ESL Brainstorming Games

Here is an excellent ESL brainstorming game for revising vocabulary and lexical sets. Write three numbered categories on the board corresponding to the vocabulary or lexical sets you wish to revise. Next to the categories, write the letters of the alphabet  with a random small number next to each letter. Set a time limit and call out a category from the board, e.g. clothes. Teams then race to write down words from that category, starting with each letter of the alphabet. When the time limit has been reached, teams swap papers for marking. For each correct word, teams score the number assigned to that letter. Tally up the score for each team and then start a new round. The team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Here is a fun brainstorming game to get your students working together and using English. Place a category slip on your desk. Each team chooses one student to be the 'runner'. The runners go to the teacher's desk and read the category, e.g. 'Five things you do before you go to bed'. The runners then go back to their teams and tell their team members the category. The teams then brainstorm words from that category and write them down. The first team to finish shouts 'stop' and then calls out their answers. If their answers are correct, they score one point for each word in the category, e.g. five. The next category slip is then placed on the desk, and a new round begins and so on. The team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

This ESL game is ideal for brainstorming vocabulary or revising categories of words. Each team lines up in front of the board. Set a time limit and then call out a category for the teams to brainstorm. The teams' task is to write all the words they can think of belonging to that category on the board. The first student in each team runs to the board, writes a word from the category, runs back, gives the marker or chalk to the next student, and goes to the back of the line. Then, the second student runs to the board and so on. When the time limit has been reached, stop the game and check the words and spelling for each team. For each correctly spelt word belonging to the category, teams score one point. Play several rounds using a different category each time. The team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

In this fun brainstorming game, students try to write down five words from a category that match the teacher's answers. Explain that you are going to call out a category and that the aim of the game is for the teams to write down five answers that match the five answers you have written down. Call out a category, e.g. 'Five things that are made of leather'. Teams then brainstorm and write down five answers. When all the teams have five answers, they swap papers for marking. You then call out your five answers. For each matching answer, teams score one point. Play several rounds. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

In this entertaining brainstorming game, students try to say words from a category that match words on a list. Call out a category to the first team, e.g. sports. The first team then has one minute to shout out as many words as they can relating to the category. The team scores one point for every word that is on your word list. Afterwards, call out the next category, and it's the second team's turn to play and so on. The game continues until all the categories have been used. The team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner. As an alternative, repeat the same category with all the teams and reveal the scores and answers at the end of each round.

In this creative brainstorming game, students brainstorm possible uses for everyday objects using can and could. Write an everyday object on the board, e.g. a hammer. Ask the teams for possible uses for the object, e.g. 'What are some possible uses for a hammer?' Each time a team calls out an inventive or believable use for an object, they score a point for their team, e.g. 'You can use it as a weapon'. When ideas for an object begin to run out, move on to the next item. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.