Present Simple and Present Continuous Board Game

Aloha! 

Hope you're reading this post from a nice and sunny place sipping on something delicious :) It sure is sunny here but I'm hiding from the heat in a cosy cafe. Unfortunately, my internet connection hasn't been very stable since I changed flats over a month ago which made my lesson planning a bit tricky...but not being able to connect to the internet forces me to review and reuse my old materials which I have forgotten about. Looking for a way of practising the present simple and continuous tenses I came across a board game I created some time ago to practice these structures. I know how you guys love board games so I've decided to share this one with you :) Just click  here to download and/or print the game and you're ready to play! It's suitable for A2-B2 teenage and adult students who need to revise how to use the two present tenses. 

Hope you and your students like it and feel free to comment if you have any suggestions :) 

Speaking Board Game

Here is another board game to encourage your students to talk about a variety of topics. It can be used as a time filler or practice for speaking exams. I'm going to play it with a new group of students in order to get to know them and assess their spoken English level. I particularly like to ask my new students about their favourite and least favourite teachers (questions 6 and 8) to find out their preferences and adapt my teaching methods accordingly. You can download the game  here. 

If you're about to start teaching a new group of students and are looking for some fun activities to break the ice with them, you can check out my other post in which I shared my favourite icebreakers → your first impression is your last impression

You might want to start the course by involving your students in a discussion why they are learning English, and getting them to brainstorm benefits of learning a new language. Knowing my students' reasons for learning English plays plays a crucial role in the way I shape the course, plan my lessons, and choose materials.  This lesson plan , based on one of the most touching videos I've ever watched, will definitely help your students talk about the topic

Happy Teaching 😸

Be going to and will board game

The holidays are over, time to get back to work. 

Talking about New Year's resolutions is a great excuse to revise future structures, and since I know my students confuse the use of be going to and will when they talk about the future, I'm planning to concentrate on these two forms in my first lesson of 2018. 

To warm everybody up I show them Friends New Year's Resolutions video or New Year's Resolutions comic by Incidental Comics and engage them in a discussion about New Year's resolutions- the choice of the prompt depends on the level of my students and their interests. Some of the questions I might ask to prompt discussion are:

1. Do you make New Year's resolutions?

2. What are some New Year's resolutions you have made in the past?

3. Are there any New Year's resolutions you have kept? 

4. Are there any tips how to keep one's New Year's resolutions?

5. Are there any New Year's resolutions you have broken? Why?

6. Do you think making New Year's resolutions is a good idea? Why?

I'm pretty sure my students will use be going to and will interchangeably so I'm planning to point out some basic differences between the two structures (i.e. be going to is used to talk about already made decisions, plans and intentions while will is used to talk about predictions, spontaneous decisions, and promises). After eliciting a few examples and making sure everybody understands the form and use of the structures, I'm going to move on to playing a game to practice! All my students love board games so I've made a  be going to or will board game in which students have to throw the dice and answer the questions from the squares they land on. They can only stay where they have landed if they answer the question using the correct future form. Remember to encourage your students to avoid giving short answers- the longer their answers, the better :) 

Games Games Games!

The end of the academic year is fast approaching so I’d like to treat my students to more games. They’ve been working very hard and I think they deserve to relax and have a bit more fun than we usually do. In this post I’d like to write about the games I find very popular among my students, but I’d also like to ask you to tell me what games have worked for you and your students.

This course we've played a lot of games based on role-plays, which my students have thoroughly enjoyed. I was pleasantly surprised to see both my teen and adult students get into their characters and use English in “real” life situations. Even my shyest students were eager to participate! If you struggle with finding ideas for role play activities, I recommend that you get a copy of Role Plays for Today by Jason Anderson . It’s a great book with plenty of interesting ideas for EFL students of all levels.

I’ve also exploited my blackboard a bit more and have played various games such as jeopardy, pictionary, hot seat and other fun games you can read about here.


It’s not a secret that I’m addicted to Amazon. I can’t go a week without ordering something. I usually order books and DVDs, but this year I’ve bought quite a few board games which I’m happy to play both with my friends and my students (teacher’s life can be truly great!).


I’m sure you’ve all played Taboo. It’s a great game and it always gets my students excited. It can be, however, a tad difficult for younger or less advanced learners. In that case I recommend Don't Say It! It’s like the Taboo game, but it’s designed for children and lower level learners of English.

I’m also convinced you’ve heard of Rory's Story Cubes. It’s a very nice and simple game which encourages learners to use their imagination and tell a story. It’s been enjoyed by my younger and older students (including adult learners). I need to warn you though: some kids make an awful lot of noise with these cubes so you might want to use Soft Foam Story Cubes . Just saying… ;)

If you enjoy storytelling games, you’ll like What's up? What’s up? is a card game in which all the players have to create a fun story using the pictures on the game cards. To spice the game up a bit, there are some special cards which make things more complicated, thus more interesting. If you decide to buy this game, remember to have a look at the cards beforehand: there are some pictures which might not be appropriate for the age or cultural background of your students. For example, I decided to get rid of a card with a picture of a condom cause I just didn’t want to deal with my teenage students’ giggles or some possibly awkward questions from my YL.

Another game which has been pretty fun for my students is BrainBox: English.I must say I had been quite reluctant to buy this game, but following a fellow teacher’s recommendation I decided to give it a go and I’m definitely not sorry! It appeared to be quite engaging and my students like how competitive it can get. It’s also a great exercise to improve one’s memory! Definitely worth buying.

I’d like to end this post with my personal favourite…a game which, no modesty here, made me pretty famous at school…kids talk to one another about this game and play it after school with their friends and families. Even my boyfriend got hooked up on this game and wanted to play for hours and hours. Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Black Stories. Black stories are mysterious riddles for teenagers and adults. Your students will have to solve crimes by asking yes/no questions. I'm jealous of those of you who haven't played Black Stories yet. There's so much fun awaiting you :)


Well, these are some of my favourite games I like playing with my students. What are yours?