Games to play with flashcards esl

T shouts out the word of one of the flashcards and the Ss race to touch it. The S who touches it first get to keep the object. The S who has the most flashcards at the end of the game is the winner. Touch : Place flashcards around the room and have Ss run around the classroom touching the flashcards that T orders them to do e. Vanishing Flashcards Game : place a number of flashcards in front of the Ss.

Give them a few moments to memorize the pictures and then tell them to close their eyes. Take away one of the flashcards and then tell the Ss to open their eyes again. The first S to guess the missing flashcard can win that flashcard for 1 point and take away a flashcard in the next round.

Up and Down : You need 2 sets of flashcards for this game. Give each of your Ss a flashcard from one set. T keeps the other set. Arrange the Ss so that they are all sitting down. T holds up one flashcard and the S with the same flashcard stands up and says the word and then sits down again. Play the game at a fast pace so that Ss are standing up and sitting down rapidly.

Variation: Give each S 2 or 3 flashcards. Bean Bag Toss : Lay out flashcards face down up the floor. Both students then take three steps away from each other before quickly turning around similar to the pistols at dawn scenario.

The two students then race to call out what's on the other student's flashcard. The first student to correctly call out what's on the flashcard scores a point for their team. Play until all the flashcards have been used. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Grab it. You can use this engaging flashcard game to review or practice a variety of language or vocabulary.

Stick flashcards of the target language or vocabulary on the board. Have each team line up at the back of the room. Make sure that the students have a clear runway to the board. For lower-level students, call out a word from one of the flashcards. One student from each team runs to the board. The two students then race to grab the corresponding flashcard and repeat the word. You could also call out a word and have the two students race to grab the opposite flashcard.

For higher-level students, describe a word and have the two students race to find the flashcard being described. You could also ask a question and have the two students race to find the corresponding flashcard to answer. For all versions of the game, the first student to grab the correct flashcard and respond appropriately keeps the card for their team. Then, repeat the game with two more students and so on.

The team with the most flashcards at the end of the game wins. Mr Wolf. You are the wolf. You stand at one end of the classroom with a flashcard. The other students line up at the other end of the room next to the wall. Show the students your chosen flashcard, e. Ask the students questions about the flashcard that would get a 'no' response, e. No, it isn't. When the students are close to you, ask them a question about the flashcard that would get a 'yes' response, e.

Whoever is tagged is out of the game. Repeat the game with a new flashcard and so on. The last student left in the game wins. You can also play the game with a strong student being Mr Wolf, or you can have the students who are out of the game become wolves and help you ask questions and chase students.

Here is a fun flashcard game to play with young students. Divide the students into two teams A and B. Have the students form a large circle. You know in horror movies, when the creepy music builds and the protagonist is hiding behind a cabinet, until finally the monster jumps out and sends your popcorn bowl flying?

They can have a single vocabulary word, a verb tense or a even a grammar rule. Players lay all the cards out in a pool on the table. If the player is able to do the task correctly, they keep the card and add it to their personal pile.

If they do the task incorrectly, however, they must return the card to the draw pile. If they have to give a synonym or antonym for their cards, their responses should to be different than the ones the original player or any other has given.

This will help build their vocabularies even further. Play until all the cards are gone, and the player with the most cards at the end of the game in their hand is the winner. Can you really use flashcards for a listening game? Yes, you can! Grab your giant flashcards and give one to each person in class.

You can use one-sided or two-sided vocabulary cards for this activity, but keep in mind students will be listening for specific words or phrases, so make sure the information on each card is minimal.

Then play a song or movie clip that uses the target words. When a student hears his or her word, they should stand and hold their card above their head. This game makes listening skills relevant and creates some personal motivation for students to listen carefully.

FluentU is a great ESL-focused video resource to use for this game. FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. For highly-targeted practice, you can write your own sentences to read aloud in class. If you want students to listen for certain verb tenses that are written on their flashcards, this is a good way to listen for those specific conjugations.

This is a fun game to have out for free learning periods when students can choose their own activities.