How can someone learn English through games? I'll tell you!

Games can be a great way to encourage children to communicate because they're focused on something they enjoy. Whether it's a scavenger hunt, Simon Says, or Minecraft, games give children a reason to listen, speak, ask questions, and use English naturally.

When helping a child learn or practice English, one of my goals is to make sure they're having fun, smiling, and even laughing! I've found that many of my students are more eager to communicate when they're enjoying what we're doing.

So, what can learning through games actually look like?

Imagine we're playing Simon Says. I might say, “Simon says, touch your shoulders!” The student listens to the instruction, identifies the word shoulders, and responds by touching them. Later, I might use the word again. Through repetition, the student has another opportunity to hear and understand the word in context. For beginners, I will start by first showing what to do as I give an instruction.

A scavenger hunt can work in a similar way! I might ask, “Can you find something blue?” Once the student returns with an object, we can continue the conversation: “What did you find?” “What color is it?” “Is it big or small?” Suddenly, finding one blue object has created several opportunities to listen and speak in English!

Minecraft can create these opportunities too. Students might describe what they're building, ask for an item, decide where we should explore, explain what happened, or tell me about their favorite part of the game.

The game isn't replacing English practice. The game is giving us a reason to use English.

That's one of my favorite things about teaching through play. English doesn't always have to begin with a worksheet or vocabulary list. Sometimes, a child can learn and practice while they're busy having fun!