Games and Group dynamics for English language learners : Grade 1-3 Vocabulary

Title: Who am I?
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: 10 minutes per one group
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 6 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary about animals
Materials: headband with picture on it
How to play

1. Make a group of 6 people and get in a roll.
2. Each member of the group will wear a headband which has a picture of animal.
3. One of member will stand face to face to second member, then second student will

explain the animal on the first member‟s headband.
4. After the first member answered the right answer, she/he will get another and back to

the line.
Vocabulary in this game

Bug, duck, goldfish, horse, cat, kitten, ox, cow, parrot, penguin, tiger, lion, worm,
butterfly, and etc.
Example of material

Reference
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-games-for-kids/

50

Title: Magic letter
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: 7-10 minutes per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 3 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Paper
How to play

1. Make a group of 3 people and sit in circle.
2. In one round, teacher will bring out 10 vocabulary in one category. The vocabulary

can be mixed from various categories.
3. The alphabets of given vocabulary will be swapped.
4. Students in the group need to rearrange those alphabets to the right order.
Vocabulary in this game

The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Example of material

_____
(L A P E N)
PLANE

Reference
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-games-for-kids/

51

Title: Touch me if you can
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: 7-10 minutes per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 4-5 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Flashcards both picture and word and masking tape
How to play

1. Make a group of 4-5 people. And stick two flashcards at the back of each student.
2. Each group sent one member to play in one round. Students need to grab the cards

from other competitions.
3. After the round ended, go back to the group and brainstorm to answer the meaning of

vocabulary. For picture flashcards, students need to answer the vocabulary
4. Word flashcards have 1 point and picture flashcard have 0.5 point.
5. Play it for 5 rounds and the group which has the most score will be the winner.
Vocabulary in this game

The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Example of material

Reference
https://englishteaching101.com/word-puzzles/?fbclid=IwAR2tBIo7yZ-
83tDg6fgYnWuEQX4u6eMoox7TQLw8KYRzh01z6zV1MiOHv3U

52

Title: Find me!
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: -
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 3 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Flashcards
How to play

1. Make a group of 3 people. If there are too many group, teacher can set 3groups per
one round.

2. Spread the flashcards on the floor then let students stand around it.
3. Teacher will tell 3 vocabulary and let students find it. If members found the matching

flashcard they need to shout out „I found you‟ and if all members of the group
completely found all vocabulary they need to shout „We found you!‟
4. Which group use the shortest time will be the winner.
Vocabulary in this game
The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Example of material

Reference
https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-games/vocabulary-games.htm

53

Title: Match me please
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: 5 minutes per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: A pair
Language Focus: Vocabulary about careers and workplaces
Materials: Flashcards of word
How to play

1. Make a pair.
2. One of them will hold careers vocabulary and another one will hold the workplaces.
3. Two students will sit opposite and face to face. Select who will start first. If the

vocabulary of career shows, another student needs to answer workplace of that career.
Then let second student shows the vocabulary of workplace and let student answer the
career which work at that place.
Vocabulary in this game
The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Example of material

Reference
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-games-for-kids/

54

Title: My land
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: 1 minute per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 3 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Flashcards
How to play

1. Make a group of 3 people and sit in circle.
2. Give 5 minutes to each group to brainstorm the vocabulary. Then make a line to

separate the land into two sides A and B.
3. Select two groups to play in one round. First group will be the questioners and second

group will be the answerers.
4. The first group will stand in a roll and each of them will hold one flashcard and ask „is

it A or B‟. The way to answer is move the whole group to the side that they thing is it
the correct one.
Vocabulary in this game
The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Reference
https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-games/vocabulary-games.htm

55

Title: Start the bus
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 1 students
Time: 5 minutes per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 3 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Paper
How to play

1. Make a group of 3 people and get in line.
2. Teacher will say „start the bus‟ and each team will help to think about the vocabulary

that has A as an initial and write it on the paper.
3. After time out, swap the paper to another group to see the different vocabulary and

learn about it.
Vocabulary in this game

The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Reference
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-games-for-kids/

