ESL Games and Online Resources for Thai Classrooms
No Projector? Flashcards Still Win. Games Do Not Replace the Plan
The question I get most from new teachers at our Ban Lum office is which games and websites to use. My answer: a few low-prep games you can run with a board and flashcards, a couple of free worksheet sites, and a lesson plan the game fits into. Each game here runs 10 to 15 minutes as a warm-up or review, not the whole period.
A game is a 10 to 15 minute warm-up or review, not the lesson. Pick one language point, model the game before you start, and agree a quiet signal. No projector? Flashcards, the board and a word chain still work. For worksheets, Twinkl Thailand is a KET partner. LanternFish (BogglesWorldESL), ESL Printables, BusyTeacher, iSLCollective, Teach-This and ESL KidStuff are independent free sites we find useful; they are not KET partners. On a projector day, try our playable Word Rain and Classroom Chaos games, and remember a high score is not teaching skill.
01: Why Use ESL Games at All?
They get quiet students talking. They don't replace the plan.
"After 20 years of working with foreign teachers in Thai schools, the pattern I see is simple: a short team game gets shy students talking faster than a worksheet does. It works because it practises something you have just taught. When the game becomes the lesson, the noise goes up and the learning goes down."Matthew John : Co-Founder & Operations Manager, KET
Less Fear of Mistakes 🌟
In a team game, a wrong answer costs a point, not face. That matters in Thai classrooms, where many students would rather stay quiet than get it wrong in front of their friends.
Easy to Scale 🎯
The same game works for anuban and for M.6: change the words, not the rules. For the youngest classes, see our ESL games for kindergarten post.
Quick Review and Homework 📝
Use a game to review last week's words, or set a small home task, such as five new words in a category. It sits alongside your teaching; it doesn't replace it.
02: Free Worksheet and Flashcard Sites
Independent sites teachers use for worksheets and flashcards. None of them is a KET partner; Twinkl, in section 04, is.
LanternFish (BogglesWorldESL)
An independent site (also known as BogglesWorldESL) with printable worksheets, flashcards, grammar pages and writing prompts, from young learners to adults.
ESL Printables
A teacher-to-teacher exchange where English teachers share worksheets, grammar exercises and vocabulary games. Quality varies, so check each sheet before you print.
BusyTeacher.org
A large, independent library of printable PDF worksheets for speaking, listening, reading and writing.
iSLCollective
An independent community library of teacher-made worksheets, slides and short video quizzes. Useful, but not connected to KET.
Teach-This.com
An independent site with speaking activities, role-plays and board games for ESL classes. Check the site for what is free.
ESL KidStuff
An independent site for young learners, with songs, flashcards, story readers and lesson ideas.
Many upcountry Thai schools don't have a projector in every room, and the Wi-Fi comes and goes. Every game on this page works with a board, chalk or markers, and paper flashcards.
03: Ten Low-Prep ESL Games
Each one runs 10 to 15 minutes. Pick the one that practises today's language point.
1. Memory Game: Describing Things
How to Play: Show a picture with lots of objects (or put real objects on a table) for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover it and ask students to write down everything they remember. Go through the list together using adjectives: "the red apple".
Older Students: Use jobs or feelings, or ask for full sentences.
2. The Bragging Game: Comparatives and Superlatives
How to Play: Start with a basic sentence: "I live in a house." The first student brags with a comparative: "I live in a bigger house with a pool!" The next student tops it: "I live in the biggest house with a tennis court!"
Why It Works: Practises comparatives and superlatives, and students love out-bragging each other.
3. Word Chain: Vocabulary and Spelling
How to Play: Set a category, such as food. Student A says "tomato". Student B says a food starting with the last letter: "orange". Student C: "egg". If someone gets stuck, give them a high-five and move to the next teammate.
Older Students: Use verbs, phrasal verbs or countries.
4. Tell Me 5: Quick Speaking
How to Play: Give a category (vegetables, yellow things, transport) and ask a student: "Tell me 5 vegetables in 30 seconds!" For stronger groups, add a letter rule: "starting with C, P or B".
Homework: Students list 5 things in a new category at home and share them next lesson.
5. Find Something: Classroom Scavenger Hunt
How to Play: Call out: "Find something blue!" or "Find something that starts with P!" Students have 60 seconds to find it in their desk or pencil case and say what it is in English.
