Nicola Work, OFLA Editor for Electronic Media
University of Dayton, Associate Professor of French

Do you need to add some easy, fun activities to your language class? Do you have a few minutes to spare at the beginning or the end of class? Do students seem disengaged and bored? Do you have a hard time getting everyone involved? Would you like to have students use the target language more? Would you like to mix up your class routine? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, I might have a game for you.

I like to mix it up a little in my classroom whenever I have some extra time, but at least once every couple of weeks. Why? To keep it fresh and because it is fun. Games are a great way to mix up our classroom routines without too much preparation. They can provide additional comprehensible language input, can be used to practice vocabulary and/or grammar, can provide opportunities for communication and involve students actively in the learning process while being fun. I am not talking about complicated board games but rather simple games that can be played without a lot of preparation and props. Here are some of my favorites:

Pictionary: Drawing words for others to guess is a great way to reinforce and practice target-language vocabulary. This can be done in small groups or at tables with individual whiteboards or on paper based on vocabulary lists. Students pick a word from the list and draw it, the other student guesses the word. Then, the roles are reversed. This can also be done as a whole class activity where students are divided into two teams and draw on the board for the rest of their team to see and guess. For this version of the game, I would put the vocabulary words on flashcards for students to draw. This could also be done at the end of a unit to review the vocabulary. I have also done it as a French Club activity where students had to draw concepts, items, places, and people associated with the French-speaking world. 

Charades: This game is similar to Pictionary but involves students miming or acting out vocabulary words. Again, this can be done in small groups at individual tables where students act out words from a vocabulary list and the other student has to guess the word. Or, this can be played as a large class activity where I might provide the words on flashcards. I often include Pictionary or Charades as a warm-up activity to review relevant vocabulary.

Word Games / Puzzles:  There are many free websites available where you can quickly create crossword puzzles, word search puzzles, and Wordle games. These can be customized based on the vocabulary or grammar you would like to practice. You can simply print them for your students to do in class, or as practice at home. They can also be done on a smartboard or interactive whiteboard as a whole-class activity or done as a race between students. If you have some extra copies, keep them for students who complete their classwork early. Wordle can be done as a quick game at the beginning of class. There are online templates and Google Slides templates available for free. 

Dice games: Whether using real dice or virtual/online dice, they are a great, versatile tool for various games and active learning. You can use dice as conversation starters (based on a grid with numbers 1-6 across the top and 1-6 down). Students roll two dice and use the grid to find the topic of conversation. Dice can also be used as a fast conjugation practice (based on a grid with numbers 1-6 across at the top with 6 verbs and 1-6 down with the person in which to conjugate). Students roll and conjugate the verb accordingly. This can also be done with one dice – the same verb is given to the class and by rolling the single dice the person in which to conjugate is determined. There are many other possibilities to use dice in the language class such as practicing numbers, reviewing vocabulary, answering questions, etc. 

Two Truths and a Lie: This is a great, no preparation game that involves speaking in the target language. Students think of two truths and one lie in simple sentences (e.g. I like dogs; I have two brothers; my favorite color is pink). The others have to guess which one is the lie. This is especially fun when the teacher does one, too. Students will get to know each other better and get to practice simple (or more complex) target-language sentences. The other students will work on their listening skills during this activity. 

I spy / Items on a tray / Spot it: These games are similar as they all involve finding or remembering items on a sheet, card, or tray. To play Spot it, students will open two cards and will name the item that is depicted on both cards. The student who sees it first, gets to take the cards into their pile. There are many ready made Spot it games available online (many for free), or, if you have time, you can create it yourself with images based on the vocabulary you would like to practice. To play I spy, you can have a paper with many images and you tell students an item and those who find it first get a point or get to color it in. Finally, for Items on a tray, put several objects (food items, school items, random items, etc.) on a tray, give students a short time to look at the tray, and then cover it and remove one item. Students will need to guess what item has been removed. There are many variations to these three games; so go ahead and customize them to your liking. 

I hope you can use some of these games in your classes to mix it up. Give it a try and have fun!