So I’m not saying not to use stories. However, unless you’re a very dramatic expert storyteller, think of another way of using them rather than just reading to the class. Maybe give kids a role and let them tell the story. Alternatively, just choose an excerpt from a story and work on that.
Anything with very small flashcards on a board – I found it really difficult for everyone to be able to see the board behind me. So anything with lots of flashcards that needed lots of space was very complicated. I decided to avoid any games like this. I preferred to use a small hand held one instead.
Anything too long and complicated – This is true in normal classes as well with kids but I found it especially true for online classes. If it’s too complicated to understand you will just waste time trying to explain to everyone and the extra noise and confusion just makes it worse.
Equipment for online games
- a small whiteboard – magnetic and small enough to hold up to the camera so kids can see but also to stick flashcards or write on
- magnets – to use on the board to quickly put up or take off flashcards
- craft materials – scissors, glue, coloring markers and paper
- a bag – for mystery bags, guessing games and lots more
I think that, with a bit of imagination and patience, you can adapt lots of the games you usually use in your classes to online classes. If you are better with technology than me, you can also use all the different features on your videoconferencing software to show videos, use online boards etc. As a novice though, I was keen to keep it simple so didn’t really take advantage if these features. This will be something for next time maybe. If you’re tackling online teaching for the first time, just keep it simple and don’t panic. Try and keep it fun and simple and the kids will love it.
If you’ve enjoyed this article and found it helpful, please share it with your friends and followers on social media. You can find lots more ideas for lesson plans, games and activities here on GoogooEnglish or on my Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram pages. To keep up to date with new articles and teaching ideas, you can follow the GoogooEnglish Facebook page or sign up for email updates by filling in the form below.
Comments are closed.