Teaching English grammar can be difficult, both for the teacher and for the students. However, it doesn’t have to be difficult or painful. You can teach English grammar using fun learning games and before you know it, your students will be more than willing. How does it work, you ask? Well, there has been a move away from the traditional methods of teaching English grammar through writing, rewriting and worksheets to using a more active approach through games. Researchers have also begun to look at how and why these new methods work.

Four good reasons to teach grammar with games

1. Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, authors of “Songs, Verse and Games for Teaching Grammar” explain how and why games work for teaching grammar in an ESL classroom. They say, “Games and problem-solving activities, which are task-based and have a purpose beyond the production of correct speech, are examples of preferable communicative activities.” They go on to explain that grammar games help children not only to acquire knowledge, but also to be able to apply and use that learning.

2. In addition, games have the advantage of allowing students to “practice and extensively internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures”. They can do this because students are often more motivated to play games than to do desk work. In addition, during the game, the students concentrate on the activity and end up subconsciously absorbing the language. It can also be added that fun learning games usually contain repetition, which allows the language to stick.

3. While games are motivating for students, probably the best reason, according to Saricoban and Metin, for using games is that “the use of such activities increases both cooperation and competition in the classroom.” One can use games to add excitement through competition or games that create bonds between the students and the teacher.

4. Aydan Ersoz, author of “Six Games for the ESL/EFL Classroom” also explains more reasons why games work for teaching grammar. Learning a language requires constant effort and that can be exhausting. Ersoz says that games can counter this because:

* Games that are fun and challenging are very motivating.

* Games allow meaningful use of language in context.

Children are more motivated to learn grammar with games

Intrinsic motivation theory also gives insight into why teaching grammar through games really works. Intrinsic motivation refers to the internal factors that motivate us to do something. Most young learners will not decide internally that they want to learn grammar. They don’t yet understand the concepts of why knowing proper grammar is important, so these external factors won’t affect them much either. Instead, intrinsic motivation may lead them to play. If these games are good then they will learn as they play.

Using some movement is crucial because movement helps activate students’ mental capacities and stimulates neural networks, thus promoting learning and retention. If you have a large class with no space, you still have options. Children can stand up, sit down, move various body parts, and pass things to each other. Movement doesn’t just mean kids running around the playground.

What types of games work best?

When looking for games to use in your classroom, don’t just choose something to “fill in the time” that doesn’t have a definite linguistic result. These games can keep students entertained, but when you don’t have a lot of time with them every day, you want your game to do double duty to make the most of the time you spend playing.

Have a clear linguistic result for each game. The game can be a listening game to allow students to repeatedly listen to a new grammatical structure in use, or it can be a speaking game to allow practice of grammar once it has been absorbed by listening beforehand. There are degrees of difficulty with talking games, from basic repetition in a fun context to creating more creative sentences for review or more advanced practice once the basics are mastered. The teacher should guide the children through this progression so that the game in question is always within the students’ reach. This makes the games more fun than laborious. It is a mistake to play a speaking game immediately after the new grammar has been introduced. Ideally, reading, spelling, and writing games come after the new grammar has been absorbed and students can use it orally.

Another thing to keep in mind with grammar games is that a maximum of students participate simultaneously. If you have thirty children, you’ll want to avoid a game where only one child speaks at a time. What are the other twenty-nine kids supposed to do in the meantime besides get bored? However, at the other end of the scale are games that cause chaos in the classroom and make teachers unpopular with their colleagues due to high noise levels. A variety of suitable games are available for you to try for free in the resource box below the article.

Now you can stop your students’ blank stares and complaints when you even THINK about teaching them a grammar lesson and have productive fun.