In today’s world, where interactions with people from other countries are increasing, English has become very important for Japanese people as well.
It’s now a compulsory subject in elementary school, and children have more opportunities to be exposed to English.
That said, studying English can still be quite difficult…
So in this article, we’ll introduce games that make learning English fun for lower-grade elementary school children!
We’ve gathered a variety of games—from ones you can play with friends to smartphone games and card games.
By engaging with English while playing, kids can pick it up without developing a strong dislike for it!
We hope you’ll find a game you like and enjoy talking lots in English!
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Learn while having fun! English games (1–10)
English shiritori
The most important factor in acquiring a second language is the number of words you know.
No matter how well you’ve mastered grammar and pronunciation, you can’t have a conversation if you don’t know the words.
This “English Shiritori” is a perfect game for increasing your English vocabulary.
Unlike Japanese shiritori, English shiritori connects the last letter of a word to the first letter of the next.
For example: apple → eye → evil → loop.
Because it’s less challenging than Japanese shiritori, even young children can enjoy it.
BONGO
When it comes to getting children to learn English, we tend to make them study hard.
But fun is extremely important for kids learning English.
BONGO is a perfect game for learning English while having fun, and it’s enjoyable for both children and adults.
The game is similar to bingo and roulette, and uses a grid sheet, glass beads, and word cards.
The rules are simple: place three beads on the grid sheet; if a bead is on the same square as the word card drawn, that’s a hit; when you’ve used up all your beads, you win.
While playing, you communicate in English, naturally building language skills.
HEDBANZ
To improve your English, the ability to ask good questions is extremely important.
Not just “What do you mean?”, but also slangy ways of asking like “I don’t get it,” as well as more formal, business-appropriate phrasing like “Could you kindly explain what you meant by ◯◯.” This skill isn’t easy to acquire.
The game Hedbanz is similar to Word Wolf, and it helps you build questioning skills because you have to keep asking about the meaning of the card on your head until you guess it.
I Spy: Guessing Game
A game I highly recommend for anyone who wants to improve their English conversation skills is “I Spy.” In this game, players split into a Spy and Guessers.
The Spy chooses one object from the surroundings and declares its color in a format like, “I spy with my little eye something blue.” Using that color hint and conversation with the Spy, the Guessers try to figure out which object it is.
If you play without fixed set phrases and keep it as a free-form conversation, it’s even better for boosting your English speaking skills, so I highly recommend it!
Simon Says Command Game
A game I recommend for anyone who wants to rapidly improve their listening skills is the “Simon Says” command game.
It’s often played in the Boy Scouts, and because everything is done in English, it helps you develop strong listening ability.
The rules are simple: you only follow the leader’s commands when they start with “Simon says.” However, there are tricky parts that can trip you up, so it can be hard to play without a fairly high level of English.
For that reason, it’s best to start this game after you have a solid grasp of vocabulary and grammar.
nervous breakdown
If you want to train your memory and vocabulary, “Concentration” (also known as the Memory matching game) is highly recommended.
It’s a popular game in Japan, so most people are familiar with it.
The main appeal of Concentration is that it trains your memory.
When you combine the memory training from Concentration with the ability to memorize English words, it becomes much easier to learn vocabulary.
As your vocabulary grows, your language skills will improve dramatically.
If you want to master English efficiently, give it a try.
English tongue twister
Japanese has far fewer phonemes than many other languages.
In short, phonemes are the number of distinct sounds a language has, and English has nearly twice as many as Japanese.
In other words, English pronunciation is difficult for Japanese speakers.
This “English Tongue Twisters” game is perfect for training English pronunciation.
It may feel very challenging at first, but to maximize the effect, please try to tackle it with a pronunciation as close to that of a native speaker as possible.
Touching Game Karuta
It’s often said that the earlier you start learning a second language, the better.
Children’s brains are far more flexible than adults tend to think.
That said, being very young also means they’re not as strong in quick, on-the-spot comprehension.
If you want 2- to 3-year-olds to pick up English, I recommend the ‘Touching Game Karuta.’ It makes learning English words easier than English shiritori, and the pictures help even children who aren’t interested in English enjoy it.
If you have little ones at home, be sure to check it out.
What am I drawing?
If you want an easy way to train your English at home, I recommend this game, “What am I drawing?” All you need is very simple: just paper and a pen.
The game itself is straightforward—you ask questions to guess what the other person has drawn.
It may seem simple, but it’s extremely effective for improving your questioning skills, and if you play it repeatedly, you’ll naturally build your language ability.
With a bit of adaptation, it’s a highly versatile game that can help strengthen language skills across various areas.
What’s missing?
If you have very young children, like 2- or 3-year-olds, we recommend “What’s missing?” This game is easy for anyone to play as long as they can read English, and the rules are very simple.
First, show the child 3–4 cards with English words on them.
Then have the child cover their eyes.
While they can’t see, the parent randomly flips one card face down.
When the child uncovers their eyes, they guess the word on the face-down card.
It’s simple, but it trains both vocabulary and memory.