Games can help ESL students learn language much faster. Carleton University researchers Claire Dormann and Robert Biddle point out that "Affective learning is an important aspect of education that can be supported through games." Affective learning ties into a student's emotions, and once a student is in a positive frame of mind, language learning becomes much easier.

Store
Bring boxes and cans of common food items to your classroom. Include replicas of fruits and vegetables. Let students set up a store. Allow two students to run the store at a time, while other students practice language such as "How much are the bananas" and "I'll take two cans of soup." Rotate storekeepers so that everyone has the opportunity to ask "How may I help you?" Elementary ESL students delight in this game and will not want to stop playing.

I Spy
Reinforce students' grasp of adjectives by playing a rousing game of I Spy. Teach students to say, "I spy something that is round, blue and green." Other students will try to guess what the object is, by saying "Is it a ball? Is it a globe?" The student who is doing the spying will then have the opportunity to practice the structures "No, it's not" and "Yes, it is."

Dictionary
The dictionary game is an effective spelling game and, as the name implies, teaches dictionary skills. It works best with groups of four to seven students. Give each student a dictionary. Call out a word, and say "Go!" The first student to find the word gets a point. Start the next round. Ask the winner to sit out that round. This rule helps keep the points balanced, just in case there is someone in the group who is so fast that the rest of the group will give up.

Charades
Practice the professions by playing a game of charades. Ask two students to silently act out a scenario demonstrating what a real estate agent, nurse or professor does. Other students should try to guess, calling out answers in the format of "Are you a doctor? Are you a nurse?"

Spelling/Vocabulary Ball
Balls are great for impromptu language games. Toss a ball to a student and ask him to spell a word. If he spells it correctly, he gets to toss the ball to another student who will get to spell the next word. If he misses, he throws the ball back to you. You can also use this game to practice vocabulary. Ask students to name words that begin with "B" and keep the ball moving from one student to another as fast as possible---no one gets more than five seconds to think of a word.

Bingo
Play bingo using blank bingo cards that can be filled in with vocabulary words. For ESL beginners, hold up a picture representing the word students should find on the card. For intermediate and advanced students, simply tell them the definition and let them find the corresponding word on the card.