56

Title: Apple pass
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 1 students
Time: 3-4 minutes per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 4 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Apple or ball and flashcards
How to play

1. Make a group of 4 people and separate 4 people into two pairs.
2. The hints are the vocabulary about the answer; for example, The answer is a nurse,

the vocabulary can be hospital, caring, white dress, doctor.
3. The apple will be placed between their back. They need to read the hints from their

own side and carry the apple on their way to second pair.
4. The second pair does as same as the first pair then gathering the hints and answer.
Vocabulary in this game

The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Example of material

Reference
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-vocabulary-games/

57

Title: Taste me
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 1 students
Time: 3 minutes per one round
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 3 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Blindfold and real fruit, snack, vegetable or food
How to play

1. Make a group of 3 people.
2. In one round, one member will be a representative to touch, second member will

smell it, and the last one will taste it.
3. Afterward, answer what is the thing.
4. Next round, students can swap their position, they can select who will go first, second,

or last.
Vocabulary in this game

Bean, cabbage, carrot, chili, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, lemon, lettuce, long bean,
onion, potato, tomato, etc.
Example of material

Reference
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-games-for-kids/

58

Title: What‟s the word?
Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: -
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 6 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Foam alphabets
How to play

1. Divided students into a group of 6 people. And one round will have two groups to
play.

2. Within two groups, selected one group to put blindfold and the second group will play
first.

3. Teacher gives 6 sets foam alphabets to students and tells one category of vocabulary.
4. In one round, the teacher needs to set a number of vocabulary. For example, easy

vocabulary category like colors should provide 10 words.
5. Which group got the shortest time will be the winner.
Vocabulary in this game

The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.
Example of material

Reference
https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-games-for-kids/

59

Title: Bingo game

Grade Level: 9-10 years old or Grade 3 students
Time: -
Type of game: Cooperative
Numbers of members: 2 people per one group
Language Focus: Vocabulary in any categories
Materials: Bingo paper
How to play

1. Let students make a pair.
2. Two of them will take turn to be an answerer. One round can have 4-5 pairs.
3. Students need to place a bingo paper on the table and one player with it.
4. Teacher will gives hints about that vocabulary then one student got it and go back to

their pair to find out that they have that word or not. Then, sent the second player to
be an answerer.
5. The bingo paper should be 3x3 and mixed with picture and vocabulary as shown in
example.
Vocabulary in this game
The vocabulary in this game can be any categories in Grade 3‟s vocabulary.

Example of material

Cucumber

Hospital FREE

Market
Reference
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-vocabulary-games/

60

References

Bernardo, M. (2018). English Teaching 101. Retrieved from
https://englishteaching101.com/word-puzzles/?fbclid=IwAR2tBIo7yZ-
83tDg6fgYnWuEQX4u6eMoox7TQLw8KYRzh01z6zV1MiOHv3U

Bilingual Kidspot (2020). English Word Games for Kids – Improving Language, Literacy, &
Conversation. Retrieved from https://bilingualkidspot.com/2018/11/03/english-word-
games-for-kids/

EFL Kids Stuff (n.d.). Vocabulary Games for ESL Kids. Retrieved from
https://www.eslkidstuff.com/esl-kids-games/vocabulary-games.htm

GENESISD. (n.d.). FluentU. Retrieved from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-
english/esl-vocabulary-games/

Office of the Basic Education Commission (2016). Basic Vocabulary of Grad1-3. Bangkok:
English Language Institute

The Internet TESL Journal (n.d.). Games & Activities for the ESL/EFL Classroom. Retrieved
from http://iteslj.org/c/games.html

Thornbury, et al. (2006). Games for Language Learning (3nd ed.). Cambridge University
Press.

Vernon, S. A., (2009). 176 English Language Games for Children: Shelley Vernon.
.

61