Who said learning should be boring? A lot of studies have shown that learning while having fun was the best way to activate your memory and your concentration. In this new post, GlobalExam will show you how to have fun while you practice your English!
→ The best games to learn English (alone or with friends!)
→ Why is it an effective solution?
→ How to pick a quality game (with examples)
→ Learn the basics of English with General English, a new solution developed by GlobalExam.
Now without further ado, let’s get into it!
The best games to learn English (alone or with friends!)
Here’s a selection of 3 games sorted by the supports you can play them. Whether alone or with some friends.
Games to play with friends:
- Hangman (with friends, paper and pen or a board required.): a fun and classic game where you choose a word and the others have to guess what it is.
One letter at a time! For each wrong letter, the player who knows the word will draw parts of a hanged man (legs, head, cord etc). When the drawing is complete, you lose.
- Who’s who (with friends, pen, paper and scotch required): each player will choose a character and write it on a piece of paper. (a cartoon character, an actor, someone famous everyone knows). Then, these pieces will be distributed at random to each player.
You can’t look at it! The goal of the game is that you will have to ask questions about your character (Am I a dog? Am I an actor? etc). If the answer is yes, you continue. If it’s no, it’s another player’s turn. The first one to guess correctly who he is wins.
- Simon Says (with friends, nothing required): first, you choose a “simon”, the one who will give instructions. Everyone has to follow what he says (instructions should be things like : “touch your toes”, “stand on one leg”, “don’t touch your thumb” etc.) If you make one mistake, you’re out. The last player wins.
Online games:
- Quizlet: Quizlet is a great website to learn vocabulary. There are hundreds of different themes to choose from. Then, you can choose between several mini games, flashcards, etc.
- Learn English – British Council: this website is a gold mine. You will find tons of different activities that will allow you to train anything you want: reading, hearing, writing, spelling and many more. The website is divided in different sections such as “listen and write”, “read and write”, “speak and spell”, “grammar and vocabulary”, “fun and games”. There’s also a section “print and make” to create your own flashcards, sheets and colouring.
- Knoword: is a vocab-focused game that will help you improve and expand your vocabulary. You can revise with flashcards or challenge your knowledge with mini games: you have 1 minute to find as many words as possible with definitions only. You can study arts, geography, science, music, trivia… anything you want.
Video games:
- Minecraft: Minecraft is one of the most famous video games there is. Its simple yet effective aesthetic and game play really is addictive. It’s also a great way to improve your vocabulary. Objects, crafts as well as animals and creatures all have their names on the screen each time you look at your inventory. It’s a great way to learn vocabulary without even knowing it.
- The Witcher series: One of the greatest things with this video game is that there are subtitles along with spoken dialogs. This will help you train your hearing skills as well as your pronunciation. There are great story telling cinematics that are also really entertaining. Just like Minecraft, you will learn tons of vocab words too.
- Among Us: Among Us is a really simple game of murderers and traitors. But with cute little characters. The great thing with this game is that it will allow you to train your speaking/writing skills as well as your argumentation. You will either have to speak your mind, defend yourself or explain your opinion in order to win the game.
Why is learning English with the help of games effective ?
Learning English through games is an awesome way to learn while having fun. It can also help you train various aspects of the language: hearing, writing, spelling, understanding etc. No matter your level you will always find something for you, something that you will enjoy doing. Do you need to train your vocabulary? Grammar? Prononciation? There is a game for each and every aspect of the English language. It’s also a great way to learn a whole other set of skills alongside English: your memory, your problem solving skills, how to cooperate with other players, teamwork, how to argue, creativity… It can be really motivating and encouraging because you usually have fun before you learn anything. In other words, you learn, train your memory and understanding skills without even realizing it. Games, just like novels and books, in all of their shapes can be a great opportunity to take a break from boring classes and exercises.
It can also help you understand something you’re stuck on, motivate you to keep learning the English language when you’re sometimes down and you feel like you want to drop everything. But keep this in mind: if learning through games is very fun and helpful, it should not be your only means of learning. Don’t rely on games only to learn english. They’re used as a complementary ressource to revise and/or cement what you’ve learned already. They can also be a great way to see vocab words in context. If you really want to learn English while having fun, you can also try out different applications, you can try watching movies or TV shows, or even listening to fun songs and music or just listening to various podcasts.
So be careful and don’t throw away your English books and flashcards. Don’t forget to check English learning websites as well.
How to choose a good game and what things to look for
Deciding to learn English through games is a great idea. But you will need to make sure that you’re playing high quality games, in order to learn correctly as well as effectively. Good games are easy to play and will teach you proper English.
Here are tips on what to look for in order to pick a good game:
Tip#1: Look for accurate websites
To learn a language also means to learn its grammar, structure and vocabulary. The games you pick should always have good grammar, follow official rules and have correct spelling.
Tip#2: It should be effective, with various examples and ways of playing
A good game should help you work on your memory and your problem-solving skills: it should teach you through associations, mixes of hearing/writing/speaking etc.
Tip#3: Adapt the level
You can either pick a game that you know is easy or adapt the level depending on each player’s mastery of English. Something that is too difficult to play will have you spend most of the time trying to understand how to play rather than actually learn English.
Tip#4: It should be fun
Remember the first aim of learning English through games is to have fun. If you find a game boring, too difficult etc, just pick another one. Each learner has its own personality and not all English learners will find the same games entertaining! Pick something that you enjoy doing. Here are three good games you can play:
- Kahoot: it’s a great website where you can answer quizzes about a wide range of subjects: languages, sciences, mathematics, sports, disney princesses… there’s every subject you could ask for. There’s also a feature where you can play with friends and save your game results.
- Lyrics training: Lyrics training is an awesome website if you love music. It will allow you to play games such as “remember the lyrics” or do some karaoke! It’s an awesome way to train your ear while singing at the top of your lungs your favourite song.
- British council: we already talked about the British Council’s fun games websites but it really does provide a wide range of different mini games.
Why Training with GlobalExam is very effective and useful
Now that you’ve seen plenty of fun and entertaining ways to learn English, let us tell you about one more thing: our General English course. It is another great way of having fun while learning English: our platform will help you train your skills as well as teach you the basics of English. You will be able to find:
- Playful academic training that ensures you evolve safely in your learning journey.
- Awide range of corrections that are detailed and well explained, to make sure you understand everything you learn and that your progress is smooth.
- Revision sheets you can access anytime, anywhere.
Our General English program is a very effective way to keep learning English when you’re discouraged by everything else. What are you waiting for? Hop on with us and let’s learn English together!
