Teaching Games

Want to use more games in class, but don't know how? Having trouble getting the kids to play properly? Check out this great guide on teaching games and help the kids have more fun when learning English.

Teach kids to read with Starfall.com

Starfall is a great free website which has tones of online stories, quizzes, songs, and worksheets to help children learn how to read. It's aimed towards English speaking children who may have reading difficulties, but it's great for ESL learners as well.

Game: Pass the Pens

A great easy game that you can play to help the students practice asking questions and giving answers. It's a great warm up game for any class.

Age: 6+
Class size: 5+
Materials: Two different colored pens (Or two objects that they can pass around) and a CD player

Song: What are you doing?

A great easy song from Dream English that practices actions like drinking, eating, walking, dancing and the phrase What are you doing? It's a great addition to any kids class, and it's a great way to get your students moving and learning English at the same time.

Speech Contest Training

If you teach English you may inevitably be asked to judge, or train students for a speech contest. If can be a little difficult or confusing if you have never done it before, and you may be given very vague expectations. Therefore I've written some great tips on how to help students train for their speech contest.

Assigning Homework

Many teachers prefer not to assign homework because they find the preparation and marking troublesome. Unfortunately many students who live in non-English speaking countries have few opportunities to practice English outside of class. They may also only have one class a week, so they can quickly forget your lessons and have difficulty keeping up. Therefore homework is a great way to help retain material and help them practice English outside of class.  Some schools may already have set homework that you must give the students, but here are some great homework ideas for if you find yourself on your own.

Song: What time is it?

Doing a unit on telling time? Here is a great song and video to show your students. It's a great addition to any unit about time, or just as a quick and fun way to review time words. I particularly like this song because it's so simple that even lower level students can follow along.

Another great way to help students remember time words is by just asking "What time is it?" As the beginning of every class. That way the students become used to saying time words and can repeat them back with minimal effort.

Game: Criss Cross

If you're lost for an easy game to play with your giant class who can't speak much English and all sit at desks, here is a great simple game to play with any level ESL class with over thirty students. All you need to do is prepare some English questions.


Age: 8+
Class size: 25+
Level: Any.

Game: Monster Attack

Switching between first and third person can be difficult for some second language learners. Therefore I made this great game to help them practice, and they can attack monsters. Click read more to see how to play this great monster attack game.

Age: 8+
Students: 1+ (You can play this with only one student if you take the role of the student)

Working at a cram school vs working a regular school

Working at a cram school vs working a regular school

Cram school or regular school? That is the question. If you plan on working overseas you may have to decide between working at a regular school, or working at an English language school. I’ve worked at both, and talked to plenty of people who have as well, so I’ve made this summary about the positives and negatives of both to help you decide on your future work choices.

Song: How's The Weather

Out of all the weather songs I've tried this one is my favourite so far. Talking about the weather is one of the foundations for learning English. It can be a little hard for kids to remember all the weather words at once, so here is this great song and video that helps them to remember well.

Asking the kids "How's the weather?" at the start of every class is a great way to help them remember too!

Pointing Game

If you thought that there wasn't anything easier than The Keyword Game think again. All you need is your textbook to play this super easy pointing game.

Age: 6+
Class size: 2+
Materials: Textbook

Teaching Grammar to Children

Explaining and demonstrating English grammar to children can be completely different from teaching adults. Phrases such as subject noun adjective verb are very difficult for them to understand, and just writing sentences on the board and explaining them often doesn't work. Therefore I have created this great guide for anyone who has to teach English to children. I hope that it can make your lessons a little easier.

Happy Angry Fruit. An original story by Kids ESL

Here is a cute free ebook that I made to help teach kindergarten and young elementary school students fruits and emotions. Children love stories, but many English picture books are just too difficult for them to understand. Therefore I made this super simple version.

It's free to download here with my web address on the pages, but if you would like a version without the blog address (or you would like to pay for it because you are a kind and lovely person) you can purchase it below from for just $1 USD. That's just 1/4 of the cost of a cup of coffee, and if you use it multiple times then it's defiantly worth it! It also comes with a free powerpoint version which is super easy to show to your students, and the image quality is a little better. Click read more too see some pictures.

Buy Now

Song: Put on Your Shoes

A great cute song and video which teachers clothing as well as the phrases "Put on your..." and "hurry up." It's super easy, repetitive, and great to use in any clothing unit. Click read more to see more teaching tips.

Guide to Teaching English on Skype

Interested in teaching English from home on Skype. I've been teaching English at home for almost a year, so I wrote this great helpful guide for anyone who is considering teaching English at home on their computer.