English as a Second Language (ESL) whiteboard games can be used to practice a wide variety of language lessons. They are particularly useful as warm-ups, short games at the start of lessons; coolers, short games at the end of lessons; and as fillers, which are activities or games that usefully fill excess time between other activities. Consequently, having an extensive knowledge of whiteboard games is valuable for an English language teacher.

Present Progressive Pictionary
This game is designed to help students practice forming present progressive sentences. Divide the class into two teams. Ask a student to come to the whiteboard and hand her a marker and a slip of paper on which you have written a present progressive sentence, for example, "He is smoking." The student draws a simple picture on the board showing a man or boy smoking. The first student to say the sentence "He is smoking" wins a point for her team. Repeat until every student has drawn a picture on the board.

Hot Seat Password
In this game, students practice explaining the meaning of words. Divide the class into groups of three or four. One student from each group sits with their back to the whiteboard. Write a word appropriate to the students' language level on the board. Each group explains, in English only, the meaning of the word to the member of their group who is sitting in the chair, but without saying the word. The first student who is sitting facing away from the whiteboard who says the correct word wins a point for her team. Continue with a new word and add up the scores after 15 minutes of play.

Ring a Part of Speech
In this game, students practice identifying different parts of speech. Write on the whiteboard 50 words appropriate to the language level of your class. Include as many different parts of speech as you wish to practice. Divide the class into three groups and give each group a different colored whiteboard marker. Each group stands in a line facing the board. Call out a part of speech, for example, "verb." The student at the front of each line runs to the board and circles a verb. He then returns to his group and hands the pen to the student at the front of the line before moving to the back. The student holding the pen runs to the board and circles another verb. Stop the students after approximately 15 seconds and call out a new part of speech. When all the words are circled, award each group one point for each word they have correctly circled.

Hurricane
In this game, students answer questions on any language point you wish to emphasize. Draw a five-by-five grid on the white board and label it "A," "B," "C," "D" and "E" along the bottom and "1," "2," "3," "4" and "5" along the side. Divide the class into two teams. Each team takes turns calling out the coordinates of one of the squares. For each square, ask the students a question which you have previously prepared, for example, "What is the superlative form of 'bad'?" Award each team five points for a correct answer. For three of the squares, though, do not prepare a question. Instead, when students choose this square, tell them they have landed on a hurricane and deduct 10 points from their team score. The team with the most points after all the squares have been chosen wins the game.