Though games can be effective for all ages, it seems that English games are most effective for elementary to middle-school-aged children, because at this age they do not think it's childish to play games. One of the most effective English games to play is the old favorite, hangman, because everyone gets involved. This game focuses on reading, writing, and speaking. To play, the teacher thinks of a word--from the simple to the more challenging--and writes out blank spaces that are designated for the word's letters. The students will call out letters. If they are right, the teacher will fill in the blanks with that letter. But if they are wrong, the teacher will then draw a body part of a man that is being hung. The game is over when the class can correctly guess the word or when the complete stick figure of the man being hung is drawn. One way to prevent the students from getting discouraged is to encourage them to call out vowels.
Team Scrabble is used to enforce vocabulary, spelling and communication skills. Breaking up the players into teams of two will compel them to communicate with one another. Enforce an English-only rule to promote teamwork and communication. Because this is a vocabulary-based game, Scrabble may not be as effective with younger students. However you may be surprised by some of the words that they are able to come up with. Allow each team to have three chances to ask you for help if they are having trouble coming up with a word. Encourage making words that are longer than three letters, and do not allow abbreviations and names of people. Save this game for the end of the class so it encourages students to focus and finish up their work. Knowing that there is a chance to play a game is always a motivator.
One game that always seems to excite students is 21 Questions. When students are first introduced to your class, the first day is usually spent on asking who, what, where and why questions to get to know each other. Even though the class may know everything about each other, you can still enforce these question sentences by thinking of someone famous and having them guess who it is. Start with questions like, "is your person a male or a female? What is his job?" To make this exercise effective, you must enforce full sentences. If a student says "job?" instead of "what is his job?," correct him. If they cannot answer in 21 questions then you will reveal the person. When someone has successfully guessed the name of your person, that student is then able to think of someone of her own. Make sure students pick subjects who are famous worldwide or familiar to the entire class.