Board Games

We often encourage teachers to create new ways for students to learn through play.  This idea is so much more than just "games."  There should always be a clear learning objective for each activity.  The game itself is just a framework for students to follow that defines the rules and objectives while holding their attention.  In doing so, the students stay excited while they practice new skills and engage in fluency and repetition activities.  It also allows the students to learn on their own, which frees up the teacher to focus on LINUS or remedial students without taking away time or learning opportunities from the more advanced learners.

Materials

I find that cheap and simple are the best kinds of materials.  Most important to me is that the materials are reusable and will not break or fall apart easily.  Usually, printed and laminated boards and cards are all that you need.  The nice thing about laminated boards is that students can also write on them with white board markers, and erase with a tissue or eraser.  This gives them a chance to practice their spelling skills as well as their speaking skills.  I also like to use coloured paperclips as tokens or game pieces.  They are very cheap and just the right size.  Game pieces are always getting lost, so having a cheap and abundant set of pieces will make sure that your activities last a long time.

Dice:  Earlier this year we learned how to make paper cubes at our TPD.  Making small paper dice is a great way to add fun to your activity.  You can also add difficulty to an activity by combining letter dice to your number dice.  

Rules

Get creative with your games!  There are an unlimited number of ways that you can use your game boards, flashcards, and accessories to make meaningful and fun learning activities.  Spelling, Question & Answer, Making Sentences, Opposites, and Describing, are all ways students can use flashcards and game boards to practice speaking English.

Remember that the rules have to be simple enough that the students will remember them right away.  The focus should be the language objective... not trying to remember the rules. We want the students to be able to learn and practice on their own with only teacher oversight.

I know you will have fun learning and growing with your students!  Please let your mentor know about the success of your activities.


Joshua Simon (ELP, Jerantut)