Classroom word games for learning English vocabulary

Domino Games

classroom games tips and ideas

learning and teaching resources

Our domino games are fun matching game, very simple to play. In the game, players match tiles (text/picture) and get rid of their dominoes in order to win. If your students enjoy this activity, you could expand it by playing related word games.

Fun, interactive, great tools for learning. Who doesn't like to play classroom games? Here are some ideas to inspire you. These activities can be used in any topic!

The suggested games focus on spelling, writing and vocabulary building. They require minimal preparation and can be used just to practise any vocabulary.

Below you will find descriptions of the following classroom games:

• circle the words
• memorize the words
• spell the words
• cross the words
• erase the words

To browse all of our domino games sorted alphabetically by topic, use this resource guide. Also, we offer a variety of online word games that go well with these printables.

ideas for extra classroom games

Below you will find some classroom games that go well with our domino games. Any game can be used in any vocabulary topic.

circle the words

  • Write your vocabulary words on the board. The words are not in any order but scattered all over.
  • Divide the class into two teams. Give a piece of chalk to a kid from each team.
  • Say a word. The first student to circle the word wins a point for his / her team.

memorize the words

  • Divide the class into two teams.
  • Write a list of words on the board. Give your students time to study the words, then erase everything.
  • Now, teams should tell you one of the words from the list. If they correct, they earn a point for their team.

spell the words

  • Divide the class into two teams.
  • One member from each team comes to the board. They each say a word for the other to write on the board.
  • The class corrects any mistakes.
  • Correctly-written words win a point for the team. A wrongly-spelt word loses a point.

cross the words

  • On the board write vocabulary words that will be used in the game. Each pupil chooses five words and writes them down (or draws their pictures).
  • Each pupil chooses five words and writes them down (or draws their pictures). Say aloud words in different order.
  • When a student hears a word he/she has written or drawn, he/she crosses it out. The winner is the player who is the first to cross all the words.

erase the words

  • Divide kids into two teams.
  • Write two lists of vocabulary words on the board, one for each member of each team.
  • Each team forms a line leading to the board.
  • The first child on each team goes up to the board, points at the first word in the team’s column, and reads aloud that word.
  • If the pupil reads the word correctly, he or she erases that word.
  • The student then moves to the back of his or her team’s line.
  • The first team to erase all the words on their list wins.