{"id":2415,"date":"2019-12-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/local.events.com\/the-best-games-to-learn-english-and-have-fun\/"},"modified":"2021-04-07T16:53:30","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T23:53:30","slug":"the-best-games-to-learn-english-and-have-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/the-best-games-to-learn-english-and-have-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Games to Learn English and Have Fun!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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No matter your age, it\u2019s a good idea to use games to learn English<\/strong>. These are a great way to improve communication skills. Games can support many learning styles. They also help develop you to develop skills for thinking in English. Those skills will speed up your language learning development<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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You can tailor the games to support any level of English language development. So, whether you\u2019re working on business or conversation or you\u2019re increasing your English level from B2 to C1, they\u2019re great for practicing necessary skills that will help you achieve your language learning goals.<\/p>\n

Charades<\/em><\/h2>\n

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Mechanics of the Game<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Charades is a game that is popular worldwide, and while it goes by many names, it is a great way to work on your vocabulary. The rules of the game are informal and can change based on who you\u2019re playing with, but the basic mechanics remain the same.<\/p>\n

Players divide into two teams, and phrases are chosen at random to be acted out wordlessly by one teammate while the others guess the phrase. The phrases are sometimes restricted to certain categories like movie quotes or song titles, and teams have a time limit on how long they have to guess the phrase. Teammates will alternate acting out and guessing the phrases.<\/p>\n

Example<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here is a video<\/a> of a group celebrities playing charades.<\/p>\n

Pros and Cons<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Charades is good for learning vocabulary, syllables, presentation skills, and culture (especially pop culture). However, it is not so useful for practicing full sentence structures, as the game is limited to short phrases or titles. Also, it requires at least four people to play.<\/p>\n

Needed to Play<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • At least four players<\/li>\n
  • Paper and a pen or pencil<\/li>\n
  • Hat or container to draw written phrases from<\/li>\n
  • A timer (smartphone)<\/li>\n
  • Something to keep score on<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    Hangman<\/em><\/h2>\n

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    Mechanics of the Game<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Hangman is one of the most common games to learn English in classrooms, but you can play it outside of the classroom too. It can be played with any number of players. To play, one person thinks of a word or phrase to be guessed by other players. The word or phrase is hidden by a series of lines or dashes that represent the number of letters in the word or phrase.<\/p>\n

    For example, the words Magoosh English<\/em> are hidden as: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.<\/p>\n

    The rules vary on what words or phrases you can choose. Some enforce a rule that no slang, proper names, or proper nouns can be used, but in the same instance, you could make it a rule that ONLY slang or proper nouns can be used, to better learn specific words.<\/p>\n

    Once a player chooses a word and hides the word with dashes or lines, other players take turns guessing letters in the word or phrase. At the beginning of each turn, a player can attempt to guess the whole phrase. If a player incorrectly guesses a word or phrase, a part of a hanged man stick figure<\/strong> (a drawing showing the head of a human being or as a circle and all other parts as straight lines<\/em>) is drawn. If the guessers are incorrect enough times that the word creator finishes drawing the hangman, the word creator wins. If the guessers complete the phrase before the drawing is complete, they win.<\/p>\n

    Example<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    This video explains the game.<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"hangman<\/p>\n

    Pros and Cons<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Hangman is a great game for learning individual words and phrases, and can be tailored to better learn words regarding specific subjects. Once you reveal the word or phrase, it\u2019s a great opportunity to learn or reinforce the meaning, origin, pronunciation, syllable breakdown, and usage of given word. You can play with only two people or as a large group.<\/p>\n

    However, this is another game that doesn\u2019t help with full sentence structures. Also, it can be mundane for advanced English speakers if you don\u2019t play with a specific goal in mind.<\/p>\n

    Needed to Play<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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    • Two or more players<\/li>\n
    • Something to draw on (a sheet of paper, marker or chalk board, computer drawing application).<\/li>\n
    • Writing utensil to draw diagrams and dashes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      20 Questions<\/em><\/h2>\n

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      Mechanics of the Game<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

      Twenty Questions is a spoken word game that encourages players to use reasoning skills to figure out the identity of an object secretly chosen at random by one player. To begin, one player chooses an object. The object can be a person, place, or anything really. Then, the other player asks a series of yes-or-no<\/strong> questions<\/strong> (questions that only have two possible answers; yes or no<\/em>) to figure out which object the other player is thinking of.<\/p>\n

      The idea is to use your questions to narrow down the possible correct answers until you can guess the object. The guessing player can ask up to 20 questions to figure out the correct answer, and the person answering cannot lie<\/em>. If the player doesn\u2019t guess the object within 20 questions, the person who chose the object wins.<\/p>\n

      Example<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

      This video explains the game.<\/a><\/p>\n