ESL Review Games & Activities: Top 13 for Grammar & Vocabulary

If you’re looking for some of the best ESL review games, then you’re certainly in the right place. We’re going to give you the rundown on the best 12 review activities to choose from. Keep on reading for all the past details you need to know about reviewing key grammatical concepts or English vocabulary with your students.

Top 13 Review Games and Activities for ESL

Are you ready to get into these fun review games? Let’s get to it!

#1: ESL Surveys

If you’re looking for the ultimate ESL review activity, then look no further than surveys. I love them so much because they’re interactive, cover a wide range of skills and can be used for just about any topic. Plus, students have to get up and out of their seats to talk to their classmates, so it’s a nice way to inject some energy into a tired class. And, they are perfect for getting students to use WH questions as a follow-up.

What’s not to love! Sounds like exactly what you need? Learn more here: ESL Questionnaires and Surveys.

#2: A-Z Alphabet Game

This is one of the best ESL review games that lends itself to just about any topic. The way it works is that students have to try to think of a word in a certain category for each letter of the alphabet. It’s an ideal way to finish off a class, or to review vocabulary from previous classes as a quick warm-up.

Try it out with your English learners today:

ESL Alphabet Game.

#3: Ball Toss ESL Review Game

Ball Toss is a fun ESL review activity that can be used to inject some energy into a class. There are various ways to do it, but the gist of it is that write some words or questions on a beach ball. Then, students take turns tossing the ball around the class and answering the question or making a sentence with the word where their right thumb is (or whatever finger you choose).

Find out all the details about it here: Ball Toss ESL Game.

#4: Mystery Box

If you teach kids, one of the best ESL review games to consider is mystery box. It’s ideal for basic classroom objects as well as adjectives (hard, soft, big, small, etc.). The way it works is that students have to reach their hands into a box of things and then use some words to describe what they feel.

Find out more here: ESL Mystery Box Activity.

#5: ESL Flashcard Review Game

One of my favourite tools of the trade is flashcards. They are extremely versatile and can be used for a ton of different kinds of review activities. Here’s one of the best ones:

#6: Using Videos for Review

One of my favourite things is to use videos to review grammatical concepts or vocabulary sets. There are a ton of things you can do with them but one of my favourites is to play the video and have students listen for examples of a certain thing that I’ve just taught them.

Then, they can write them down and compare with a partner. Finally, we talk together about them as a class and then students can watch the video one more time.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to use videos in the classroom as well. Here are some of the best ideas:

Using Videos in the TEFL Classroom.

#7: Proof-Reading and Editing

If you want to do some review work that focuses on writing, then consider doing some proof-reading exercises. I like to have some quieter activities in my classes too because not everyone likes busy and active and fun all the time!

In this case, you’d want to focus most of the errors on the target language. For example, to review past tense verbs, make some errors in the passage related to that. Find out some tips for doing this in your class here:

ESL Proof-Reading Activity.

#8: Is that Sentence Correct

A nice way to review grammar concepts and sentence structure is to use this activity. The way it works is that you can make a worksheet (or put up on a PowerPoint slide) with a number of sentences, some of which are correct and some of which are not. Then, students have to decide which ones aren’t correct and make any required changes.

I like to make this into a competition to see who can complete it first. If you do this, let students know how many errors they can expect to find. Want to try it out? Here’s what you need to know:

ESL Error Correction Activity.

#9: ESL Memory Games

One of the best ways to review new things with our students is to play some of these challenging memory games. Not only are they challenging, but they’re a fun way to test our students’ memories. Here are some of my top picks:

ESL Memory Games and Activities.

#10: Table Race ESL Review Games

Another one of the best ESL review activities is this table race one. Check out all the details here:

#11: Word Challenge Spelling Game

It’s always good to have a few activities that require nothing in the way of preparation or materials in the back of your mind before you walk into any classroom. This is one such activity.

Spelling is an often-neglected skill but it does deserve a bit of classroom practice time. It’s also an ideal way to review vocabulary words. Check it out here:

Word Challenge ESL Spelling Game.

#12: Me Too! ESL Speaking Activity

A simple way to review new vocabulary like food, sports or hobbies is to use this speaking and listening activity. The way it works is that students have to say facts about themselves and then find out if their classmates are the same or different from them.

Want to know more? Check this out:

Me Too! ESL Activity.

#13: Dictation Practice

A nice review activity for just about anything is getting your students to do some dictation. While it focuses mostly on listening and writing skills, it also hits spelling, grammar and vocabulary in a big way so consider trying it out! Another great thing about dictation is that it can be used for a single student or a class of 100 equally well.

Sounds like something you want to try out? Here’s the information you need to get started with it:

Dictation Writing and Listening ESL Activity.

Did you like these ESL Review Games and Activities? 

Yes? Thought so. Then the book you’re going to love is this one over on Amazon: 39 ESL Review Games and Activities for Teenagers and Adults. There are dozens of top-quality, engaging and student-centred review games to choose from. Help your students remember new grammatical concepts and vocabulary with these fun TEFL activities.

The best part? It’s easier than ever to get lesson plans ready to go in minutes. Seriously, just open up the book and choose a review activity or two and then adapt it to whatever you’re planning to review. It really is that easy to have better English classes.

The book is available in both digital and print formats. Keep a copy on the bookshelf in your teacher’s room to use as a handy reference guide when making lesson plans. Or, take the digital version with you to your favourite coffee shop on your phone, tablet, or computer for some lesson planning on the go.

Do you want to find out more details about this book filled with awesome ESL review games? Head on over to Amazon to check it out:

Have your Say about these ESL Review Activities and Games

What’s your top pick for an activity to review things with your ESL students? Is it one of the options from this or do you have another favourite? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy English teachers, like yourself find this useful resource.

Last update on 2020-04-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API