Why It Works: Links new words to real objects.
6. Simon Says: Listening and Action Verbs
How to Play: You call out commands. Students only move if you say "Simon says" first ("Simon says touch your knees!"). If you say "Touch your nose!" without it, anyone who moves sits down and cheers for their team.
Young Learners: Body parts, action verbs (Total Physical Response) and classroom objects.
7. Pictionary: Drawing Vocabulary
How to Play: A student draws a secret word on the board without speaking. Their team has 60 seconds to guess it in English. Give points for fast guesses, and for guessing without shouting.
Why It Works: Needs nothing but a board and chalk or markers.
8. Scrambled Sentences: Word Order
How to Play: Write jumbled words on the board ("dog big the fast runs"). Teams race to put them in order: "The big dog runs fast."
Why It Works: Good for adjective order, which trips up many Thai learners because in Thai the adjective comes after the noun (หมาใหญ่, maa yai, "dog big").
9. Charades and Flashcard Races
How to Play: In Charades, a student acts out an action ("swimming") without speaking. In Flashcard Races, two teams send a runner to touch the right card on the board when you read the meaning.
Why It Works: Burns off energy in a useful way while practising action verbs and sports.
10. Bingo: Listening and Vocabulary
How to Play: Hand out bingo cards, or have students draw a 3x3 grid and fill it with words from the board. Read a meaning, not the word. The first student with a line shouts "Bingo!"
Homework: Send blank grids home for vocabulary practice with family.
04: Twinkl Thailand and Our Playable Games
Twinkl is a KET partner. The sites in section 02 are not.
KET Partner
Twinkl is a KET partner. Have a look at Twinkl Thailand and our Twinkl ESL resources page for worksheets, flashcards and activities for young learners. Check the Twinkl site for its current plans.
If your room has a projector, you can also try our own playable games: Word Rain (typing and spelling) and Classroom Chaos (vocabulary). For quizzes on a shared screen, see our Kahoot for Thai classrooms post. Treat them like any other game: 10 to 15 minutes, tied to today's words. A high score is not teaching skill. Planning with AI? Our AI tools for Thai classrooms post covers tools such as Gemini and NotebookLM; those are Google products, not KET's.
05: How to Run a Low-Prep Game
Four steps. The game fits inside your plan, not the other way round.
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Pick One Language Point
Choose one set of words or one sentence pattern from today's lesson. The game practises that and nothing else.
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Model It First
Play one quick round with your Thai co-teacher or a student volunteer so everyone can see how it works. Show it; don't explain the rules in long English.
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Teams, Points and a Quiet Signal
Split the class into teams and keep score on the board. Before you start, agree a quiet signal, such as a countdown or a clap pattern, so you never have to shout over the room.
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Stop After 10 to 15 Minutes
End while it's still fun. Write a few of the students' sentences on the board, then move into the practice in your plan, such as three sentences in notebooks or a short pair dialogue. A high score is not the same as learning.
ESL Games Questions
Do ESL games replace a lesson plan?
No. A game is a 10 to 15 minute warm-up, practice or review. It works when it practises something from your lesson plan, not when it fills the whole period.
What if my classroom has no projector or smartboard?
That's normal in many Thai schools. Flashcards, board races, word chains, Pictionary and Simon Says need nothing more than a board, chalk or markers, and paper.
Is Twinkl a KET partner?
Yes. Twinkl is a KET partner. Have a look at twinkl.co.th and our Twinkl ESL resources page, and check the Twinkl site for its current plans.
Are ISLCollective and BusyTeacher connected to KET?
No. ISLCollective, BusyTeacher, LanternFish (BogglesWorldESL), ESL Printables, Teach-This and ESL KidStuff are independent sites. They are not KET partners; we just find them useful for planning.
How do I keep the noise down during a game?
Agree a quiet signal before the first round, such as a countdown or a clap pattern. Give a bonus point to the first team that goes quiet, and use hand signals rather than raising your voice.
Matthew John
Co-Founder & Operations ManagerI'm Matthew, co-founder of Kids English Thailand. I've lived in Thailand for 20 years and work from our office in Ban Lum, Sukhothai. Since 2009 we have placed over 1,500 teachers in Thai schools, and the ones who do well plan the lesson first and fit the game in after.
