The first time I announced we were playing SWOOSH!, my student Saleh crossed his arms and said, “I didn’t pay for this class to play children’s games.”
Fair point. But you and I know games can have educational value. That’s why this happened…
Fifteen minutes later, that same Saleh was on his feet, screaming “NO! NO! PUT IT BACK!” when his teammate drew a SWOOSH card and had to forfeit their entire pile. The teacher next door sent me a text: “What is happening in there?!”
Here’s the thing. Adult ESL students DO love vocabulary games just as much as kids do. But Saleh was right about one thing: they’re paying for these classes (or maybe their company is, or they’re using precious time they need to prepare for the TOEFL or IELTS). In any case, they need to know that what you’re asking them to do has a point.
So how do you get even the skeptics excited about vocabulary games?
Create Buy-In that has Even the Reluctant Ones Begging to Play
I use games to informally assess my students while giving them a break from grammar or writing. When I announce a game, most students light up. But there are always the scowlers. The ones who view games as something for people who aren’t serious about learning. They pride themselves on how hard they study, and they’re not about to waste time on “fun.”
I get it. I really do. But you and I know it’s not just fun.
So, this is how I handle it: I tell them it’s a competitive test with game points instead of test points. That usually does the trick. If it doesn’t, or if I know I’m dealing with a particularly stubborn anti-game person (looking at you, Saleh ), I talk to them directly, but I tell it to the entire class because adults like knowing the why. I explain what concept we’ll cover, what vocabulary theme we’re hitting, and how I’ll use their performance to drive future lessons.
The more they understand why they’re playing and how it helps THEM, the more willing they are. Saleh ended up being one of my most enthusiastic game players by the end of the term. (He still lost at SWOOSH! more than anyone else, but that’s another story.)
Vocabulary Game #1: SWOOSH!
SWOOSH! is one of the most adaptable vocabulary games I know. Easy to make, perfect as a review or a sneaky assessment, and it virtually guarantees noise. The good kind.
All you need is a stack of cards or even slips of paper.
On the cards, you can put:
- Vocabulary terms for students to define, use in sentences, or give antonyms/synonyms for
- Definitions for students to respond with the terms
- Images for them to identify (and you can also have them define the term represented or even use it in a sentence)
You also need to create SWOOSH! cards. The more you have, the harder it is for students to accumulate cards. However, the fewer SWOOSH cards you include, the more regular cards students accumulate before disaster strikes…which makes the pain of losing them all that much worse. I usually go with about 2 SWOOSH cards per 15 cards.
Here’s How to Play
Students take turns drawing a card and giving the answer. If they nail it, they keep the card. If not, the card goes back in the pile, and play continues.
When someone draws a SWOOSH! card, they forfeit ALL their accumulated cards. Yep, every single one. That SWOOSH! card stays out of play until the game ends. (Or throw it back in there. It’s your game now, right?) The winner is whoever has the most cards when time is called.
Simple, right?
Here’s what actually happens: Students try to hoard cards like the cards are precious diamonds and they’re some sort of dragon.I’ve had students who barely spoke in class suddenly shouting with glee when they have big stack of cards and they DON’T draw a SWOOSH card. I’ve seen students poke fun at (and sometimes commiserate with) their classmates who just got SWOOSHed.
Fair Warning: If you share a wall with another classroom, check that they didn’t schedule a test the day you play this. Adults scream and yell with the excitement just like kids do. I learned this the hard way when the teacher next door came in mid-game to glare at me. Oops.
Not sure what a SWOOSH game looks like? You can grab a super simple body part SWOOSH vocabulary game from my TpT for just $1 here. ↗
Vocabulary Game #2: The Always-Popular Photo Scavenger Hunt
I love this activity because it gets students out of the classroom. If you teach on a university campus, they get to wander around outside. If you’re in a school building, they explore hallways and common areas. If class is in the community, maybe set up boundaries so they don’t end up three miles away.
Here’s How to Run a Photo Scavenger Hunt
Give students a list of vocabulary words and send them out to take photos that represent those words.
I insist on groups of 2-3. This guarantees they talk while deciding what best represents each word, and it means no one without a phone gets left out. (I bring my old phones just in case someone needs one.)
I give them a time limit. To eliminate any desire to straggle in late, I deduct points per 30 seconds to a minute of lateness. You’d be surprised how fast students move when points are on the line.
Tip For Online Classes
Tell students they can only get a point if no one else has the same photo. This stops everyone from just running a Google search and grabbing the first image. You can also require that one of them must appear in the photo if they’re doing it from home.
Showing the Results
If it’s a small class, I have students show me their pictures and explain which ones represent which words. This turns into great speaking practice because they have to justify their choices. “Why does a picture of this cat represent ‘stubborn’?” (Paloma’s answer: “Have you ever MET a cat?”)
If the class is large, I have groups pair up and give each other points. With an online class, you could have them create a PowerPoint or Google Presentation using the images and terms.
The first time I did this, I sent students out on campus to photograph adjective vocabulary. One group used a photo of an overflowing trash can to represent messy. Their explanation was simple but clear, and it gave them a reason to use the word in a complete sentence.
The Bottom Line
Vocabulary games aren’t a waste of time if you set them up right. Give students context for why you’re playing, make the games competitive enough to matter, and watch even your most skeptical students get loud about irregular past participles.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
Read more about learning new vocabulary for adult ESL!
Stop Pre-Teaching Vocabulary All the Time!
3 Reasons Why Your Adult ESL Students Can’t Remember Vocabulary & What To Do About It
Stop Selling Academic Vocabulary. Start Selling This Instead.
