Published 2 min read
The last ten minutes of a lesson is where classes fall apart. The material is finished, the chatting starts, and the teacher who can produce a game on the spot is the one who still has the room. All eight games below share a single rule: nothing to prepare beyond a board, and often not even that.
Games on the Board (Chalk Is Enough)
- Hangman for young children: use words from the topic you have just taught, and draw a flower one petal at a time instead of a hanged man. It's gentler, and it's easier to draw.
- Board race: split the class into two teams, call out a word, and send one runner from each team to write it on the board. The first correct spelling takes the point.
- Missing word: write eight words on the board, ask the class to close their eyes, then rub one out. They guess which word disappeared. It drills word shapes without ever feeling like drilling.
Spoken Games (Nothing At All Required)
- Simon Says: the classic that never wears out, and it fits the body parts topic and classroom commands perfectly.
- I Spy: say "I spy something red!" and let the class guess an object in the room. Good for colours and everyday objects.
- Telephone: whisper an English word down the row to the last child. The row whose word survives intact wins, and the laughter is guaranteed.
- Stand up if...: call out "Stand up if you like mango!" and the class listens for real and answers with their bodies.
- Switch counting: count around the room with even numbers in English and odd numbers in Thai. One slip and you start again, which keeps every child watching.
How to Keep These Games Teaching, Not Just Filling Time
Always pull the words from the topic you taught that lesson. The game turns into a revision round and the children never notice. Keep a note of the words they stumble over, too: those are exactly the words that belong on next lesson's homework worksheet.