Wilson College Online Blog

Most American households spoke English (78%), but 1 in 5 people spoke another language at home between 2017 and 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Learning a new language can be rewarding for students learning English as a second language (ESL). However, learning English can be stressful at times, especially in the classroom. Language-learning tools and apps can make it easier for people to learn. Games for language learning can help students develop their linguistic abilities through discovery and fun communication.

People learn new languages for many reasons. They might do it for school, travel, or just for fun. Teachers in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programs can help students reach their goals. Those who want to advance their English teaching skills and support their students in their language journeys can pursue a master’s degree in TESOL, which offers working teachers the flexibility to advance their careers.

Do Language-Learning Games Help Students?

Gamification employs gamelike elements to make learning more engaging and enjoyable. It can help motivate students, support cognitive development, and promote learning inside and outside the classroom. A 2023 systematic review of 40 studies published in Heliyon found that gamification features such as points, badges, and rankings can increase students’ motivation to learn, particularly in the short term.

Games can also help students improve throughout the language learning process. A 2024 systematic review of 38 studies published in Computer Assisted Language Learning found that games for language learning can have a significant positive effect on vocabulary and pronunciation for English language learners.

Other Benefits of Games for Language Learning

Games for language learning can deliver benefits in the classroom, from increased engagement and motivation to succeed to fun. Below are other benefits of incorporating games for language learning.

Improving Word Memory

Repetition helps language learners memorize words and expand their vocabulary. Language-learning games can make this process enjoyable. They encourage learners to recall and use words repeatedly through challenges, quizzes, matching exercises, and other interactive activities.

Strengthening Fluency

One of the most difficult activities for language learners is speaking in front of their peers. This can help them improve their pronunciation and fluency. Games that involve role-playing, team challenges, and wordplay can provide a low-pressure, playful opportunity to talk in a less intimidating environment. 

Building Collaboration and Teamwork Skills 

Games can help students build stronger relationships and create a greater sense of community in the classroom. By working together toward shared goals, students can practice communication, collaboration, and teamwork, skills that are valuable in school, the workplace, and everyday life.

Enabling Content Retention and Comprehension

Technology-enhanced games for language learning are popular ways to engage students and convey material using the principles of microlearning, which emphasizes a more incremental approach to teaching. It offers benefits such as better learning comprehension and greater information retention.

Making Learning More Accessible

Students may have speech or language impairments, intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, or other learning needs. Teachers who understand psychology in education can use differentiated instruction and language-learning games to make lessons more accessible, engaging, and appropriate for individual learners.

Types of Language Learning Games and How to Use Them

There are traditional games for language learning, such as board and card games, and there are technology-based options, such as digital platforms and mobile apps:

• Card games and tabletop games for classroom play require no more than a circle of students. The way these games are played may depend on whether the game is for the whole class or individual use.

• Vocabulary lists can be turned into interactive games with digital platforms. Students can work on them individually on a phone or computer, and teachers can use the same activities for the whole class.

Below are other types of language learning games.

Sentence Scramble

A sentence scramble is a game in which students organize word and punctuation cards into grammatical sentences. Handling the pieces makes subject-verb-object patterns visible. Students who are further along can write scrambles for their peers.

Describe and Guess

In a describe and guess game, one student describes an object in the room without naming it, for example, numbered, round, black, hanging on the whiteboard. This is a form of circumlocution, a way to define the thing or idea trying to be communicated without expressly saying what it is. It can help learners remember and understand words, building their vocabulary.

Story Circle

In a story circle, a scribe records the story students create, one sentence at a time. Learners produce language in real time, keeping track of tense and reference across turns. The story is also captured for playback to assist with learning.

Bananagrams

Bananagrams is a game in which players try to build their grid of interconnected words from letter tiles, rebuilding it as new tiles arrive. Speed rewards quick recall and flexible spelling. Teachers can decrease the tile pool for those who need more time to learn.

Wordwall

Wordwall allows teachers to create anagrams, crosswords, matching games, and quiz shows using a set of vocabulary words. Switching up the format keeps the repetition interesting. Teachers can look for a topic and share the link with or without an account.

Build Skills to Support Language Learners

English learners make up a growing share of the U.S. public school population. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 10.6% of public school students, or 5.3 million students, were English learners in fall 2021, up from 9.4% in fall 2011. This data underscore the value of preparing educators across classroom settings to support students with different language-learning needs. 

Teachers who want to make learning more engaging while building their instructional skills can benefit from advanced education. Wilson College Online’s Master in TESOL program explores new teaching strategies and educational technologies educators can apply in the classroom.

Learn how Wilson’s education programs can advance your skills and help language students put what they learn into practice.

Recommended Readings

How to Teach English Online

How to Teach English Abroad

ESL Teaching Requirements: Do You Have to Be Bilingual?

Sources:

American SPCC, Learning a New Language Through Play: Top Educational Board Games 

Computer Assisted Language Learning, “Do Mobile Games Improve Language Learning? A Meta-Analysis”

Edutopia, “Boosting Engagement in World Language Classes With Games”

Edutopia, “21 Effective Learning Games for ELA Classes”

Heliyon, “The Role of Gamified Learning Strategies in Student’s Motivation in High School and Higher Education: A Systematic Review”

National Center for Education Statistics, English Learners in Public Schools

U.S. Census Bureau, Most Americans Speak Only English at Home or Speak English ‘Very Well’

U.S. Census Bureau, New Data on Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and the Ability to Speak English